Around the world in 8 months: Indian Navy's all-women crew leaves Australia

The all-women crew of the Indian Navy sailboat, which is on a challenging expedition of circumnavigating the globe, on Sunday left port city of Fremantle in Western Australia for its onward journey to New Zealand.

The six crew of the Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini, led by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, started their maiden voyage on September 10 from Goa and is expected to complete it in about eight months.

"The Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini left Fremantle, Australia this morning (05 Nov 17) for its onwards journey to Lyttleton, New Zealand," Indian Navy Spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said.

 

On October 23, the sailing vessel arrived at Fremantle Port, its first and only stopover in Australia, after completing the first leg of its maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe.

The crew was officially welcomed to Western Australia (WA) by Tourism, Defence Issues and Citizenship and Multicultural Interests Minister Paul Papalia and Women's Interests Minister Simone McGurk on November 1.

Federal MPs from Western Australia, Madeleine King and Dr Anne Aly, visited the vessel.

Chief of Royal Australian Navy Vice Admiral Tim Barrett also visited the vessel on November 1 to welcome the crew, Capt Sharma said.

Vice Admiral Barrett handed over a personal message from Australian Minister for Defence Marise Payne for the crew.

The crew had several engagements during its stay in Fremantle, including call-on meetings with Governor of Western Australia Kerry Sanderson AC and Deputy Mayor of City of Fremantle Cr Ingrid Waltham.

President of WA Legislative Council Kate Doust also hosted the crew at WA Parliament for an interaction with female MPs from all major parties.

The crew of INSV Tarini also had an opportunity to interact with strategic thinkers and academia during a presentation and reception event hosted by Perth US-Asia Centre, a think-tank focusing on geopolitical issues.

The crew also visited the scientific facilities at the Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre at University of Western Australia.

They had a chance to meet renowned Australian scientist and Australian of the Year 2017 Professor Alan Mackay-Sim, who is famous for his work on stem cell research.

Their next stopovers are Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands), and Cape Town (South Africa).

INSV Tarini is a 55-foot sailing vessel, which has been built indigenously, and inducted in the Indian Navy earlier this year.