Tri-service women crew nears historic global sail homecoming

Panaji: Somewhere in the vast, unforgiving expanse of the Southern Ocean, with swells towering above and freezing winds howling across the Drake Passage, six women officers of the Indian Armed Forces held their course. Just sails and an unshakeable determination to go all the way around the world.

This Wednesday, the Indian Army Sailing Vessel (IASV) Triveni will depart Cape Town to Mumbai, bringing India’s first tri-service all-women circumnavigation, Samudra Pradakshina, to its conclusion.

The women have sailed 18,900 nautical miles since they left India’s shores on Sep 11, 2024, and they sailed into Cape Town on April 26. A team of 10 women from the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force are sailing aboard the 50-foot yacht built in Puducherry, in turns. The indigenously built vessel underwent minor repairs at Cape Town and undertook a trial sortie in preparation for the homeward leg.

The Triveni has sailed an easterly route across all major oceans. And before it docks at Mumbai, the crew will have crossed the equator twice and sailed around three of sailing’s most formidable landmarks: Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope.

The crew made four international port calls — Fremantle in Australia, Lyttelton in New Zealand, Port Stanley and Cape Town — carrying with them, as defence minister Rajnath Singh noted at the time, not just the flag of India’s Armed Forces but its culture, tradition and values.

Expedition leader Lt Col Anuja Varudkar led a 10-member crew drawn from all three services. Her team includes deputy expedition leader Sqn Ldr Shraddha P Raju, Maj Karamjeet Kaur, Maj Omita Dalvi, Capt Prajakta P Nikam, Capt Dauli Butola, Lt Cdr Priyanka Gusain, Wing Cdr Vibha Singh, Sqn Ldr Aruvi Jayadev and Sqn Ldr Vaishali Bhandari.

Their preparation began with smaller offshore expeditions on Class B vessels, advancing progressively to IASV Triveni, a Class A yacht acquired in Oct 2024.

Beyond the sailing, the crew has been conducting scientific research in collaboration with the National Institute of Oceanography, studying microplastics, documenting ocean life and raising awareness about marine health across some of the planet’s most remote waters.