KOCHI: Lieutenant Commanders Dilna K and Roopa Alagirisamy, currently on a mission to sail around the globe, have bagged the prestigious Admiral Ramdas Trophy 2024 for the outstanding voyage of the year.
They won the award, instituted by the Yachting Association of India (YAI), for two sorties undertaken as part of preparatory training ahead of their circumnavigation voyage.
The first saw them sail from Goa to Port Blair and back in double-handed mode. The second entailed a transoceanic sortie from Goa to Port Louis in Mauritius and back. Both these voyages saw the duo cover nearly 10,000 nautical miles.
While Lt Cdr Dilna hails from Kozhikode in Kerala, Lt Cdr Roopa is a Pondicherry resident. The two woman officers also won the trophy last year when they were part of a nine-member crew that went on a 188-day-long transcontinental voyage.
Currently, they are nearing Lyttelton in New Zealand for their second scheduled stop on their latest expedition, which is part of the Navy’s Sagar Parikrama series.
Other awards
The YAI’s Admiral R H Tahiliani trophy for the best yachtsperson of the year was jointly won by Vishnu Saravanan and Eabad Ali, while the Engineer-in-Chief’s Trophy for the best lady sailor of the year was shared by Nethra Kumanan and Neha Thakur. Hav Sikhansu Singh won the Admiral Nadkarni Trophy for the most promising yachtsman of the year.
The Admiral R K Dhowan trophy for the best sailing club went to the EME Sailing Association in Hyderabad, and the Admiral Kohli Trophy for promoting the sport of yachting to Lt Col Alok Yadav. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Ashok Thakkar and Lt Col M P Jaggi (retd).
The YAI is the governing authority for sailing, windsurfing, motor boating, powerboat racing and personal watercraft at sea and on inland waters in India. It is recognised by the Indian Olympic Association and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.