All-female Indian crew connected to city
THE INSV Tarini crew are restocking their meal supplies with many different types of foods as they prepare to make their way back to India.
Skipper Lieutenant-Commander Vartika Joshi yesterday said all six women are from different parts of the country and therefore have different likes.
“Everybody has got their own favourites, so we try different recipes on-board.
“We make sure that we have good meals every day,” Joshi said.
The crew were flagged off by India’s Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, and started sailing on September 10.
They are on-board the 17m sailing vessel and aim to be India’s first all-women crew to complete a historic circumnavigation of the globe.
They arrived in Cape Town on Friday, which is their last port of call until they leave on Wednesday.
At the Royal Cape Yacht Club yesterday Joshi, Lieutenant-Commander Pratibha Jamwal and Lieutenant Aishwarya Boddapati were doing routine maintenance on their boat.
Other crew members Lieutenant Patarapalli Swathi, Lieutenant Vijaya Devi and Lieutenant Payal Gupta were performing other duties.
Joshi said the team had worked fantastically well together.
“Everyone in the team has given their best to ensure the journey is smooth and we get the boat back safely,” Joshi said.
Boddapati said they had experienced amazing sights and sounds during their journey, one of the most beautiful being witnessing the Southern Lights.
“The sunrise and sunset over the equator are incredible, and we’ve seen all kinds of fish – dolphins, whales,” Boddapati said.
Boddapati worked as a volunteer with the Indian Navy, and said she was grateful for the experience.
Jamwal said as the crew prepares for the journey home, she was most excited to see her fiancé, family and friends.
“We are getting married in October,” Jamwal said.
She said the crew felt at home in Cape Town, and have a connection with it.
Their mission included touching Australia, New Zealand and the Falklands in the South Atlantic Ocean.
The High Commissioner for India to South Africa and Lesotho, Ruchira Kamboj, said the crew underscored a critical point – that nothing is impossible for women if they are given the chance to fly.
Kamboj said for far too long women have been held back for a multitude of reasons.
“This is the symbolism behind the ‘feat’ of the women of Tarini, who undertook a challenge in a perceived ‘department of men’.”