MANGALURU: 55 Army sailors, including five women officers, for the first time, sailed around the Indian peninsula on a 44-ft Bavaria Class yacht '.
The expeditation was conducted to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Electronic and Mechanical Engineering (EME) wing in the Indian army,
These 'Techno Warrior Sports Person', as they proudly call themselves, set sailing from the New Mangaluru Port at Panambur on Thursday night. They, however, halted for a couple of days there till the sea weather seemed fair. On Saturday morning, they left for Goa.
The purpose of the expedition around the Indian Peninsula was to promote sailing as a sport and foster adventure among the youth and inculcate a sense of awareness and responsibility towards marine and coastal hygien, said Major Mukta, one of the 25 officers on board.
The sailors had to take turns as the boat could accommodate about 10 at a time. While half a dozen would learn about the sea, others would interact with locals about their cultures when they travelled by rail or road to their successive ports of call.
Fhe west coast was a breezy with favourable sea weather in comparison to the east, says Major Alok Yadav from Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME), a permanent member on the yacht for the expedition, He recalled sailing about 50 nautical miles from the land due to an inside curve from Haldia to Vishakapatnam.
Just 15 minutes casting off from Chennai, he recalled being caught in a heavy swell till Karaikal beyond Pondicherry. However, the less-ventured east coast did bring a pleasant sight in the form of about 30-40 dolphins simultaneously jumping out of the water off the Vizag harbour.
The west coast, a common affair for sailors, was bustling with activity. While a large number of barracudas lined in the stretch between Cochin and Trivandrum, the maximum number of fishing boats were seen between Cochin and Mangaluru. The stretch also was filled with plastic, Yadav recalls.
"While we did not carry army during the expedition, the coast guards and the Indian Navy were always present with their support," he said, looking forward to the last three ports of call -- Goa, Mumbai and Porbandar where they will wind the expedition.