Around the world in 238 days: INSV Tarini returns home with women naval officers

“Yes, we made it,” said Lt Cdr Dilna K. The Malayali naval officer had just returned with her colleague, Lt Cdr Roopa A, after completing a daring, eight-month circumnavigation of the globe on a sailboat.

“On October 2, we left Goa with a lot of hope and courage... Today, we stand here alive and strong together. Wherever we landed, we were cheered. We proudly represented India in this journey of a lifetime,” she said.

The Indian Navy’s two-woman sailing team returned to Goa on May 29 aboard INSV Tarini after completing their mission, Navika Sagar Parikrama II. They made history as the first Indian women to circumnavigate the globe in a sailing vessel in ‘double-handed’ mode—relying solely on each other, sails, and wind power.

Over 238 days, the duo—now celebrated nationwide as #DilRoo—covered more than 25,600 nautical miles, sailing across four continents, three oceans, and three Great Capes. Their feat was formally honoured at a flag-in ceremony at Mormugao Port in Goa, presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

“You haven’t just gone around the Earth—you’ve made a place in the heart of every Indian,” Singh said, calling them “the country’s brave daughters”. The minister likened meeting the two officers to a father reuniting with his daughters, praising their voyage as a proud symbol of Nari Shakti.

Flagged off on October 2, 2024, by Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, INSV Tarini made port calls at Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falkland Islands), and Cape Town (South Africa). At each stop, the officers took part in outreach programmes, engaging with local communities, schoolchildren, the Indian diaspora, and naval cadets—flying the Indian flag with pride.

But the journey was anything but easy. “There were nights when we faced 20-foot waves, days when the cold froze us, and moments when the sea felt like heaven,” Roopa recalled. In one terrifying episode, the duo experienced a complete navigation blackout that lasted three hours. Yet, their resolve never faltered.

Roopa described the expedition as life-changing. “I lived all my seven lives in these eight months,” she said. “In this voyage, I found a friend in you [Dilna], and a friend in myself whom I can trust lifelong.” She dedicated the journey to her family, who supported her through her unconventional choices.

For Dilna, the voyage was deeply personal. “This was a promise I made to my father. He is no longer with me, but I felt his presence throughout,” she said. Her mother and husband, she added, were her pillars of strength. “I wish everyone gets a husband like mine.”

Their boat, Tarini, became the first Indian sailing vessel to cross Point Nemo—the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility—on January 30, 2025. The crew also crossed the Roaring Forties, the Prime Meridian, and the Cape of Good Hope, enduring some of the toughest sailing conditions on Earth.

The Indian Navy hailed Navika Sagar Parikrama II as a defining chapter in India’s maritime legacy. The expedition, it said, showcased seafaring excellence, national resolve, and the spirit of Indian womanhood on the global stage. It was, above all, a journey of empowerment—charting bold new waters for generations to come.

As Roopa put it, “The world of the sea is the same planet, but a whole different world.”