Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday flagged off the all-women team of the ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’ in Panaji, Goa today.
The crew of the ‘ Sagar Parikrama ’ comprises of six women on board. The all women team will circumnavigate the globe in sailing vessel INSV Tarini which will be completed in approximately 165 days. This is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew. Cdr Dilip Dhonde, first sailor to circumnavigate the world has trained the crew of Sagar Parikrama.
The team comprises of- Lt Cdr Vartika Joshi and Lt Payal Gupta from Uttarakhand, Lt Cdr Pratibha Jamwal from Himachal, Lt Cdr P Swathi from Andhra Pradesh, Lt Aishwarya Boddapati from Telangana and Lt Shourgrakpam Vijaya Devi hailing from Manipur.
Navika Sagar Parikrama’ would be covered in five legs with stopovers at four ports after starting from Goa (Fremantle in Australia, Lytelton in New Zealand, Falkland in Argentina and Cape town in South Africa) for replenishment of ration and repairs as necessary, before returning to Goa in April next year.
INSV Tarini, a 55-foot sailing vessel has been built by M/s Aquarius Shipyard Pvt Ltd, Goa and was commissioned into the Indian Navy. It’s made of wood and fiber glass with all advanced features like GPS, Navigation radar, Internet connectivity etc.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also conveyed his best wishes to the all-women Indian Navy team. “Today is a special day! Six women officers of the Navy begin their journey of circumnavigating the globe on board the INSV Tarini,” he posted in twitter.
