It seems like yesterday that the Tarini team started sailing in preparation for what came to called Navika Sagar Parikrama. The young women Naval officers, Vartika, Swati and Pratibha, were the first to volunteer. They were later joined by Payal, Vijaya and finally Aishwarya.
Frequent training sorties were the norm and the girls spent most of their time aboard Mhadei, fixing, figuring, sailing, reviewing till it became second nature for them to be on a sail boat. They started as complete novices but worked hard to evolve into seasoned sailors. It still amazes me though that one had not seen a coconut tree till she joined the Navy and a couple of them had not seen the sea till they signed up!
They started with local day sails, then kept expanding their horizons, from Mumbai to Cochin to Vizag to Port Blair, to Mauritius, to South Africa before finally embarking on their circumnavigation. They had been sailing for over 2 years before their circumnavigation and had about 20,000nm under their belt by then.
While the weekdays were a blur of activity, the weekends was when the fun sailing happened. Mhadei, and later Tarini, loved to entertain. Every weekend a new bunch of enthusiasts, fans and friends joined the team for an afternoon of sailing; and then the after party.
Each one of the team seemed to mature and grow as we looked on indulgently, at least I did. Boyfriends, tiffs, grooming and maturity - we watched all the reels (and review them mentally ever so often now).
The IFR was the turning point in the project, with Vartika formally taking on the role of Skipper and sailing Mhadei back from Port Blair to Goa with nary a scratch. Dilip meanwhile slept hardly a wink as he mentally sent fair winds and following seas their way. Having made their point, both Skippers, Dilip and Vartika, rolled up their sleeves and got even busier!
Vartika seemed to breathe boats and dream them too. The others too had figured their roles on the boat. An observer on one of their sails, was aghast at how silently, and efficiently, the crew operated. He was used to commands boomed out to ensure prompt action.
Meanwhile Dilip took early retirement and, returned to work the next day in his civvies.
The name for their boat was selected by the team and Tarini progressed rapidly from a bunch of planks to the beauty she is. The team would visit her and work on her at the boatyard under Ratnakar’s watchful eye.
Once Tarini was handed over to the Navy, the pace picked up. The team, familiar with Mhadei, settled down easily on Tarini. Tarini’s first sail was from Goa to Mumbai, to mark Mhadei’s anniversary of her first sail there with Adm Awati. The grand old man of Indian circumnavigation, Adm Awati, was then recuperating in INHS Aswini in Mumbai. He would have sailed this time too, but the doctors put a spanner in his plans!
The team set off on 10 September 2017, made stops at Fremantle, Lyttleton, Falkland Islands, Cape Town and Mauritius, to successfully complete the first circumnavigation by a group of women, on 22 May 2018.
As with any such expedition, there were storms and celebrations; tabasco sunsets and happy times ashore. The mother-of-all-storms almost swept Vartika off the boat, but her tether saved the day. Steering gear issues had them divert to Mauritius for a quick repair stop.
For over a year after their return the team travelled the country, sharing their stories. Each one went her way to different assignments and roles in life. Five of them are married now and 3 have children.
Vartika hung up her uniform on 04 July 2022 and is headed out into the big blue yonder. That closes a significant chapter in our lives and we wish her and Team Tarini all the very best!
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