FIRST EVER ALL-WOMEN SAILING EXPEDITION (CHENNAI-VIZAG-CHENNAI) BY EME SAILING ASSOCIA TION, MCEME AND ARMY ADVENTURE WING
Chennai 23 February 2022
FIRST EVERALL WOMEN SAILING EXPEDITION (CHENNAI-VIZAG-CHENNAI) BY EME SAILING ASSOCIATION, MCEME AND ARMY ADVENTURE WING
1. The first ever All Women Sailing Expedition of the Indian Army under the aegis of Southern Command Sailing Node, EME Sailing Association (MCEME) and Army Adventure Wing was flagged off from Chennai on 15 Feb 2022 by Dr (Smt) Tamilisai Soundararajan, the Honourable Governor of Telangana State & Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry and Lt Gen TSA Narayanan, AVSM, Commandant MCEME and Colonel Commandant, Corps of EME. The expedition team completed its grueling journey in the high seas (Chennai-Nizampatnam-Vizag-Nizampatnam-Chennai) and returned on 23 Feb 2022 wherein they were flagged in at the Chennai Port in a befitting ceremony.
2. The historic expedition was flagged in by Maj Gen SS Dahiya, SM, VSM, Chief of Staff, HQ Dakshin Bharat Area on 23 Feb 2022 at the Chennai Port. The General Officer complimented MCEME, EME Sailing Association, the Southern Command Sailing Node and the Army Adventure Wing for conducting such an event for the first time ever, and said that the expedition would not only give an impetus to Sailing as a sport, but would also inspire and motivate young girls to don the olive greens and serve the nation.
3. Maj Muktas Gautam from EME had led the momentous expedition with the team comprising of Majs Priya Semwal, Priya Das, Rashmil Sangwan, Arpita Dwivedi and Sanjana Mittal and Capts Jyoti Singh. Malvika Rawat, Shubham Solanki and Sonal Goyal. The Officers were trained in blue water sailing and watermanship under the tutelage of EME Sailing Association and HBTC Marve, before embarking on the expedition.
4. The expedition saw active support from the Indian Navy which provided a mother ship throughout and the Indian Coast Guard, which constantly tracked the movement of the expedition and provided all necessary assistance. The expedition was accorded an interim flagging in/off under the aegis of the Indian Navy at Vizag on 17/18 Feb 2022. A ground crew of the EME Sailing Association constantly monitored the expedition to coordinate the finer nuances and logistics for the expedition. HQ Dakshin Bharat Area provided the logistics support for conduct of the Flagging In/Off ceremonies at Chennai.
5. EME Sailing Association (EME SA) at MCEME has been at the forefront of promoting Sailing and has carved a unique niche for itself. Apart from creating innumerable Sailors of national and international repute, EME SA has undertaken a large number of offshore sailing expeditions över the last two decades, like the Mumbai- Kochi expedition in J24 Boats in 2009, the Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai expedition in Seabird class boats in 2017, and the ‘Indian Army Around the Indian Peninsula Offshore Sailing Expedition’ in the year 2018. The successful completion of this expedition is yet another step towards women empowerment and the sustained efforts towards enhancing the role of Women Officers in the Indian Army.
6. In addition to the esteemed guest of honour, Mr Balaji Arun Kumar, IRTS, Deputy Chairman, Chennai Port Trust, Officials from Indian Navy and Coast Guard, Officers and members from the media attended the Flagging In ceremony.
PS/SS/02/22
