Indian Navy's all-women sailing team crosses Cape Horn

New Delhi, Jan 19 : Indian Navy sailboat INS Tarini with an all-women crew rounded Cape Horn on Friday morning, completing one of the most difficult legs of its global circumnavigation tour.

Team leader Lt. Commander Vartika Joshi described the experience as one of "contentment", adding that the last few days before reaching Cape Horn were "some of the roughest days".

"Finally we are at the place where we were meant to be, where each one of the six of us dreamt to be before we signed up for this project. What we felt on sailing past Cape Horn may sound weird to the rest of the world, We were not sad or happy, what we felt was perhaps contentment of just being there at that moment," Lt. Commander Joshi said in a message.

"We saw some of the roughest days and sleepless nights to have reached till this point and as we sailed past the Cape with the national flag flying behind us, what I could see there in each of us was the utmost tranquility," she said.

"I am filled with pride for us, Team Tarini and a huge respect for the sea and seafarers of our nation," she added.

Indian Navy Spokesperson Captain D.K. Sharma said the team rounded the Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America at around 6 a.m. on Friday, and hoisted a tri-colour onboard the sailing vessel as a mark of the achievement.

The feat was achieved despite strong winds reaching 70 km per hour.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a tweet from his personal account, congratulated the team.

"Wonderful news! Delighted that INSV Tarini has rounded Cape Horn in the last few hours. We are extremely proud of their accomplishments," Modi said.

The team, led by Lt. Commander Joshi and comprising Lt. Commanders Pratibha Jamwal and P. Swathi and Lieutenants S. Vijaya Devi, B. Aishwarya and Payal Gupta, had sailed out from Goa in September 2017.