Marking a proud moment for India, Navy’s all women team of Six members set sail to one of the most  dangerous sea terrains on earth.Last week they crossed the Cape Horn, located in the Tierra del Fuego islands near the southern tip of South America. This 1391 foot high headland is also dubbed as “The Mount Everest of sailing”. Dutch navigator Willem Schouten in 16th century discovered and rounded this place where The Atlantic, The Pacific and The Southern oceans collide, thereby creating the legendary “screaming of winds and waves”.

Indian naval sailing vessel is a 56 foot sailing vessel and showcases Make-in-India initiative.Crew’s stop stations included Fremantle, Lyttelton, Port Stanley and Cape town. It was headed by Lieutenant Commander Vartika joshi along with Pratibha Jamwal, P Swathi, S Vijaya Devi, B Aishwarya and Payal Gupta.

“Wonderful news! Delighted that INSV (Indian naval sailing vessel) Tarini has rounded Cape Horn in the last few hours.We are extremely proud of their accomplishment”,tweeted the Prime Minister Modi.

Indian navy spokesperson Captain D. K. Sharma said the team reached  Cape Horn at around 6 a.m. on Friday and hoisted the National flag, which was the most exhilarating experience for the team. The team was trained in Goa for the expedition and are to return to India in April, 2018.

Anjila Qureshi | TOC