Trishna (yacht)

• Comment: The topic is very much notable, we certainly should have an article about this boat. However, this draft is not at all written in the style of a Wikipedia article, but is written more like a magazine article. Phrases like "has been synonymous with adventure" and "The Cape had lived up to its reputation of being the “Cape of Storms”!" are simply not neutral, objective writing.
  My suggestions:
  * See the standardised ship guidelines at Wikipedia:WikiProject Ships/Guidelines
  * Take a look at Wikipedia:WikiProject_Ships#Featured_articles and get a feel for how a very good ship article is written (and you can always ask for advice at Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Ships)
  * Carefully review your phrasing and language, and make sure every sentence is precise and concise, not "building a scene" or "adding emotion". An encyclopedia article is not an adventure tale, it's a simple and straightforward description of facts
  * Make sure you have a proper WP:Lead section. As it is right now you have more than a paragraph before you ever mention the ship, while a Wiki article has to specifically mention the topic in the first few words of an article.
  I'm declining the current draft, but with the above changes made this will be a very valuable addition to both our coverage of Indian military history and of sailing ships. MatthewVanitas (talk) 14:30, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

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Lead

History
IndiaIndia
Name	Trishna
Operator	Indian Army Corps of Engineers
General characteristics
Class and type	yacht

Trishna is a yacht which was sailed around the world during the years 1985 to 1987 by the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army, a first of its kind achievement by any Indian crew.

Prelude

The Indian Army Corps of Engineers has been synonymous with adventure since their very inception a few centuries ago. The nature of their tasks in the battlefield as well as that in peacetime, and a traditionally strong backing to encourage such activities from the highest levels within the Corps, further encourages this trait. The credit for encouraging a number of sports and adventure activities in the country goes to the Sappers – Mountaineering, sailing, gliding and hang gliding are some of the sports. They have always been in the forefront in activities like the Himalayan Car Rally and the Indian Antarctic Program. The activities are coordinated by the Sapper Adventure Foundation, which was registered in 1979.

The Corps added another milestone to its record when the First Indian Sailing Expedition Around the World was launched on 28 Sept 1985 on Trishna from Mumbai by the Late Gen AS Vadiya, then Chief of the Army Staff. It was a culmination of years of training and hard work by the team for a venture that is the cherished dream of every sailor – to sail around the world.

The Team

The team consisted of ten members, with six on the boat at any one time, of which four were permanent crew. These were :

• Maj (now Retd. as Lt Gen) KS Rao, SC, SM, the Skipper
• Maj (now Retd) AK Singh, KC, SM
• Capt (now Col) S Shekhar, SC
• Capt (now Brig) C Bharti, SC
• Capt (now Maj Gen) R Bassi, SM
• Maj (now Retd. as Brig) AP Singh, SM(Bar), VSM - sailed from Mumbai to Trinidad.
• Lt (now Brig) N Ahuja, SM sailed from Trinidad to New Zealand;
• Col (now retd. as Brig) TPS Chowdhary, AVSM, the Team Manager, sailed from Panama to Sydney;
• Maj (now Retd as Lt Col) A Bhattacharya, SM and
• Maj (now Retd) SN Mathur, SM sailed from New Zealand and Sydney back to Mumbai respectively.

All the team members were accomplished sailors who had participated in many National/International Regattas and ocean cruising ventures. Col TPS Chowdhury, Maj KS Rao, Maj AP Singh, Maj AK Singh, Capt S Shekhar, Capt C Bharti and Capt MS Pillai had earlier sailed Trishna from the Gosport, UK to Mumbai, India after its purchase there – the first occasion for any Indian to successfully make a truly trans-oceanic passage in a yacht.

Maj AK Singh, a permanent member of the Expedition, was handicapped. His leg was amputated above the knee, and is the first handicapped sailor in the World to circumnavigate the globe in a yacht.

Around the World

The sailing expedition commenced from Mumbai, India on 28 Sept 1985 ["Yachting expedition flagged off". The Times of India. Bombay. 29 September 1985. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help)]. Right from the time Trishna left harbour, she ran into the low pressure weather system of the receding monsoons. This was compounded by rough weather till Male and Mauritius, on account of the disastrous Andhra Pradesh cyclone which formed in the Bay of Bengal at the same time. The boat was hit by gales several times on 29 – 30 Sept, 01 – 12 Oct and 13 – 14 Oct 1985 which damaged the VHF and HF radio aerials and electrical systems on board. The crew resorted to makeshift repairs at sea to restore the communication and the navigation systems.

The journey from Mauritius to St Helena (South Atlantic Ocean) around the Cape of Good Hope was very rough and the longest non-stop voyage, taking 33 days. On 05 – 06 Nov and 12 – 13 Nov 85, when the boat was south of Madagascar off the South African coast, the boat was hit by severe gales. Towering waves repeatedly hit the stern of the boat, making steering of the boat extremely dangerous due to chances of broaching and a capsize. On one occasion a monostrous wave broke over Trishna from the stern swamping her completely. In the ensuing struggle to regain control, the horseshoe buoy and Dan buoy were lost at sea. To ensure that the crew members on watch were not washed off the deck, they had to be secured to the boat with the help of safety harness and lifelines. The worst weather was encountered while rounding the dreaded Cape of Good Hope, when Trishna was hit by gales with wind speeds exceeding 65 knots (120 kmph) – the wind instrument on board could record only up to 65 knots. Wave heights encountered were 45 to 55 feet – the height of our mast was 54 feet. She lost her safety equipment on board including the second horseshoe buoys despite their having been lashed securely. The radio set was damaged and the aerial broke. Communication with Mumbai and other ports was cut-off. The Cape had lived up to its reputation of being the “Cape of Storms”!

The sail across the South Atlantic Ocean thereafter was relatively peaceful till the Caribbean Sea. For a large part of this sail the wind was South-Easterly and hence from the stern. But this leg was not without its moments of anxiety. On one occasion all of a sudden the crew on duty spotted a whale lying on the surface of the water about 25 to 30 meters ahead of the boat. Since the boat was heading directly for it, there was panic stations on board and the spinnaker boom could be quickly removed and the yacht jibed around just in time avoid a collision. By the time the crew recovered from the maneuver and fetch their cameras, only the giant tail was visible lazily flapping for the last time before the whale disappeared underwater with water spouting from its nostrils.

It was only at St Helena that message of our having survived the crossing the Cape could be conveyed to anxious relatives and the Army Headquarters back in India. Since no repair facilities or spares were available at either St Helena or Ascension Island, our next short halt, we had to make do the best within our own resources and ingenuity till we reached Brazil. The first port of call on the continent of South America was at the coastal town of Natal. The crew ushered in the New Year of 1986 here with their hosts, the Brazilian Navy. From there, the sail was along the coast and then up the Para River in Brazil, to the port of Belem. Trishna had to sail upstream on this tributary of the mighty Amazon River for 70 nautical miles against a strong current, keeping an eye for huge logs which floated down the river. This was a dangerous exercise, especially at night.

The next halt was at the port of Paramaribo, Suriname. The country has a large population of Indian origin and one heard Hindi programs on the local radio station. A short hop then to Georgetown, Guyana. The crew again received a enthusiastic reception from the large Indian-origin population. The Guyana Defence Force arranged a visit to the world-famous Kaieteur Falls during the short stay. Trishna then proceeded to the Caribbean Sea with the first halt at Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for the first crew change of the voyage. Capt R Bassi left the boat here and was replaced by Lt Navin Ahuja. The boat then sailed to Bridgetown, Barbados and to Kingstown, Jamaica. The boat encountered occasional rough weather in the Caribbean Sea with winds in excess of 30 knots. The crossing of the Panama Canal, through its numerous locks in the company of huge ships, was a novel experience for the crew. The canal history also revealed that it had been dug mostly using Indian laborers.

At Panama City, the boat was taken out of the water and overhauled at the local US Naval Base. Minor repairs were carried out, barnacles removed and the hull was given a fresh coat of anti-fouling paint. The voyage in the northern Pacific Ocean was relatively calm. With good winds Trishna sailed the 3,200 nautical miles – from Galapagos to Marquesas Islands non-stop in 23 days. This was her fastest passage so far. Galapagos is amongst the most beautiful islands in the world with a plethora of sea and animal life. The crew saw many sea-lions, marine and land iguanas, whale, small penguins, giant tortoises, blue and red-footed boobies, pink flamingos, frigates, pelicans and birds of different species.

Trishna encountered rough weather again from Tahiti onwards and was hit by gales till it reached Raratonga and then beyond to Suva, Fiji. The weather remained adverse on the leg from Fiji to Auckland with winds blowing over 60 knots (100 k mph) with 30 to 40 foot waves. During this stormy leg, both the main and jib sails were ripped apart. The spare sails that were hoisted were also ripped apart by the strong winds. The crew had to resort to hand stitching the sails on two occasions to enable them to reach Auckland. Winter had already set in the Southern Hemisphere by this time and the sail was extremely punishing for the crew in the wet and cold conditions, with big waves continuously breaking over the boat.

Trishna again had a perilous encounter with some whales between Raratonga and Fiji. On three occasions whales came within 10 to 15 meters of the yacht, dived underneath and swam around flipping their huge tails.

One of the worst journeys of the voyage was the passage from Auckland to Sydney across the Tasman Sea. This crossing in winter has a reputation rivaling that of the Bay of Biscay and the Cape of Good Hope. This leg was sailed from 03 to 17 Aug 1986 – in peak southern winter. Trishna was hit by a gale for five days continuously, with winds over 60 knots and 40 foot waves. The sails got ripped off again and for the first time in the whole expedition the ‘hove-to’ drill was carried out to save the boat from major damage. No progress was made for two days till the time the storm was weathered. The same storm meanwhile struck Sydney, causing the worst inundation of the city in the century. The crew were fully exhausted by the time the boat limped into Sydney harbour.

The leg from Sydney to Brisbane also encountered rough weather, as was expected in winter. Winds up to 50 knots raged during this leg. Bad weather continued from Brisbane to Cairns and then to Thursday Island making these legs also very difficult – though spectacular – owing to the sail along the Great Barrier Reef. Navigation was critical while sailing through numerous reefs in the area and on one occasion the boat ran aground on a moving sandbar. Luckily there was no damage and the crew had to wait till the next high tide to sail off. This was the only such incident during the whole voyage. The sail through Torres Straits again caused some anxious moments. At places the Strait is only about a mile wide and was a challenge navigating through this narrow passage. From Thursday Island to Darwin was a pleasant sail and the crew finally got some respite from adverse weather conditions. This gave the crew opportunity to catch fish and work on the communications to re-establish radio communications with India on the radio through the HAM network.

Trishna left Darwin in North Australia on 13 Oct 1986 for Kupang in Timor. The weather was bad for the initial three days the weather, thereafter it was a calm sail and the crew could enjoy observing sea life. From Kupang the boat sailed to Waingapu in Sumba, and then to Bali. En-route the crew got their largest catch of a eight-kilogram Tuna fish. Good ‘following’ winds helped Trishna reach Bali on 22 Oct. Bali has many Hindu temples, with dances being enacted based on the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The boat had arrived at the appropriate time and the crew celebrated one of the main Hindu festivals Diwali, the festival of lights, with the locals. The atmosphere was nostalgic as this was the third Diwali away from home – and the country!

The yacht set sail from Bali on 02 Nov 1986, reaching Jakarta on 09 Nov, and then via Singapore, Penang, the Trishna made it's first landfall on Indian shores at Campbell Bay, Nicobar in Dec 1986. It was a momentous occasion and was celebrated with gusto with the whole crew being present on the occasion. To add to the celebrations, the Maj KS Rao, the Skipper, received his long delayed promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel here.

The home run via Colombo was uneventful, except for a scare given by Capt Bharti when Trishna was off the Malabar coast. He had been running high fever of over 105 degrees for a few days. All the ‘medical’ knowledge on board was unable to lessen the temperature, even despite expert medical advice on the radio. Finally he had to be treated by a Naval ship which was called in. He had apparently caught malaria at Nicobar. Trishna received a rousing welcome at the Gateway of India, Mumbai on her arrival there on 10 Jan 1987 where she was received by General K Sundarji, The Chief of the Army Staff. A commemorative postage stamp was also released by India Post on the occasion.

Flora and Fauna

Sea-life was observed in plenty during the voyage. One of the prettiest sights at sea was the flocks of dolphins and porpoises following the boat for hours, and giving their display of acrobatics in water and out of it. On occasions it appeared that the whole sea was covered with them till the horizon.

Flying-fish were also observed in their hundreds, skimming over the surface of the water. At night they were attracted to the yacht by its lights. This resulted in their landing on deck and hitting the duty crew on occasions. They made delicious dishes.

The Expedition was a experience of a lifetime. There were many joyous as well as anxious and dangerous moments when the crews were close to the jaws of death. One of the major factors responsible in their being able to overcome these hazardous moments was the discipline and determination instilled within them by virtue of their training and Service background. The various sea and land life were sheer wonder; as also was their meeting with many different people across the world. It would be a mistake to underestimate the contribution of the sacrifices made by the family members of the crew during their long absences in such unpredictable circumstances, without any news till the next port. Success in such a venture cannot be achieved without this support.

Ten officers of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers in a sailboat girdled the globe – 30,000 nautical miles – in less than 16 months creating Indian maritime history. They are the first Indians to circumnavigate the globe in a yacht. No words can describe the hazards faced by the intrepid sailors on board the Trishna, so that they may fulfill the ‘thirst’ – which is the Sanskrit meaning of Trishna – of sailing around the world.

The sea is a great mistress; she is really a magnificent lady of great stature. But as I have found out, you must treat her with enormous respect; for, she is incline, if you do not do so, to suddenly smack you with a back-hander – if ever you get too familiar with her – which can be quite disastrous. You must now be crossing the Pacific, and that would be your greatest hurdle, for that ocean can be imperious and very unrelenting. It is quite an uncharitable bit of water but I am quite sure, the whole world will be watching you and praying for you, and so you must come through.

Admiral RL Pereira

Former Chief of the Naval Staff in a letter to a crew member, from Bangalore; dated 18 March 1986

Honours and Awards

Trishna was given the singular honour of thereafter being transported to New Delhi and displayed on a tableau as pert of the Republic Day Parade, 1987 along the Raj Path. This in itself was a herculean effort as the boat had reached Mumbai on 10 Jan 1987 itself and to participate in the Republic Day Parade on 26th, the boat had to be transported to New Delhi, the tableau to be fabricated to the exacting standards of the Ministry of Defence and cleared by their internal committee well before the rehearsals commenced. It seemed a impossible task, but with the concerted efforts of all those involved, the Indian Railways provided the carriage, Naval Dockyard Mumbai fabricated the boat stand on the railway carriage overnight and then again the Railways moved it at express speed, literally, to New Delhi. The Bengal Engineer Group Roorkee sent their team and achieved the impossible of fabricating the float at Vijay Chowk itself since the boat with its 54 ft high mast could not be transported anywhere else in the capital.

The crew of Trishna was also honoured with the Order of Merit by the Ocean Cruising Club which recognised the voyage as the first circumnavigation by an Indian yacht (at Ser. 182)

Celebrated author, Dom Moraes volunteered to write an account of the historic voyage and the book named Trishna was published by Perennial Press Mumbai in 1987.

The Government acknowledged the singular achievement by declaring awards to the whole crew on Republic Day, 1987.

Maj AK Singh became the first disabled sailor to circumnavigate the world in a sail boat and this was recorded in the Limca Book of Records(under topic: WR: First Circumnavigation By Disabled Sailor)

Voyages by Trishna

• Gosport, U.K. to Mumbai in Sept 1984 to Feb 1985
• Mumbai-Kochi-Galle-Campbell Bay (Nicobar Islands)-Penang-Singapore-Port Kelang-Phuket-Port Blair-Goa-Mumbai in 1994-1995
• Mumbai-Dubai-Muscat-Seychelles-Maldives-Sri Lanka-Kochi-Mumbai in 1996-1997
• Millennium Expedition: Mumbai-Kochi-Galle-Campbell Bay (Nicobar Islands)-Penang-Singapore-Port Kelang-Phuket-Port Blair-Goa-Mumbai in 1999-2000

Celebrating the Silver Jubilee Anniversary

The Indian Army Corps of Engineers celebrated the silver jubilee of the historic event of the successful completion of the First Indian Sailing Expedition Around the World on 10 Jan 2012 by again sailing Trishna across Mumbai harbour to the Naval Sailing Club, Colaba, Mumbai, the place from where she had set off its epic voyage in 1985.