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Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini has set sail for an expedition to South Africa's Cape Town for participating in the 50th edition of Cape to Rio Race 2023. The ocean sailing race will be flagged off from Cape Town on January 2, 2023, and will culminate at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
The race is one of the most prestigious Trans-Atlantic ocean races, according to the press release issued by the Ministry of Defence. The expedition is being undertaken by an Indian Navy crew of five officers including two women officers. INSV Tarini will cover a distance of around 17000 nm (approximately 30000 km) during the expedition whilst transiting from Goa to Rio de Janeiro via Cape Town and its return. The crew, over a period of 5-6 months in this trans-oceanic voyage is expected to face extreme weather and rough sea conditions in the Indian, Atlantic and Southern oceans. The expedition aims to train the crew onboard, in essential seamanship skills including Navigation, Communication, Technical, Planning, etc. The Ministry of Defence in the press release called the expedition an important milestone in training two women officers onboard for undertaking a solo circumnavigation sailing expedition of the globe. The press release noted that ocean sailing is an extremely tough adventure sport. The Defence Ministry noted that Ocean Sailing expeditions help in inculcating the spirit of adventure, and risk-taking abilities. It also enhances the Indian Navy's ability to project its "benign presence" across the globe. Notably, the Indian Navy has been regularly participating in sailing expeditions like Sagar Parikrama. INSV Tarini is being skippered by Capt Atool Sinha with Lt Cdr Ashutosh Sharma, Lt Cdr Dilna K, Lt Cdr Roopa A and SLt Aviral Keshav as the crew, according to the Ministry of Defence. During this ongoing expedition, a crew turnaround is planned at Rio de Janeiro for the return leg to India. Post the crew turnaround, Cdr Nikhil P Hegde will be taking over as skipper with Cdr MA Zulfikar, Cdr Divya Purohit and Cdr Abhishek Doke as crew. Lt Cdr Dilna K and Lt Cdr Roopa A will be part of the crew for both legs of the expedition as they are being trained for solo circumnavigation of the globe by a woman officer. (ANI)
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