AKIPRESS.COM - A boat or the sea doesn’t differentiate between a man and a woman and there are no shortcuts to the physical and mental fitness required to sail the open seas, says Lt Commander Vartika Joshi, who is set to lead India’s first all-women crew to sail the oceans, reports PTI.

Lt Commander Joshi, along with a crew of five women, will soon go globe-trotting. Their adventure is likely to start in 2017. The team stood out at the just-concluded International Fleet Review (IFR) where the crew was on INSV Mhadei, a sail training boat of the Indian Navy on which they are currently training.

The crew is being trained by Commander Dilip Donde, the first Indian sailor to circumnavigate solo across the globe on INSV Mhadei.

When asked about his guru mantra to the team, the commander said: “Never let your guard down...You have to be on your toes all the time.”
Riding the open seas in a sailing boat is not an easy feat to pull off.