Accolades Observations and Acknowledgements

Lets just Go

 AHOY! A Cry let out by a seafarer when he spots land for the first time... but I believe there should be a similar exclamation or more a relieving sound that should be allowed to be let out by the crew when they finally set to sail as well …such were our feelings when set to the sea on 10th Sep 17 ie..Yesterday what a day it was oh my my ! Flagged off by the Defense minister herself  8 days after she took chair one thing that she said registered with us was-“ this was not an event that occurs every  5 years and 10 years it an even that will go down in history” so carrying this big responsibility on our shoulders we set out on this voyage…but all the pomp and show and the preparations that went towards it for the past few weeks got the better of us and left us sleep deprived…so as the watch keepers set about watching over the boat rest of the crew caught up on some sleep…Tarini our savior and our home for the time ahead rocked us to deep slumber with light winds and calm seas away from the cacophony of the land just enough to leave us energized

Relishing Mandovi Dhokla

Happy to be at Sea

Surprisingly no meal was cooked on board on Day 1 and the crew found comfort in goodies provided by INS Mandovi Wardroom Mess however Lavish Breakfast and Lunch were prepared as is the routine for the crew..

  

First lunch meal

Some phenomenon observed by the crew yesterday maybe the readers can provide inputs as to why they happen 

1. Over a large area in the sea an accumulation of bio luminescence was observed about 1 cable otherwise quite less quantity is seen near land.

2. A lot of dragonflies and moths were present on board all throughout the day a phenomenon not observed earlier. Does proximity to land trigger such organisms to visit?? Some food for thought and Points to ponder for folks on land…

It goes without saying that to commence this journey it  was a collective effort not just by the crew but a lot of other people…family, friends, well-wishers  or all in one …we acknowledge their contribution through this blog.

Token of loveon navigation Table

Helping Long hands

First and foremost our godfather Vice Admiral Manohar Awati for seeing a vision of ocean sailing by women.. His health did not permit him to travel for our cast off ceremony but his blessings came to us in the form of email and a picture of Tarini Goddess from Orissa and A little statue of Ganapati for good beginnings we missed you there Admiral! ..Capt Dilip Donde…our mentor for a constant guidance all through there with us on the boat untill the moment we left watching over us…our fall back option. Always there for us even when we are at sea or land understands us even without saying it probably takes the patience of a circumnavigator to tolerate the cribs and frustration of and all women’s crew  and still be able to guide us in the right direction glad we have you with us and some material and non-materials memoirs you gave us to take along Mr Ratnakar Dandekar for a patient hearing to all our little modifications that were required inside the boat and building and excellent boat that not just the country people but the whole world looks up to your guys specially Sachin and Dattaram are our right and left hand men for fixing up the boat ... Cdr Abhilash Tomy For all the light hearted entertainment and inputs for the voyage we wish him Luck for the upcoming Golden Globe Race..Director Indian Naval Sailing Association Cdr Niel Manjooran and his excellent team for dealing with bureaucracy diplomatically and tying up with all external agencies and excellent control over the entire voyage…Our Officer In Charge Ocean sailing node Capt Atool Sinha, Commanding officer,Officers and Staff of INS Mandovi  and Ocean Sailing Node for always being there for us in the hour of need organising the events leading upto the cast of ceremony managing our Admin and logistics and being a great Base support .. the PR team of navy for all the media coverage ..The various training schools and instructors of Indian Navy who taught us some important elements related to this voyage .All the units and nodal agencies of the navy who have contributed  by speedy approvals also Our own previous units and  officers who helped us become a part of this journey quite smoothly …The Naval Wives Welfare Association Mandovi for giving us a food hamper that we pounced upon soon after opening it 

chocolates

Token of love from NWWA

Our own family and friends who were with us until the last minute preparing the boat cleaning I inside out and stocking it up with a  piece of love and memories to last us for this voyage and beyond… any amount of words of gratitude I write for you will never be enough for your contribution. By the way just that we are sailing away for a while now it doesn’t stop you from communicating stay in touch and RESPOND when we try to get in touch with you it gets us worried 

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As a closing remark today we have some leftover works on land forgotten and misplaced few stuff for which we did not find time and might be able to do them only upon return so signing off on a funny note from somewhere off Karnataka waters 

SwatcatC(Swathi) forgot her 1 litre shampoo bottle that she bought exclusively for this voyage Sigh!

Puko(Payal) and Gator(Aishwarya-self) seem to have lost their expensive oakleys nowhere to be found god makes my heart squirm in pain 

VJ(Skipper) Seem to have forgotten to give a gift to her friend who came to see her off for the cast off what is this gift? Will it reach him anyhow? Its left to or own imagination as she refuses to let out any information