Tarini returns to hero’s welcome after its roller coaster voyage
From a WhatsApp call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Diwali, celebrating birthdays on the high seas, to being pounded by hurricanes and monstrous waves in the Pacific Ocean, the past 254 days were quite a roller coaster for the women of INSV Tarini who received a hero’s welcome on their return to Goa on Monday.
Amid fanfare befitting the historic occasion, as the Indian Navy Sailing Vessel burst into view at the Goa harbour, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and top naval officers stood at the jetty to greet the six-member crew that has become the first all-woman military team and the first Asian women’s team to circumnavigate the globe.
“There were some hard bits and fun times too during the last eight months,” said Tarini skipper Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, 28, on phone from Goa.
“Rounding Cape Horn (in January) was quite a challenge due to hurricanes and eight-metrehigh waves. We had to make sure that the boat was not overpowered by the winds and the waves were behind us, always,” said Joshi. Other members of the crew were Lieutenant Commanders Pratibha Jamwal and P Swathi, and Lieutenants S Vijaya Devi, B Aishwarya and Payal Gupta.
The Navika Sagar Parikrama team was flagged off from Goa on September 10, 2017.
The eight-month voyage was a gruelling endurance test for the women who volunteered for the expedition in which they covered more than 21,600 nautical miles.
“We knew at the very start of this voyage that we had a daunting task ahead. However, the many challenges we encountered brought in a newfound strength from within, which we ourselves never knew we were capable of,” said Joshi, who hails from Rishikesh. “Our close bonding helped us overcome those difficult times.”
Tarini met all circumnavigation criteria, a navy statement said.
A voyage qualifies as circumnavigation if it starts and finishes at the same port, does not entail crossing a canal or strait, all meridians are crossed at least once, and the distance covered is at least 21,600 nautical miles.
The crew halted at five ports: Fremantle (Australia), Lyttelton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands), Cape Town (South Africa) and Port Louis (Mauritius).
Port Louis wasn’t on the itinerary but the vessel docked there after a steering-wheel malfunction. “We had to be very careful as the boat was limping after the steering-wheel glitch. But we made it to Port Louis somehow and fixed the snag,” said Joshi.
The INSV Tarini is 17 metres long, five metres wide and has a displacement of 23 tonnes. It has been built at Goa by Aquarius Shipyard.
Joshi recalled calls made by PM Modi on Diwali and Sitharaman on Navy Day. “We made diyas out of flour and lit them up. It was an unforgettable Diwali. The PM asked us about the distance we had covered and how the voyage was shaping up,” she said.
Modi is expected to host a reception for the women in Delhi soon.
Joshi also recounted celebrating three birthdays on the high seas.“It was fun. We decorated the boat and baked cakes.” The longest leg of the journey was from New Zealand to Falklands, stretching over 45 days.
Sitharaman said, “It’s not the girls achieving, it’s the youngsters from India achieving. The women of this country have shown that it is possible for the youngsters - if they want to do something, they can indeed do it by showing commitment, grit and dedication.”
Lanba, too, heaped praise on the crew.
“The grit and determination displayed by these young women officers would definitely encourage future generations to take on daunting challenges and strive for success,” he said.
Joshi plans to go on a short vacation “if the navy approves it.” And given a chance, she would like to circumnavigate the globe again. “I have been in the navy for eight years, and the last eight months were certainly the most exciting,” she said.
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