239 Days, 25,400 Nautical Miles, 2 Women: Indian Navy Officers Sail Around the Globe
Upon arriving Lieutenant Commander Dilina K said “I feel I have lived all my seven lives in these eight months.”
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2025-05-30 15:59 GMT
On Thursday, two women officers of the Indian Navy Lt Commander Dilna K and Lt Commander Roopa A, made history by becoming the first Indian women officers to have circumnavigated the globe under sail by relying solely on wind power. The duo who is now recognized nationwide as #DilRoo has sailed for 239 days covering 25,400 nautical miles across four continents, three oceans and three Great Capes making port calls at Fremantle (Australia), Lyttelton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falkland Islands), and Cape Town (South Africa). Their journey began on October 2, 2024 from the Naval Ocean Sailing Node in Goa which spanned up to 8 months and returned back on May 29, 2025.
Upon arriving Lieutenant Commander Dilina K said “I feel I have lived all my seven lives in these eight months.” Recounting the most terrifying moment of their journey she says “in the dead of a night”, the officers were trying to steer clear of a cyclone and they had a “complete navigation panel blackout” in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. “We lost the GPS, boat heading, wind instrument, autopilot… It took us three hours, but it felt like an eternity to get the systems back under control,” said Lt Cdr Roopa.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh extended a hand to greet the two women officers. He had built a rapport with the two women officers midway via a video interaction. He had also promised them he would be there for the grand welcome in Goa. True to his words he welcomed the officers in person.
The article is authored by Kripa C Saji, an intern from Loyola Academy.