All-women Indian sailing team reaches Australia

Visakhapatnam: The all women team from the country on board INSV Tarini attempting to circumnavigate the globe on Monday entered the port of Fremantle in Australia. The first-ever Indian all-women crew attempting this feat includes Vizag girl Lieutenant Commanders P. Swathi. The vessel on its maiden voyage is captained by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi. The crew comprises Lieutenant Commanders

Pratibha Jamwal, P. Swathi, and Lieutenants S. Vijaya Devi, B. Aishwarya and Payal Gupta. The crew has also been collating and updating meteorological, ocean and wave data on a regular basis for accurate weather forecast by India Meteorological Department (IMD), while monitoring marine pollution on the high seas. They would interact extensively with the local people, especially children, during the port halt to promote Ocean sailing and the spirit of adventure.

The INSV Tarini left Goa on September 10. The vessel has covered 4,800 Nautical miles from Goa, crossing the Equator on September 25 and the Tropic of Capricorn on October 6. The indigenously-built INSV Tarini is a 56-foot sailing vessel which was inducted in the Indian Navy earlier this year. The vessel would return to Goa in April 2018, on completion of the voyage. The expedition is being covered in five legs, with stop-overs at four ports: Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands), and Cape Town (South Africa).