Indian navy all-women crew enters Port Louis

The Indian Navy’s sail boat INSV Mhadei entered Port Louis harbour on Tuesday 14 June on completion of the first leg of her maiden open ocean voyage with an all-women crew. The boat was flagged off on this voyage by Rear Admiral KK Pandey on 24 May 2016 from Goa. The boat is being skippered by Lt Cdr Vartika Joshi. This is the first open-ocean voyage of the Indian Navy’s all-women crew, who are currently training to undertake a circumnavigation of the globe in 2017. The crew comprising Lt P Swathi, Lt B Aishwarya, Lt Pratibha Jamwal, Lt Vijaya and SLt Payal Gupta undertook this arduous voyage through rough seas and heavy weather, expected during the Monsoons in the Arabian Sea. This is a training voyage to expose the young crew to weather they would face in 2017. All the women officers are keen sailors who took to the sport after joining the Indian Navy. The Skipper, Lt Cdr Vartika Joshi and Lt Swathi have been part of Mhadei crews on earlier voyages. They have been training under Cdr Dilip Donde, India’s first Circumnavigator, who undertook his voyage on the same boat, Mhadei in 2008-09. The crew would undertake their circumnavigation of the globe on board a new sailing vessel ‘Tarini’ expected to be delivered by Feb 2017. INSV Mhadei leaves Port Louis on Friday 24 June 2016. Mhadei and Tarini would both be based at this Node in Goa. The boat will be open to visitors on 19 June 2016.