Rubber legs??Naah!

The Ace Team

 So here we are again sailing the second leg of our journey another leap of faith another step into the unknown and wilderness… back to where we belong... We are always asked this question how does it feel to be at sea for so long? Believe me...nothing brings more calm and peace to me than seeing water all around waves surging past seeing the sun raise and set into the horizon between the sky and sea…frankly we have grown our sea legs to become amphibians over the past two years.. and we like going back to the sea in fact we surrender ourselves to the sea with Tarini our saviour.  I was missing this all the time we got to be on land and was secretly yearning for it for the past two weeks and I’m sure my shipmates will agree more with me. Did we actually get to rest and recuperate over the past two weeks? I can only recollect running around the boat preparing it for Leg 2 and then going for all social engagements whenever we could find a little spare time..My cheeks still hurt for smiling for so many photographs thanks to a very packed up schedule by Defence Attaché India Navy and the Consulate General Perth.  And now we are more at ease when at sea. Just us, Tarini and the pacific it’s a perfect  harmony trust me surreal but true... our mentor was telling us all the time and now I totally get it(Respect sir @first Indian don’t you think we get to talk to you more when at sea?)...sometimes I wonder what we are going to do when we culminate this voyage but that’s a far ask…I might just turn to the skipper and say “where to next captain?”
A quick recap of what happened since our last blog update..First and foremost we were informed that we would be receiving a call from prime minister’s office on Diwali whoa! How about that? So the day was quite busy with the crew setting up the cameras to record the video call with NaMo(I know everyone knows it .This is first-hand information readers!)… we were also calling home to wish family and friends on the occasion … Despite all technical glitches and phone hangovers and some more murphys law that’s sometimes inevitable.. we successfully completed the call with prime minister. Prime minister was updated on our progress in voyage and He informed us about our reception in Australia he also wished skipper and Puko in advance for their birthdays wow quite an captivating personality he is don’t you agree?…the phone call was then was followed by Diwali celebrations onboard with the crew lighting up “Tarini” made diyas of aata ghee and surgical cotton and thus absolutely eco friendly ,smoke and soundfree Diwali was celebrated onboard.

Blue as Sea Skipper

The next few days were spent preparing for our approach to the first port of call a lot of scrubbing and cleaning was carried out onboard to flaunt the Indian made Indian maker Indian women crewed boat. We were ready for our first port of call…when prime minister informed us over the phone call on Diwali that a lot of preparations are going on in Australia with fanfare and fervour for our welcome little did we know what was coming our way… as we slowly made our approach to the allotted berth at the Fremantle sailing club we spotted a large gathering standing with boards calling out welcoming and cheering us. It was extremely overwhelming and we were taken aback a little. Felt like we were home again…everyone was so warm and friendly. Even before we finished our pleasantries and secured the boat, all our personal belongings had reached the vehicle and even before we could correct our rubber legs and start walking around …off we went for dinner with Indian High Commission. 

The entire duration of stay at Fremantle we were kept busy all along primarily for preparing the boat and then the Consulate General of Perth and our Defence attaché with a hour by hour chalked out schedule kept us busy with a lot of official engagements we got to meet and interact with a lot of eminent personalities of the her excellency governor of Western Australia. Minister of tourism Minister of women interests and vital ministers of the parliament also got to interact with Perth US Asia members, students of Modern Perth school and a tour of the local university amongst this jam-packed session we celebrated a grand birthday of our woman of women “The skipper “we totally nailed a surprise at midnight as we caught her asleep after a long tiring day of course. And got her a cake with an icing as blue as the sky and the sea and as cool as the skipper herself. The candles representing the various tools we use on board what a day it was
The entire duration of stay at Fremantle we were kept busy all along primarily for preparing the boat and then the Consulate General of Perth and our Defence attaché with a hour by hour chalked out schedule kept us busy with a lot of official engagements we got to meet and interact with a lot of eminent personalities of the her excellency governor of Western Australia. Minister of tourism Minister of women interests and vital ministers of the parliament also got to interact with Perth US Asia members, students of Modern Perth school and a tour of the local university amongst this jam-packed session we celebrated a grand birthday of our woman of women “The skipper “we totally nailed a surprise at midnight as we caught her asleep after a long tiring day of course. And got her a cake with an icing as blue as the sky and the sea and as cool as the skipper herself. The candles representing the various tools we use on board what a day it was..

We also use this blog as a medium to thank a lot of people
First our Defence Attaché Capt Chetan Chandegave for taking care and organizing and arranging for all our requirements both personal and on the boat.. Staying with us onboard and helping us out.
Our shore support from India Cdr Paras Gosain for being with us through each and every step past 2 weeks
The high Commissioner of India-Australia Dr A M Gondane for hosting us and being kind enough to spare time come all the way and meet us
The Counsel General of Perth Mr Amit Mishra and his wife Meenakshi for being our local guardian keeping us busy with all the official and unofficial engagements at shore the entire team of Counsel General of Perth for a smooth stay and working even on weekends..
Families of Retired Armed forces Officers in Perth for hosting excellent dinner and luncheons for us and coming all the way to receive and see us off
All the Indian families who came to meet us and hosted dinner for us we felt like we were home when with you
All the Australian Families who visited our boat and attended the lectures organised it was really pleasant sharing our journey with you we will keep in touch with you over emails
“Be “ Fremantle for an excellent stay
Fremantle sailing club for taking us in and helping us out when coming in and going out
veerender who was driving us around when we were driving him crazy thank you buddy
oh! Almost forgot.. thank you to each and every one who packed a bit of home and a bit of love on the day we departed and Mrs Preeti and mrs maneesha  for giving an emotional farewell with tilak and sweets we looked like soldiers ready for battle.
We apologise to the families and friends who wanted to host dinner for us but we could not make it there and regret not being there because of all our commitments and other requirements

True to our word we celebrated a grand birthday for puko too and blessed she is celebrating her birthday at sea the day started with puko waking us all up and yelling at the top of her voice coaxing us to decorate the boat with ribbons and balloons jumping around merrily singing “its my birthday” her enthusiasm got to us and soon enough entire boat was decorated cake was over decorated and after cutting the cake our beloved puko was decorated with cake on her face and the traditional fauji Dhaap on her backi believe she will share an anecdote from pukos diary soon.
It’s been five days at sea and we have crossed 40 Degree latitude the area is generally called Roaring forties why so?
Western winds move in both the hemispheres (northern and southern) between 35 to 60 degrees latitudes. In the southern hemisphere, these winds show a very stormy nature after 40 degree latitude.This remains constant in summer as well as in winter. In the olden days, sailors called them 'roaring forties' since these winds create a very noisy atmosphere and were not favourable for them at all.

we have also achieved another big milestone of our journey we rounded one of the three great capes of our voyage that’s Cape Leewin Most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian-Continent Due to the significant hazards they presented to shipping, the great capes became significant landmarks in ocean voyaging Quoting one of the great seafarers “Bernard Moitessier“as I recently finished reading his book “the long way” a little modified to suit us 
A seafarer’s geography is not always that of the cartographer, for whom a cape is a cape, with a latitude and longitude. For the seafarer, a great cape is both a very simple and an extremely complicated whole of rocks, currents, breaking seas and huge waves, fair winds and gales, joys and fears, fatigue, dreams, painful hands, empty stomachs, wonderful moments, and suffering at times.
A great cape, for us, can't be expressed in longitude and latitude alone. A great cape has a soul, with very soft, very violent shadows and colours. A soul as smooth as a child's, as hard as a criminal's.

And that is why we go.

 So here we go ready on our toes for any battle the ocean sends our way. although we are yet to hear the roars or land a complicated situation but surely not denying the fact that we see it coming constantly checking our barometers and temperature gauge which dips down and in our battle wear all the time on vigil we do notice nature changing its spectacle slowly around us with low lying dark clouds covering the sky like a blanket at distance saying watch out! And our weather prediction shows a cold front passing by us pretty soon there is no room for surprises.
Never the less I cannot help sharing what a sight It is at the sea…seeing the sun set into the horizon the sky changing colours from orange to purple and then black and just a while later we see moon raise from the other side it was as if a volcano erupted in the middle of the sea the moon was orange ball of fire in the middle of the ocean it’s a pity we couldn’t capture this wonder. I think to myself whatever we have traded to be here… today.. Now.. It’s totally worth it …there are a lot of compromises, sacrifices, fights, differences in opinion, jealousy ,bitterness, anger and hatred we had to face from the world outside and inside to feel this moment and where we are now is beyond all these emotions and beyond any feeling. Just a slight dose of vitamin “Sea” and everything else dissolves you need see it to know it until then lost in thoughts we wander further into the sea!