Historic mission: 10 tri-services women officers to embark on round-the-world sailing expedition

Mumbai, Sep 9 (PTI) In a first of its kind mission, a team of 10 women officers from India's tri-services will set out on a round-the-world sailing expedition on board the Indian Army Sailing Vessel (IASV) Triveni from the Gateway of India here on Thursday.

The team comprises five Army officers, four from the Air Force and one from the Navy. The expedition will be led by Lt Col Anuja Varudkar.

This is the first time that the Indian Armed forces are jointly leading a circumnavigation mission. The officers will sail more than 26,000 nautical miles, crossing the Equator twice and rounding the Three Great Capes -- Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope --, cover major oceans, and some of the most dangerous waters on the planet, including the Drake Passage.

They were trained by experienced and well-qualified instructors from Heavy Bridging Training Camp (HBTC), Marve (in Mumbai) in skills like navigation, communication, scuba diving, basic medicals and first aid apart from basic and intermediate blue water sailing courses.

The expedition is likely to be completed in nine months, during which the team would visit four foreign ports and reach Mumbai in May 2026.

Talking to reporters, Lt Col Varudkar said the team had been undergoing training for the last three years, taking part in small expeditions. Earlier this year, the team also took part in the 3,600 nautical miles with over nearly 55 days at sea.

IASV Triveni is a 50-foot sailing yacht made of fibre reinforced plastic (FRP), built indigenously in Puducherry, and is equipped with modern navigation and communication systems. It features a main sail area of approximately 1,500 square feet, multiple auxiliary sails including Genoa and Spinnaker, Satellite communication, GPS, and AIS systems, endurance for nearly 60 days of continuous sailing. PTI PR NP