After a 17k-nautical mile voyage over 7 months, Divar-built INSV Tarini to return to Goa

Panaji: The Indian Navy’s ocean sailing yacht, INSV Tarini, is set to return to its home port in Goa on Tuesday after an arduous journey spanning 17,000 nautical miles over seven months.

The vessel — built at Divar’s Aquarius shipyard — and her crew of six naval officers notched up yet another milestone as the Navy prepares to send a woman officer on an around-the-world expedition.

Chief of naval staff Admiral Hari Kumar, Union minister for women and child development Smriti Irani, and chief minister Pramod Sawant will be at INS Mandovi to receive the crew.

The six crew members include two exceptional women officers who have been shortlisted by the Indian Navy to undertake the first-ever solo circumnavigation by an Indian woman on an Indian-flagged vessel.

As part of the preparations for the feat, the two women officers along with a rotating crew of four other officers undertook a trans-ocean inter-continental voyage which began on August 20 last year.

The Indian Navy said that Lt Cdr Dilna K and Lt Cdr Roopa A, who participated in the entire expedition, demonstrated the power of women empowerment and are set to follow in the illustrious footsteps of the Navika Sagar Parikrama where six female naval officers undertook a circumnavigation.

“The current voyage of INSV Tarini is a significant step towards the navy’s upcoming endeavour to send a woman on a solo circumnavigation of the globe,” the Indian Navy said in a statement.

The Navy has been actively promoting ocean sailing, and this expedition is part of its mission to circumnavigate the globe. Captain Dilip Donde became the first Indian to achieve this feat in 2009-2010, followed by Cdr Abhilash Tomy (retd), who became the first Asian skipper to participate in two circumnavigations. In the Golden Globe Race 2022, Tomy achieved a podium finish.