Two Women Naval Officers Talk About Their Extraordinary Feat Of The Ongoing Circumnavigation Onboard A 56-Foot Sail Boat As Part Of Navika Sagar Parikrama II

The duo has achieved a significant milestone in their ongoing voyage on crossing Cape Leeuwin, which is the Gateway to the Southern Ocean.

Two women officers of the Indian Navy, Lieutenant Commander Dilna K and Lieutenant Commander Roopa A are undertaking an extraordinary expedition of circumnavigating the globe onboard a 56-foot sail boat under the second Navika Sagar Parikrama. The two Naval officers are set to make history as the first pair of women officers to undertake a global circumnavigation.

The duo, so far has achieved a significant milestone in their historic expedition by crossing Cape Leeuwin, which is the Gateway to the Southern Ocean and often referred to as the Edge of the World. As we write, both the officers are traversing the Southern Ocean. This marks a crucial step in their journey as they prepare to face even more challenging conditions in the days ahead. The officers are expected to reach Port Lyttelton in New Zealand by mid-December.

Over the period of eight months, the duo will be navigating more than 21,600 nautical miles without any external assistance, relying on wind power. The voyage was flagged off from the Ocean Sailing Node, INS Mandovi in Goa on October 2.

Conquering Oceans

As the duo navigate their passage through tough seas ahead, the two, earlier this year undertook a successful double-handed expedition of nearly two months. Onboard INSV Tarini, an Indian Naval Sailing Vessel, the expedition was flagged off from Goa on February 28 this year by solo circumnavigator Commander Abhilash Tomy, KC, NM (retd).

After 22 days of navigating through the unpredictable elements of the Indian Ocean, the two women officers arrived at Port Louis Mauritius on March 21. They returned triumphantly to the base port at Goa on April 21. Their exceptional journey marked a historic milestone as they became the first from India to accomplish such a feat.

“It’s an honour and privilege to participate in this voyage. The training has been immense and we have been trained for over a year before taking this double-handed expedition,” says Lt Cdr Dilna. Surely, the successful expedition has come with rigorous training at sea by four different skippers - Captain Vipul Meherishi (retd), Captain Atool Sinha, NM (retd), Commander Nikhil Hegde, and Commander Abhilash Tomy, KC, NM (retd).

Before embarking on their circumnavigation voyage, the two officers accumulated over 30,000 nautical miles of ocean sailing experience through various training sorties across multiple oceans. These included trans-Atlantic voyages, such as the expedition from Goa to Rio de Janeiro via Cape Town and back in 2023, during which they participated in the Cape-to-Rio race. This particular sortie involved two crossings of the South Atlantic Ocean, where they navigated perilous sea conditions while rounding the Cape of Good Hope—also known as "Cape of Storms"—along the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.

Meeting the storm head-on

The officers spoke to us during their training sortie to South Africa, before participating in the Cape-to-Rio race. Lt Cdr Roopa says expeditions like these require a lot of mental and emotional strength. "It requires qualities of mental and emotional strength along with a problem-solving attitude, attention to detail, foresight and thinking during adversity. All these are valuable skills for offshore sailing," says the officer. She further adds, "Physical strength can be developed over time, but working on the boat requires hard work and a lot of commitment."

The officers’ accomplishments so far present the Indian Navy's commitment to promoting gender equality and empowering women in the maritime domain.

The officers received their initial training under Captain Atool Sinha, NM (retd) for 10,000 Nautical Miles from India to Rio de Janeiro via Cape Town including their participation in the Cape To Rio Race in 2023. During this expedition, they covered a distance of about 17,000 nautical miles (nearly 30,000km) for about 55 days through the Indian, Southern, and Atlantic oceans.

Captain Sinha, who is also the winner of the Asian Games silver medal and has sailed about 38,000 nautical miles, says Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro were the toughest of all.

“The journey while crossing the Cape of Good Hope (the Cape of Storms) from East to West, where the Indian Ocean meets the South Atlantic, was an extraordinary challenge. This region, particularly near the Cape Agulhas, is notorious for its unpredictability with breaker waves, cold and warm fronts colliding and creating volatile conditions," said Captain Sinha. The officer said the boat felt like a ping-pong ball amid the waves, and they often experienced all four seasons in a single day. "Constantly monitoring the weather and preparing for the worst was crucial, as was staying alert at all times. Each night brought uncertainty, which demanded not only vigilance but also mental resilience," he recalled.

The officers onboard braved continuous storms for about a week, "testing our endurance and teaching us invaluable lessons about nature’s power and impartiality." Yet the officer says it was a humbling experience. "One that deepened my understanding and knowledge of the entire crew. Respect for nature is paramount—it shows no bias, and one must adapt to its will,” said Captain Sinha.

Sailing against odds

Sailing through the rough seas, Lt Cdr Dilna and Lt Cdr Roopa are prepared to beat the perilous waves as they move ahead with the voyage. And while the debate of women taking up challenges continues to mark headlines, this women duo is changing the narrative. "Women’s potential in offshore sailing has always been a topic of debate. While sailing is a physically demanding sport, it demands muscle strength and a lot of coordination. A woman can perform at a high level just like men,” says Lt Cdr Dilna.

Nevertheless, the officers believe that the sea doesn’t differentiate between men and women. Training plays the biggest role in successful voyages. “It needs a lot of preparation and training. We were trained in a step-by-step manner. There were various preparation sorties before the voyage. The training sorties gave us exposure to understand weather conditions,” adds Lt Cdr Dilna.