PANJIM: Ace sailor Abhilash Tomy has got his task cut out as he is busy mentoring the Indian Navy’s women officers’ team for a solo circumnavigation voyage for ‘Sagar Parikrama’. This will be the fourth edition of the solo circumnavigation voyage of the Navy.
The voyage will see a woman naval officer sail around the world, solo and without stops. The two officers selected from a pool of 17 are lieutenant commander Dilna K, who hails from Kozhikode, and Pondicherry native lieutenant commander Roopa Alagirisamy.
Lieutenant commanders Dilna and Roopa have been undergoing training and each has over 21,000 nautical miles to their name. Talking to this paper, retired commander Tomy said, “For solo circumnavigation, he or she needs to have all the skills — engineering, sailing, weather monitoring and navigating. I have to really judge them on these terms. From an instructor’s point of view, I want them to be like a sponge, absorbing what I say and quickly replicating it.”
The training is in advanced stages with several short and long voyages lined up in the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean. Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said that there is a perception that solo sailing is not challenging. “Two women officers are under training. Among many, there is a perception that it is not that challenging. But it is not easy. When one actually goes, you see how challenging it is... In a small boat, you get tossed around. Things can break. You can drown. The boat can go down.”
“Despite all modern aids, life at sea is something that demands you to be alert and you cannot take it lightly, you have to be very professional. We have to learn how to survive. It is not easy because we are all used to living on land. We are not used to living at sea. It is a completely different domain,” Admiral Hari Kumar added.
The journey is slated for 2024, and only one woman officer will undertake it. Sagar Parikrama expeditions are the brainchild of late Vice Admiral MP Awati, considered the father of Indian circumnavigation missions. India now has eight sailors who have circumnavigated the world. Commander Tomy, the first Indian to successfully finish the Golden Globe Race 2022, was felicitated by Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff on Monday. He created history by finishing second in the Golden Globe Race.
Out of two, one officer will embark on the journey
The two women Navy officers selected for training from a pool of 17 are lieutenant commander Dilna K from Kozhikode, and Pondicherry native lieutenant commander Roopa Alagirisamy. The journey is slated for 2024, and only one woman officer will undertake it.