Woman officer in tough sailing team

Lt Commander Kapur is taking part in gruelling Cape 2 Rio Yacht race The race headquarters said the fleet had experienced stormy conditions on their first night, with reports of 40 to 60 knots of wind and swells of six metres

For the first time, a female officer of the Indian Navy is taking part in an ocean sailing race halfway across the globe in the Cape 2 Rio Yacht Race 2014, billed as one of the most dangerous competitions.

The Indian Navy is also planning a subsequent all- woman crew for a circumnavigation of the globe in the near future.

The Indian Naval Sailing Vessel ( INSV) Mhadei, skippered by the highly decorated Commander Dilip Donde, the first Indian solo circumnavigator, was flagged off from Cape Town, South Africa, on Saturday to participate in the exciting race.

Donde’s crew included Commander M. V. V. Satish, a trainee skipper, Commander TGS Bedi and the woman officer Lieutenant Commander Shweta Kapur.

The ministry of defence, in a release, said, “This is a beginning of a new chapter in India’s maritime history as an Indian lady is undertaking ocean sailing half way across the globe. The race that has begun from Cape Town, will terminate at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and has over 30 boats participating.”

Meanwhile, the race headquarters said the fleet had experienced stormy conditions on their first night, with reports of 40 to 60 knots of wind and swells of six metres. Many yachts experienced difficulties with the conditions but most were weathering the storm.

On completion of the race, INSV Mhadei will shape its return leg to Goa with a change of crew at Rio and at Cape Town. A woman officer will be part of the crew in each leg of the voyage .

By the time Mhadei returns to Goa, the Indian Navy would have trained three women officers in the art of ocean sailing.

These women will form the core team of the prospective “all- woman crew” for a circumnavigation of the globe. A subsequent solo circumnavigation of the globe by a woman officer is also planned.

INSV Mhadei set sail from Goa on November 25, 2013 and arrived in Cape Town on December 27 after an arduous journey of over 5,000 miles.

Mhadei is an Indian- built yacht that was delivered to the Navy in February 2009 by the manufacturer Aquarius Fibreglass in Goa.

The 17.1- metre, 23- tonne boat, built of wood core fibreglass, has a 25- metre mast. She has five sails with much of her equipment.