A crew on a Navy Sail Boat that arrived into Western Australia's Fremantle Harbour this week have set out to become the first all-female military team to circumnavigate the world.
The 55-foot INSV Tarini left India's West coast on September 10, travelling almost 5,000 nautical miles (9,260 kilometres) to the port of Fremantle.
Crew member Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi said it has been a great learning experience so far.
“When I started sailing, I really felt a sense of freedom here at sea,” she said.
“There are so many things that you can learn – You have all the time in the world to think about yourself, to introspect.”
It's the first of a five leg journey to circumnavigate the world, and the team say they feel they are well prepared.
"We were aware that when we come down south, the weather is going to be more worse, so we wanted to orient ourselves to such conditions at sea," said Lieutenant Boddapati Aishwarya.
The team have arrived in Western Australia. Source: SBS
That orientation involved participating in an extensive two-year training program that gave the crew the skills to handle everything from equipment breakdowns to monsoons.
The final six officers were chosen from a shortlist of 20, some whose families had never even seen the ocean before.
Lieutenant Shougrakpam Vijaya said her family are curious to know what her expedition is like.
"If there is some windy or rainy at home, then they will call us and ask, ‘are you guys ok’ or ‘how is the weather conditions, is it raining too much, is it too windy?’
“It's very difficult for them, the one's who have not seen the ocean"
After leaving Fremantle in the Indian Navy's second sailing boat, the crew's next stop will be Lyttelton, New Zealand.
They will then begin a gruelling 45-day journey to Port Stanley in the Falklands, crossing the entire Pacific in one leg.
Lieutenant Commander Pratibha Jamwal said the team expected the next part of their endeavor would be challenging.
"Cape Horn is already notorious for it's high seas and rough weathers," she said.
"We are well prepared for it but definitely it's going to be the toughest."
From there the crew will stop in South Africa before arriving home in Goa - eight months after they set off.
