When Commander Dilip Dhonde of the Indian Navy sailed off mid August, 2009, from Mumbai, he was embarking on a journey that registered a new watermark in Indian naval and maritime history. For what Cmdr Dhonde set off was the first of its kind solo circumnavigation sea voyage undertaken by an Indian. The fact that the vessel, 'Mhadei' used for the project was an India-made one also made the event unique and commendable.



The project called Sagar Parikrama aims to undertake the maiden solo circumnavigation under sails by an Indian. It has plans to cover a distance of a minimum of 21,600 nautical miles, 'touching all caps'. The boat will sail approximately for nine months, including stoppages at 4 ports viz Fremantle (Australia), Christ Church (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falkland Islands) and Cape Town (South Africa).

Perhaps the single most important factor for the success of solo circumnavigation is the ability of the boat to stand up to the punishment that will be inflicted on her by the elements. Navy has taken extreme care about building the ship. The basic hull of the boat was made in India, its design was purchased from Van de Stadt Design Bureau, Netherlands. The engine of the boat was bought from Sweden, deck fittings from Europe, its sails from New Zealand and mast and rigging from South Africa. 

'Mhadei', the boat used in the project, was constructed at Aquarius Fibreglas, Goa, and was handed over to the Navy on February 12, 2009. Since then and prior to their departure, the boat and her skipper have been put on a rigorous training and trial programme, sailing over 6500 nautical miles (Nm) including over 2300 Nm of non-stop solo sailing. 

According to a defence ministry statement, the total cost of the project is Rs 6.15 crore with the boat valued approximately Rs 4.5 crore.

Broadband access to the boat is provided by Tata Communications, ensuring 24x7 connectivity with outside world. (See box).

The broad details of the boat are as follows:-
(a) Length  : 17.1 m (56')

(b) Length Waterline : 14.40 m (47' 3")

(c) Beam   : 5 m (16'5")

(d) Displacement : 23 Tons

(e) Draft   : 2.7 m (8' 10")

(f) Material  : Wood Core Fibre Glass

(g) Rig   : Sloop

(h) Height of Mast : 25 m (Almost equal to a 7 storey building)

(j) Sails   : 05 (one each mainsail, Genoa, Jib, two Gennakers and a Storm Jib)

A project of this complexity required the coordination  and efforts of a number of people, naval as well as civilian. The project is being coordinated at the Naval Headquarters by the Directorate of Physical Fitness, Adventure & Sports Activities (DAPSA) with technical support from the Directorate of Ship Production (DSP), operational support by the Directorate of Naval Operations (DNO) and administrative & logistics support by the Western Naval Command and Goa area.

The project is the end result of dedicated efforts by a team of passionate professionals including VADM (Retd) MP Awati, who as 'Project Facilitator' has been instrumental in conceiving and getting the project off the mark, Capt (Retd) Soli Contractor, a yachtsman of repute who provided necessary technical know-how for the project, Sir Robin Knox Johnston, the 'Grand Old Daddy' of Ocean Sailing who provided invaluable guidance to the project,  Johan Vels, a yacht builder with over 250 yachts to  his credit, with his invaluable advice, Ratnakar Dandekar, the boat builder from Goa who in the true  spirit of a pioneer, took up the challenge of building a vessels for the record-breaking venture, Lt Cdr Abhilash Tomy, the youngest and newest member of the team wearing many hats including that of the boat's crew, and last not the least, Cmdr Dhonde, the Navy's soloist, who volunteered for the project in 2006 and has steered it ever since.

According to Naval authorities, the vessel will be an asset to the organisation which will be used for training next generation of sailors.

Sagar Parikrama will put India on the world map for both quality yacht construction and for the ability to take on a task that many have dreamt of and few have completed successfully. It has also given an opportunity for India to showcase its boat building prowess. India had a long tradition of boat building in the country which needs to be revived if we want to take advantage of the opportunities available.

A number of crewed boats have circumnavigated under sails, a solo circumnavigation and that too through the Southern Ocean, presents a unique set of challenges and is often compared to climbing the Everest.

Even though about 300 people have managed to complete a solo circumnavigation, it is for the first time an Indian is attempting it. Cmdr Dhonte's effort is expected to instill the spirit of adventure in the minds of youngsters. 

Connectivity by tata
The Tata Communications’ international facilities team got onboard the Mhadei to equip the Indian Navy vessel with Inmarsat Fleet Broadband, a state- of-the-art communications system that provides invaluable support to India's first ever solo global circumnavigation voyage which is being carried out by Cmdr Dhonde from the Indian Navy.

The Inmarsat Fleet Broadband Solution offered by Tata Communications has given the ship incredible communication facilities allowing text messaging and real time e-mails. It is possible even to provide real time online support to the yacht from the Indian Navy controllers on land. Fleet Broadband provides broadband data capability of up to 432kbps, altering the way mariners and off-shore workers communicate, just as terrestrial broadband changed the way people used the internet.

Backed by the new Inmarsat-4(I-4) satellites, Fleet Broadband combines the reliability of fleet with a range of additional features that make it unique in its sector. Thanks to this, Cmdr Dhonde can make voice calls while simultaneously maintaining one or more high-speed data connections - a feature that will change the future of vessel and platform management for the Indian Navy. 

Cmdr Dhonde, a technology enthusiast and an avid blogger has been updating everyone connected with the project about the incredible journey. Through Fleet Broadband, he is able to get online, make calls home and send and receive text messages of up to 160 characters, a feature that is increasingly becoming popular with someone like him, who is used to having to text from a GSM/CDMA mobile while on shore. So far Fleet Broadband has provided reliable services onboard Mhadei over more than 15000 nautical miles and two ocean regions. 

Staying connected 24x7
“Fleet Broadband's always-on connection allows the Mhadei to send emails at any time, and to receive them automatically in real time. The solution, when used with an e-mail system can be used to integrate e-mail, fax, telex and text into a single messaging system,” said an official of Tata Communications. “This provides a highly convenient platform for all operational messaging from the captain's PC. It could also be accessed by crew members for social messaging and use of applications like Facebook, Twitter etc,” he added. 

The solution also enables the mariners' office on land to provide remote assistance constantly. If necessary, it is possible for the Indian Navy to set up a virtual network connection to remotely access the captain's PC. This makes it really easy to provide remote assistance, and diagnose any technical problems the captain might be having.

For more details on Fleet Broadband, visit http://www.mss.tatacommunications.com