'It was pitch-dark when we rounded Cape Horn. The waves were coming in full force. It was like a washing machine -- both of us and our boat Tarini.'
The feeling of homecoming is yet to sink in for Lieutenant Commanders Dilna and Roopa.
The two naval officers returned after a historic 8-month circumnavigation across the globe, 10 days ago.
Happy as they are to be back on land, they still miss the sea.
They have spent the days since their return giving detailed de-briefs about their landmark voyage, undergoing medical examinations and received a rousing welcome -- by the Indian Navy and their hometowns.
The two officers also known as DilRoo spoke to Rediff's Archana Masih over a zoom call about their remarkable voyage.
In Part 1 of the interview, they describe the experience of crossing Cape Horn, considered the Everest of sailing and what it means to be the first Indians to reach Point Nemo, the remotest part of earth, in a sailboat.
What were some of the glorious moments of this voyage.
If you had to pick one or two, what would those be?
Lt Cdr Roopa: We spotted rare celestial events like Comet A3 after crossing the Equator. Comet A3 comes after 80, 000 years and it was there for almost a week!
We could capture the photos through mobile phones. We were really happy to witness that event.
We also saw a lot of whales, dolphins, rainbows, different colours of the sky, beautiful sunsets, sunrises and more. All of it can't be expressed in few words. It was very beautiful.
When you set out 8 months ago it was like going into the unknown.
So what have been the big highlights and accomplishments of this trip?
Lt Cdr Dilna: The biggest achievement was rounding Cape Horn which earned us the title of 'Cape Horners'.
It was not easy because we encountered very challenging weather.
We are also the first Indians to reach Point Nemo in a sailboat.
Point Nemo is the remotest part of the earth. [It was Lt Cdr Dilna's anniversary that day. She celebrated her birthday in the Pacific Ocean.]
Cape Horn is of the most difficult passages for mariners and sailors. Could you tell our readers what difficulties do sailors encounter there?
Lt Cdr Roopa: Cape Horn is the envy and the nightmare of all sailors.
Sailors who have rounded Cape Horn are met with huge respect. You can either round Cape Horn from west to east or from east to west.
East to west is more difficult because you're going against the current.
There is a tradition that when you round Cape Horn, you are allowed to wear a golden loop on the ear closest to the Cape.
All capes are surrounded by very rough seas and huge waves because a small part of land protrudes into the sea.
Cape Horn is called the Mount Everest of sailing because of its location in the Drake Passage which is also a very treacherous part of the world.
There's a convergence between the two big continents, South America and Antarctica which results in confused seas and unpredictable weather.
The weather changes there in a minute. Suddenly the winds can pick up from 10 knots to 50 knots and more.
The unpredictable nature and confused seas makes it most feared.
You encountered two big cyclones in the journey. What were the most difficult parts of the voyage?
Lt Cdr Dilna: The most difficult part was rounding Cape Horn. We encountered the worse weather and waves up to five to seven metres with confused seas.
The waves and swells were coming from three directions. It was pitch dark when we rounded Cape Horn. There was no moon and the waves lashed out in full force. It was like a washing machine -- both of us and Tarini.
We wanted to go near the Cape and sight it, but we couldn't because the weather was very bad with no visibility.
On top of that the boat was keeling and rolled over many times. The boom was touching the water and it was a bit difficult for us to control the Tarini.
But the boat performed really well.
Before you left for the circumnavigation you had expressed a desire to see the Southern Lights? Could you?
Lt Cdr Dilna: We couldn't see the Southern Lights. We tried to go up to 47 degrees south to see the Southern Lights, but unfortunately there was a system -- the cold front -- which was passing so we had to divert our route.
Maybe next time.
You stopped at four ports along the way. What was the stop in the Falkland Islands like? How remote is Port Stanley? What all did you do there? The people you encountered?
Lt Cdr Roopa" Falklands and Port Stanley is a small island in the middle of the Furious 50s. There are a lot of shipwrecks around that island because many ships that sustain breakages/damages around Cape Horn come for shelter to Port Stanley.
The place itself looks like a National Geographic movie with the penguins etc. There are literally no trees because of the relentless strong winds. Some trees that have been planted artificially are surviving.
When we had gone there during the previous Sagar Parikrama voyage, we were told that there were no Indians living there. But to our surprise, this time, we found 20, 30 Indians who had recently settled there.
They came to know about our arrival and had a get together. They met each other because of an Indian boat that had come to the Falklands and that was a very nice moment.
Falklands is a nice, remote place. Being there makes you feel like you are in a very far off place.
What kept you busy on the four ports because there must be repairs, planning and stocking up etc to be done. What were those days like?
Lt Cdr Roopa: Those days were busier than during sailing. We had a lot of social outreach programmes and interactions with the friendly navies of those countries.
We met school and college students.
The main activity, of course, was to fix the minor defects and get the boat ready for the next journey. We also had to prepare a fresh ration list, get fresh food and load up water and fresh water.
We did a lot of maintenance work on the boat. We had problems with the sleep pattern because we were at sea for more than a month and could not fall into a normal sleep routine on land.
Watch out for part 2!
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff
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