Navika Sagar Parikrama - Circumnavigation of Globe with INSV Tarini

Navika Sagar Parikrama is the name of the expedition for circumnavigation of the globe on INSV Tarini by the Indian Navy's Women Naval Officers. The six-member all-woman team circumnavigated and managed the whole operation in their first-ever global journey. The voyage lasted 254 days and finished on 21 May 2018 when the crew returned to Goa, with only 4 port calls in Fremantle Australia; Lyttelton, New Zealand; Port Stanley, Falklands; and Cape Town, South Africa, and a forced technical halt at Port Louis, Mauritius crossing the equator twice and 3 oceans. Before starting their voyage the crew also met up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The boat sailed in after traveling 21,600 nautical miles on Monday, 21 May 2018 at INS Mandovi, Goa. 

The voyage was showcased in a documentary 'Tarini', jointly made by National Geographic and Indian Navy. It premiered at an event at Lady Shri Ram College on March 8 to mark International Women's Day and received a standing ovation. The voyage prompted National Geographic to start the 'Girls Who Sailed' campaign, which was meant to allow women to tell tales of grit and determination, and women could log on to the NatGeo India website to tell their stories.

INSV Tarini

INSV Tarini is the second sailboat of the Indian Navy. It was constructed at Aquarius Shipyard located in Goa. After undergoing extensive sea trials, she was commissioned into the Indian Navy service on 18 February 2017. INSV Tarini is a cruising sloop built at the Aquarius Shipyard in Divar, Goa. The vessel was handed over to the Indian Navy on 18 February 2017, christened INSV Tarini, after the Tara Tarini temple, Odisha. Tarini's hull is built of wood-core and fiberglass sandwich. The boat has six sails, including mainsail, genoa, stay, downwind, and storm sail. She is capable of sailing in extreme conditions. The boat measures 56 feet in length. The mast, custom-built by Southern Spars, is about 25 meters tall.

Tarini was built to a stock design by Van de Stadt called Tonga 56. The keel for Tarini was laid by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Aquarius Shipyard on 27 March 2016. The boat was delivered to the navy before the scheduled date. She successfully completed her sea trials on 30 January 2017. Several improvements were incorporated in this ship based on experience gained from operating INSV Mhadei. She is fitted with advanced features such as satellite communications, a Raymarine navigation suite, and a Monitor wind vane equipped for emergency steering. Tarini is similar to her predecessor, the INSV Mhadei, which has traveled over 115,000 nautical miles during her eight years of service.

Significance

The significance of Navika Sagar Parikrama's voyage aligns with National policy to women empowerment to attain their full potential, showcase India’s Nari Shakti on a world platform, and help revolutionize attitudes and mindset towards women by raising the visibility of their participation in a challenging environment. The voyage also aims to showcase the Make in India initiative of the government by sailing on board an Indian-built INSV Tarini. It also encourages the use of environment-friendly non-conventional renewable energy; as the ship harnesses wind. The crew will also monitor and report marine pollution levels. Apart from that the crew is also expected to interact with local people of Indian origin as well as collate and update Meteorological/Ocean Wave data on daily basis for analysis by research and development organizations and the India Meteorological Department for a better forecast of the weather.

Training

Before the circumnavigation, the crew trained for nearly three years which included theoretical training at various Indian Naval schools in Mumbai and Kerala. Followed by hands-on training on INSV Mhadei and INSV Tarini. The crew trained under India's first solo circumnavigator Captain Dilip Donde. The training under him was conducted in a phased and systematic manner wherein the team undertook various sailings from Vishakhapatnam to Goa via Chennai, Kochi, and Karwar, Mauritius in 2016 and 2017, and a 43-day voyage from Goa to Cape Town in 2016. Two of the Navika Sagar Parikrama team also participated in the Cape to Rio Race 2017 onboard INSV Mhadei skippered by Captain Atool Sinha, from Cape Town who led a mixed crew of men and women into the race. Team Tarini sailed for 22,000 nautical miles on board INSV Mhadei and INSV Tarini as part of their training.

Nari Shakti Puraskar

On the occasion of International Women's Day on 8 March 2018, the crew of INSV Tarini that was part of Navika Sagar Parikrama were conferred the Nari Shakti Puraskar for outstanding contribution towards women empowerment. The award presented by Ramnath Kovind, the President of India was received by Lieutenant S Vijaya Devi, who is incidentally Northeast India's first woman sailor on behalf of the team of INSV Tarini.

Crew

The crew was short-listed after receiving applications for volunteers for the voyage. The expedition was flagged off by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Goa on 10 September 2017. The 6 member all women crew included: -

1. Lt Cdr Vartika Joshi, also the skipper

2. Lt Cdr Pratibha Jamwal

3. Lt Cdr Aishwarya Boddapati

4. Lt Cdr P Swathi

5. Lt Shourgrakpam Vijaya Devi

6. Lt Payal Gupta

While Lt Cdr Vartika Joshi and Lt Payal Gupta hail from Uttarakhand, Lt Cdr Pratibha Jamwal is from Himachal Pradesh, Lt Cdr P Swathi is from Andhra Pradesh, Lt Cdr Aishwarya Boddapati from Telangana and Lt Shourgrakpam Vijaya Devi hails from Manipur.  The 6 members were conferred with Nau Sena Medal for completing the arduous journey, in the list of gallantry awards announced on 14 August 2018; on the eve of India's 72nd Independence Day.

Life on the Voyage

The voyage on INSV Tarini was fraught with danger, many times the crew was caught up in gale and faced waves as high as a nine-storied building with speeds up to 70 knots or 120 kmph. The crew also suffered from extreme weather conditions, starting with 45 degrees in India, 12 degrees in Australia, 0 degrees in New Zealand, and sub-zero in the Pacific Ocean. The crew cooked food according to the weather, sticking to ready-to-eat foods during bad weather. The crew kept a stock of 400 liters of fresh water every 40 days. This was after the crew faced a water shortage while moving towards its first stop, and was forced to collect rainwater for survival. 

A team of two officers was always on deck to keep watch of the sea and change in weather in an eight-hour shift. While on the voyage from Australia, the crew witnessed a rare phenomenon, Southern Lights or Aurora Australis, and even bioluminescence. While crossing the Pacific the crew encountered a massive storm that lasted almost a whole day, with winds up to 130 km/h. The crew celebrated the birthdays of Vartika Joshi, Pratibha Jamwal, Payal Gupta, S. Vijaya Devi, and also the boat INSV Tarini, baking cakes while at sea. They even celebrated the crossing of the equator with cake.

First Stop

INSV Tarini attempting to circumnavigate the globe entered the port of Fremantle in Western Australia on 23 Oct 2017 on completion of the first leg of their journey. On 5 Nov 2017 after two weeks of stay, the crew left Fremantle, Australia for its onward journey to Lyttleton, New Zealand on its second leg.

Second Stop

INSV Tarini on 29 November 2017 entered the Lyttelton port in New Zealand on the second leg of the maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe. On 12 December 2017, the crew left for the third leg of its journey toward the Falkland Islands. 

Third Stop

INSV Tarini on 21 January 2018 entered Port Stanley in Falkland Island on the third leg of the maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe. The crew of INSV Tarini after spending a fortnight in the port departed on its 4th leg of the journey on 4 February 2018 for its onward journey to Cape Town, South Africa.

Fourth Stop

On its last leg before the home stretch to Goa, INSV Tarini reached the 4th stop of Cape Town on 2 March 2018. So far, the vessel covered over 17,500 nautical miles from its start in Goa since September 2017. The crew left Cape Town for its home stretch on 14 March 2018.

Home Coming

INSV Tarini after completing their epic journey reached Goa on 21 May 2018 after completing 21, 980 nautical miles journey. The team completed the expedition called Navika Sagar Parikrama referring to the circumnavigation of the globe in 254 days. The crew passed the Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and the Great Capes namely Africa's Cape of Good Hope, Australia's Cape Leeuwin, and South America's Cape Horn.