India’s all-women sailing crew keep dreams alive

INDIA’S pioneer female sailors are expected in the Mother City tomorrow after seven months at sea, and a host of celebrations are being arranged.

The six all-women crew have circumnavigated the globe, having touched Australia, New Zealand and the Falklands.

They arrive in Cape Town tomorrow before returning to Goa after their voyage.

The crew are set to make history by becoming the first Indian and Asian women to complete a circumnavigation of the globe on the INSV Tarini, skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi.

They are expected at the V&A Waterfront Yacht Basin ahead of moving to the Royal Cape Yacht Club, where the Indian high commissioner and the consul-general will welcome them.

South African dignitaries will also be in attendance.

On Saturday, the SA Sailing Western Cape and Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC) are hosting a presentation and Q&A session at 11.30am, which is open to all.

On Monday, a photo exhibition of the circumnavigation will be on display at RCYC. The exhibition is also open to all.

SA Sailing Western Cape are assisting in the welcoming of the crew.

The body’s women and girls chairperson Shama Nathoo said: “The message to women is not to restrict yourself, and if you have a dream, do not hold back; the possibilities are out there.

“Our drive is to encourage more women and girls involved.”

INDIA’S first all-women crew circumnavigating the globe in the INSV Tarini reaches the Mother City tomorrow, and it’s a big deal. This is for a number of reasons. Firstly, it smashes any and all stereotypes surrounding the physical, mental and emotional capabilities of women.

The crew has not experienced any major technical problems, and have not run into any troubles they were unable to get themselves out of.

They’ve said the ocean has pushed them to their limits at times, but it has inspired them to do even greater things.

“It’s crucial for the youth to realise how important it is to know themselves and work on what they perceive as weakness,” the crew said in a message to the Cape Times.

Sailing here is still dominated by rich, white males because of past injustices.

But sailing was the lifeline of the forebears of many, if not all, indigenous people living around coasts all over the world, and of the slaves forcibly brought here from South-East Asia, Angola and elsewhere by the coloniser forebears of the whites.

The Indian Navy sailing vessel Tarini is skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi. Other crew members are Lieutenant Commander Pratibha Jamwal, Lieutenant Aishwarya Boddapati, Lieutenant Patarapalli Swathi, Lieutenant Vijaya Devi and Lieutenant Payal Gupta.

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 worshipped for safety and success at sea.

For a sail boat’s voyage to qualify as circumnavigation, the voyage has to start and finish at the same port; cover a distance of at least 21 600 nautical miles; keep south of the three great capes of the southern hemisphere; cross all longitudes in the same direction; cross the equator twice; not use any canals; and certainly not use the engine for propulsion.

These are the exacting standards under which the crew is currently sailing to become the first Indian women to have completed circumnavigation.

They will return to Goa in April on completion of the voyage.

We welcome the Tarini crew to Cape Town, and hope you feel at home. Thank you for flying the flag for women all over the world.

We salute you.