History beckons women naval officers as INSV Tarini sets sail for final leg of expedition

On completion of the voyage, the officers will be the first from India to accomplish the feat in double-handed mode.

In a statement, a spokesperson of the Indian Navy said the INSV Tarini was ceremonially flagged off from the Royal Cape Yacht Club on April 15 at 10.30 am local time (2 pm IST).

“During her port call at Cape Town, INSV Tarini served as a hub for numerous outreach and diplomatic engagements. This visit also provided an opportunity for cultural exchange and highlighted the growing maritime cooperation between India and South Africa,” the statement said.

According to the statement, the crew engaged in a series of interactive events aimed at promoting gender equality, women’s empowerment and India’s capability in indigenous boat building.

In an interaction with faculty and students of the University of the Western Cape, Lt Cdr Dilna K recounted some lessons learnt during the expedition so far.

“There are moments when there is no wind and we have to be very patient to go through such situations. When [we] feel that things may go out of our control, we tell ourselves that we have to take things one at a time… Instead of thinking about the entire journey, we just have to focus on that particular moment, so that one can go through. That is one thing we have learnt. And belief in ourselves. We have started believing in ourselves. We know what we are capable of,” she told the gathering.

She also spoke of the challenges of being just a two-member crew.

“We are very exhausted. It’s just the two of us in the boat… We have to be the engineer, the electrician, the carpenter…we have to do sail settings, see the weather… We had some equipment failures on board, which we have to deal with ourselves,” Lt Cdr Dilna K said.

The Navy statement said the vessel played host to several esteemed guests, including Prabhat Kumar, High Commissioner of India to South Africa; Reagan Allen, Deputy Speaker of the Western Cape; Jonathan (Jonty) Rhodes, former international cricketer; Kirsten Neuschäfer, winner of the prestigious Golden Globe Race 2022-23 and a noted solo circumnavigator; Ruby Jaspreet, Consul General of India at Cape Town; and members of the Indian diaspora and local dignitaries.