INSV TARINI- ‘Tarini’ named after one of Goa’s ancient boat goddesses – a 56-foot sailing yacht built to withstand rough seas for an all-women naval crew of 6. The first all-women crew to circumnavigate the globe. The expedition, titled ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’ is in consonance with the National Policy of ‘Nari Shakti’ – empowering women to attain their full potential. It also aims to showcase ‘Nari Shakti’ on the world platform and help revolutionise societal attitudes and mindset towards women in India by raising the visibility of their participation in challenging environs.
Setting sail from Goan shores in September this year, the INSV Tarini landed in Freemantle, Austraila in October after 42 days on the first leg of the expedition.
Dropping anchor at Lyttelton, New Zealand in the early hours of Wednesday, 29th November 2017, the all-women crew completed the second leg of their historic voyage. “The vessel is likely to depart Lyttelton on December 12 for Port Stanley in the Falklands Islands off the coast of Argentina,” a naval officer monitoring the expedition said.
The vessel has covered 7800 Nautical miles from Goa, crossing the Equator on 25 September 17 and Cape Leeuwin on 09 November ’17 two milestones achieved by the crew. Due to the hazards they presented to shipping, the great capes are significant landmarks in ocean voyaging.
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 4 ports: Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands), and Cape Town (South Africa). Presently, the vessel has covered two of the five legs of the voyage, with the first port halt at Fremantle (Australia).
One of the main tasks of the crew has been to collating and updating meteorological, ocean and wave data on a regular basis for accurate weather forecast by India Meteorological Department (IMD), as also monitoring marine pollution on the high seas. While spending time at different ports, they would interact with the locals, especially children to promote Ocean sailing and the spirit of adventure.
The yacht, which has been built by Divar-based Aquarius Shipyard Pvt Ltd, was flagged off from Goa on September 10 by defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Information Credit: Indian Navy, ToI
