Port Blair, Apr 10: The Indian Naval Sailing Vessel, INSV Mhadei, arrived Port Blair on 09 Apr 12. The sailing vessel is on a voyage with an aim to give experience to Naval personnel in ocean sailing and also to provide day experience to Naval personnel of local units during stopovers. The sailing casted off from Goa on 17 Mar 12 and will cover approximately 5000 miles.
INSV Mhadei was inducted into the Navy on 12 Feb 2009. Conceived by Vice Adm (Retd) MP Awati, VrC, Project Sagar Parikrama aimed at creating history by completing a solo circumnavigation of the globe under sails which was successfully achieved by Cdr Dilip Donde, the first skipper of the sailing boat, on 19 May 2010. Cdr Dilip Donde created history when he successfully completed the voyage and became the first Indian and 175th person in the world to do so. Presently the sailing vessel is commanded by Lt Cdr Abhilash Tomy.
Lt Cdr Abhilash Tomy, was commissioned in the year 2000. The officer, a Dornier Pilot by specialization, took over as skipper of INSV Mhadei at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on Feb 2011 from Cdr Dilip Donde and carried out a successful trans Atlantic crossing. He already had 22000 miles of ocean sailing experience out of which 20000 miles are on INSV Mhadei itself. He also sailed a solo voyage from Cape Town to Goa on Mhadei from Apr – Jun 2011 becoming the second Indian to do so.
INSV Mhadei will depart Port Blair on 22 Apr 12 for Langkawi followed by Phuket.
