Navy vessel Mhadei, with an all-woman crew, was flagged off from here to Cape Town, South Africa, by Rear Admiral Monty Khanna, Commandant, Naval War College, on Wednesday.
The vessel is scheduled to reach Cape Town on December 15. The boat will participate in the “Cape to Rio Race” (Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro), which will start on December 26.
Long distance sailing“Sea faring is our profession and there is nothing better than long distance ocean sailing to learn the fine nuances of seamanship and understanding the oceans. The women officers have already sailed to Mauritius in the peak of monsoons and we are confident that the experience gained will hold them in good stead during the long voyage,” Rear Admiral Monty Khanna said.
The present voyage of INSV Mhadei consists of four legs, which include Goa to Cape Town, Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro (the actual race), and back to Goa.
Four sets of crewThe Navy has identified four sets of crew to participate in various legs of the voyage with the purpose of preparing a larger base of adventure loving seafarers.
While the present leg up to Cape Town is being undertaken by an all-woman crew skippered by Lt. Cdr. Vartika Joshi, the Rio race would be undertaken by a mixed crew of men and women, which would be helmed by Capt. Atool Sinha, the officer-in-charge of the recently established Ocean Sailing Node of the Navy. Capt. Sinha is an Asian Games silver medallist.
Similarly, the return legs would have separate sets of crew.
