INSV Tarini – The Journey Around the World So Far

In order to promote ocean sailing activities and to encourage women empowerment, the Indian Navy conceptualized the idea of the First Indian All Women Circumnavigation of the Globe. A team of six women Officers led by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi was selected for this project. These officers have done basic sail training courses at INWTC Mumbai followed by Navigation, Seamanship, Communication and Meterology courses at various naval training schools at Kochi. After completion of theoretical courses, the officers sailed INSV Mhadei to Vizag for the International Fleet Review 2016 and thereafter to Mauritius and back. Following that, they sailed the boat on a grueling voyage to Cape Town in Dec 16.

The Crew

S No	Rank, Name & No.	Home Town	State	Sailing Experience
1.	Lt Cdr Vartika Joshi, 43077-A	Rishikesh	Uttarakhand	The officer has sailed from Rio De Janeiro to Cape Town in 2014 and from Port Blair – Vizag – Chennai – Kochi onboard Mhadei. She skippered INSV Mhadei from Vizag to Goa in Feb 16, Goa to Mauritius and back from May to Jul 16 and from Goa to Cape Town in Dec 16. The officer also skippered INSV Tarini from Goa to Mauritius and back from May to Jul 17.
2.	Lt Cdr Pratibha Jamwal, 07109-F	Kullu	Himanchal Pradesh	The officer has sailed onboard Mhadei from Goa to Port Blair in 2014, Vizag to Goa in Feb 16, Goa to Mauritius and back from May to Jul 16 and from Goa to Cape Town in Dec 16. The officer also sailed onboard INSV Tarini from Goa to Mauritius and back from May to Jul 17.
3.	Lt Cdr Swathi P, 7234-R	Visakhapatnam	Andhra Pradesh	The officer has sailed onboard Mhadei from Cape Town to Goa in 2014, sailed from Vizag to Kochi in Feb 16, Goa to Mauritius and back from May to Jul 16 and from Goa to Cape Town in Dec 16. She also participated in the recently concluded Cape to Rio race 2017. The officer also sailed onboard INSV Tarini from Goa to Mauritius and back from May to Jul 17.
4.	Lt Aishwarya Boddapati, 43151-W	Hyderabad	Telangana	The officer has sailed onboard Mhadei from Vizag to Goa in Feb 16, Goa to Mauritius and back from May to Jul 16 and from Goa to Cape Town in Dec 16. The officer also sailed onboard INSV Tarini from Goa to Mauritius and back from May to Jul 17.
5.	Lt Sh Vijaya Devi, 70712-H	Moirang Kwakta Santhong	Manipur	The officer has sailed onboard Mhadei from Goa to Port Blair in 2014, Vizag to Goa in Feb 16, Goa to Mauritius and back from May to Jul 16 and from Goa to Cape Town in Dec 16. The officer also sailed onboard INSV Tarini from Goa to Mauritius and back from May to Jul 17.
6.	Lt Payal Gupta, 70724-K	Dehradun	Uttarakhand	The officer has sailed from Vizag to Goa onboard Mhadei in Feb 16, Goa to Mauritius and back from May to Jul 16 and from Goa to Cape Town in Dec 16. She also participated in the recently concluded Cape to Rio race 2017. The officer also sailed onboard INSV Tarini from Goa to Mauritius and back from May to Jul 17.

The Journey Plan

February 2017 – INSV Tarini Inducted

The Indian Navy’s second ocean going sailboat INSV Tarini was inducted at a ceremony held at the INS Mandovi Boat Pool on evening of 18 February 2017. The sail boat was inducted into the Navy and was slated to be the platform for First Indian All Women Circumnavigation of the Globe expedition of the Indian Navy.

INSV Tarini is almost identical to her illustrious predecessor, the iconic Mhadei which has sailed over 1,15,000 nautical miles in the past eight years.

The boat draws her origin from the famous Tara-Tarini temple of Orissa’s Ganjam district. The word Tarini means a Boat and is also a Sanskrit word for Saviour. Tara-Tarini is a patron deity for sailors and merchants and is worshipped for safety and success at sea. Tara-Tarini of Orissa is known to have historical linkages with the river Goddess Mhadei- the exclusive boat deity of the Mhadei river of Goa. Both the deities Tarini and Mhadei have sculptural similarities.

The boat is skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi and crew members include Lieutenant Commander Pratibha Jamwal, Lieutenant Aishwarya Boddapati, Lieutenant Patarapalli Swathi, Lieutenant Sh Vijaya Devi and Lieutenant Payal Gupta.

6 June 2017 – INSV TARINI Maiden Visit to Mauritius

Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Tarini entered Port Louis harbour, Mauritius on her maiden visit to the island nation since induction in the Indian Navy in Feb 2017.

19 October 2017 –Diwali greetings

The Prime Minister made a video call to the crew of Tarini and wished the crew of INSV Tarini a ‘Happy Diwali’, on behalf of the nation and wished them success in their mission.

INSV Tarini is now currently approaching their first stop in Fremantle, Australia and is expected to reach there on 22 October 2017 after covering 4770 nautical miles.

The Prime Minister also conveyed birthday greetings in advance to two of the crew – Lt. Cdr. Vartika Joshi, and Lt. Payal Gupta – whose birthdays are coming up shortly.

5 November 2017 – Tarini Departs from Fremantle

INSV Tarini left Fremantle, Australia this morning for its onwards journey to Lyttleton, New Zealand. It had arrived at Fremantle on 23 October 2017 after completion of first leg of its maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe.

The crew was officially welcomed to Western Australia (WA) by Tourism, Defence Issues and Citizenship and Multicultural Interests Minister Paul Papalia and Women’s Interests Minister Simone McGurk on 1 November 2017.

Chief of Royal Australian Navy Vice Admiral Tim Barrett also visited the vessel on 1 November to welcome the crew. He also handed over a personal message from Australian Minister for Defence Ms. Marise Payne for the crew. The crew had several engagements during its stay in Fremantle, including call-on meetings with Governor of Western Australia.

12 December 2017 – Tarini Departs Lyttelton

INSV Tarini left Lyttelton this morning for its onward journey to Port Stanley (Falklands). INSV Tarini had arrived at Lyttelton on 29 November 2017 after completion of second leg of its maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe.

The crew of INSV Tarini was officially welcomed to Lyttelton by Mr Andrew Turner, Deputy Mayor of Christchurch on 29 November 2017. The crew was also welcomed in the traditional Maori culture by members of the community.

Hon’ble MP from Christchurch Central, Mr Duncan Webb also visited the vessel to welcome the crew. The crew had several engagements during its stay in Lyttelton, including call-on meeting with Mayor of City of Christchurch, Ms Lianne Dalziel. The National Council of Women of New Zealand also hosted the crew for an interaction.

22 January 2018 – Tarini enters port Stanley Falkland Islands

INSV Tarini entered Port Stanley (Falkland Islands) today during its maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe. The vessel has covered approximately 15000 Nautical miles from Goa, crossing the Equator on 25 September 17, Cape Leeuwin on 09 November 17 and Cape Horn on 18 January 18.

The vessel and the crew experienced rough weather and stormy winds during the passage across the Pacific ocean that spanned 41 days. This coupled with the extremely cold climatic conditions prevailing in the region, proved to be a daunting task to overcome for the Indian Navy crew. Winds in excess of 60 knots and waves upto 7 meters were experienced on this leg of the passage.

The vessel is likely to depart Port Stanley on 4 February 18.

04 February 2018 – Tarini departs Port Stanley, Falklands

INSV Tarini left Port Stanley today for its onwards journey to Cape Town (South Africa). INSV Tarini had arrived at Port Stanley on 21 January 2018 after completion of third leg of its maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe.

Mr Nigel Philips, CBE, Governor of the Falkland Islands and her Majesty’s Commissioner of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands welcomed Tarini into Port Stanley on 21 January 2018.

As part of their stay in harbour, Team Tarini interacted with students from Falkland Islands Community School for Secondary Education, Brownies and Girl Guides, Beavers and Boy Scouts and young adults from the Hockey Club. The crew also visited sites related with the 1982 conflict and paid respects at the 2 Para memorial. They also visited the Argentine Military Cemetery at Darwin.

02 March 2018 – Tarini Enters Cape Town, South Africa

INSV Tarini entered Cape Town (South Africa) today during its maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe. The vessel’s passage through the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans thus far, has witnessed winds in excess of 60 knots and waves upto 7 meters high.

The vessel would return to Goa in April 2018, on completion of the voyage. The vessel is likely to depart Cape Town on 14 Mar 18.

14 March 2018 – Tarini Departs Cape Town, South Africa

Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini left Cape Town today for the final leg of circumnavigation passage to Goa. The yacht was flagged off by Ms Ruchira Kamboj, High Commissioner of India to the Republic of South Africa,  Mr Abhishek Shukla, Counsel General of India in Cape Town, South Africa & Ms Auroux Marais, Minister of Cultural Affairs & Sports, Western Cape Government, members of Indian diaspora and South African Sailing Association.

As part of their stay in harbour, Team Tarini interacted with students from University of Western Cape, St. Paul’s Primary School and Lawhill Maritime Academy. INSV Tarini crew had an opportunity to interact with a wide range of stakeholders during the welcome reception hosted by the High Commissioner, which was attended by numerous distinguished guests, including state officials, businessmen, academicians, leaders from Indian community and media persons.

Several outstanding sportspersons and local populace also visited the vessel while she was open for onboard visits. The Skipper Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi along with crew gave a talk and presentation at the Royal Cape Yacht Club and Maritime Academy. The crew also interacted with sailing community of Western Cape.

26 April 2018 – Emergency Repair of Steering System at Mauritius

INSV Tarini, with its team of six women officers departed Port Louis, Mauritius, for the last leg of the circumnavigation, at 1000 hours today on 26 April 2018. The vessel had entered Port Louis on 18 April 2018 for emergency repairs to her steering gear.

The High Commission of India, Mauritius in coordination with National Coast Guard, Mauritius provided complete assistance towards speedy defect rectification, which included diving repair work, provisioning of requisite spares and technical support. The steering system was rectified and Tarini undertook a trial sortie off Port Louis to ascertain operational availability of steering gear at sea.

3 May 2018 – 1,452 nm Away

Tarini is about 1,452 nautical miles (approximately 2,689 kms) from Goa, her home port. The vessel is expected to arrive at Goa in mid May 2018 as against expected schedule of May 2018..

The expedition will culminate at INS Mandovi Goa, bringing to an end a 21,600 nautical mile journey that began on September 10, 2017.

Conclusion

The expedition was covered in five legs, with stop-overs at Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands), and Cape Town (South Africa). Presently, the vessel has covered four of the five legs of the voyage and has entered the last port at Cape Town, South Africa.

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), as also monitoring marine pollution on the high seas. They would interact extensively with the local populace, especially children, during the port halt to promote Ocean sailing and the spirit of adventure.