BSH NEWS
Indian Navy’s five sailing yachts entered the Sri Lankan port city of Trincomalee on Thursday, after completing a 3000-mile voyage. During their week-long stay in the island nation, the Indian Naval officers manning the sailing yachts will offer training to twelve of their Sri Lankan counterparts.
This will include a two-day harbour training phase at Trincomalee, on the east coast, followed by a four-day sailing expedition that circles half of the island and leads to Colombo, located on the west coast.
Ocean sailing is one of the toughest adventure sports and the Indian Navy encourages its officers to take part in the sport, which enhances risk-taking abilities whilst honing essential seamanship skills including navigation, communication, technical operation of engines and onboard machinery, logistics planning etc.
Manned by six officers each, the Indian Navy Sailing Vessels (INSV) Mhadei, Tarini, Bulbul, Kadalpura and Hariyal had started sailing on January 12 this year from Goa in India’s west coast and had made en route stops at Indian cities Kochi and Chennai, before reaching Visakhapatnam, (India’s East Coast). Here, they took part in the President’s fleet review that was held in the last week of February.
It is during their return journey that these yachts are visiting Sri Lankan cities. The Indian sailing crew of thirty Naval officers includes three women officers.
Also read | Yogi Adityanath: The monk who would be Uttar Pradesh’s CM again
Besides being an extreme adventure sport, sailing enhances the Indian Navy’s ability to project its benign presence across the globe by participating in major expeditions at both the national and international levels. While sailing, the crew will have to deftly harness the power of the ocean current and wind to propel their vessels, during day and night, while also braving the weather in the high seas.
In the past, INSV Mhadei has done solo circumnavigation ‘Sagar Parikrama’ with Capt Dilip Donde in 2010 and Cdr Abhilash Tomy in 2013. She has also done Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro races in 2011, 2014 and 2017. INSV Tarini has done circumnavigation of the globe ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’ in 2017 with all women officers crew.
After their Lankan leg of the voyage, all five Indian sailing yachts are expected to sail back to Goa by the end of March.