Trishna (yacht)

TRISHNA – Around the Globe in Quest of Adventure

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 Antarctica Expeditions. The activities are coordinated by the Sapper Adventure Foundation, which was registered in 1979. It is a member of the Army Adventure Foundation.

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 and Capt (now Brig) C Bharti, SC. Capt (now Maj Gen) R Bassi, SM sailed from Mumbai to Trinidad; Maj (now Retd. as Brig) AP Singh, SM(Bar), VSM sailed from Mumbai to Panama; 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 and Capt C Bharti had sailed Trishna from the UK to Mumbai after its purchase there – the first occasion for any Indian to 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

Right from the time Trishna left Mumbai, she ran into the low pressure of the receding monsoons. The crew experienced rough weather till Male and Mauritius, owing to the disastrous Andhra Pradesh cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. The boat was hit by gales several times on 29 – 30 Sept, 01 – 12 Oct and 13 – 14 Oct 85 which damaged the VHF and HF aerials and electrical systems on board. The crew had to resort to makeshift repairs at sea to restore communications and the navigational systems.

The journey from Mauritius to St Helena Islands (South Atlantic Ocean) around the Cape of Good Hope was very rough and the longest non-stop voyage, taking 33 days. On 05 – 06 and 12 – 13 Nov 85, when the boat was near the Madagascar and South African coasts, the crews were 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. Trishna lost her horseshoe buoy and one Dan buoy when sea water flooded the cockpit. To ensure that the crews on watch were not washed off the deck, they had to be secured to the boat with the help of 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 height was 45 to 55 feet – the height of our mast. She lost her safety equipment on board including the second horseshoe and Dan buoys. The radio set was damaged and the aerial broken. 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. There was one occasion when all of a sudden the crew on duty spotted a whale lying on the surface of the water just 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 yacht could be jibed around just in time avoid a collision. By the time the crew recovered and could fetch their cameras, only the giant tail was visible lazily flapping for the last time before the whale disappeared underwater. It was only at St Helena that messages of our having survived the crossing the Cape could be conveyed to anxious relatives and the Army Headquarters back home. 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. While sailing up the Rio Para River in Brazil, going to the port of Belem, Trishna had to sail upstream of this tributary of the mighty Amazon River for 70 nautical miles against the current, avoiding huge floating logs. This was a dangerous venture, especially at night, as any log could have easily ruptured the fiberglass hull of Trishna. A halt at Trinidad for the first crew change, and then on to Barbados and Jamaica through the numerous islands of the Caribbean, the boat encountered rough weather again during this leg with winds exceeding 30 knots. The crossing of the Panama Canal, through its numerous locks in the company of huge ships, was an experience for the crew. One learnt a bit of the local history, as the canal was dug mostly using Indian laborers.

At Panama City, the boat was taken out of the water and overhauled at the local US Naval Base. 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 3,200 nautical miles – from Galapagos to Marquesas Islands non-stop in 23 days. This was her fastest passage so far. Galapagos are among 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 were hit by gales up to Raratonga and beyond to Fiji. The weather was again bad from Fiji to Auckland with winds blowing over 60 knots (100 k mph) with 30 to 40 foot waves. During this storm both the main and then the jib sails were ripped apart. Even the reserve sails that were put up were torn by the strong winds. The crew had to resort to hand stitching on two occasions so as to reach Auckland. Winter had already set in the Southern Hemisphere, and the sail was extremely punishing for the crew in the wet and cold conditions, with big waves continuously breaking over the boat.

Trishna 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. Life jackets stood by, as at any moment the boat could overturn or be damaged by even a swish of the whale’s tail.

One of the worst journeys for Trishna 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 undertaken from 03 to 17 Aug 86 – in the peak southern winter. She was hit by a gale for five days continuously, with winds over 60 knots and 40 foot waves. The sails got torn again, and for the first time in the whole voyage, the ‘hove-to’ drill was carried out to save the boat from any major damage. No progress was made for two days. The same storm meanwhile struck Sydney, causing the worst inundation of the city in the century. The crews were fully exhausted by the time the yacht limped into Sydney harbour.

The leg from Sydney to Brisbane also encountered rough weather. Winds up to 50 knots raged for about 20 hours. The voyage from Brisbane to Cairns and then onto Thursday Island was very difficult – and spectacular – owing to the sail along the Great Barrier Reef. Navigation was critical due to the numerous reefs in the area, and on one occasion the boat ran aground on a moving sandbar. There was luckily no damage, and the crew could sail off on the next high tide. The Torres Straits again caused some anxious moments, as at places it is only about a mile wide. From Thursday Island to Darwin was a pleasant sail. The crew caught many fish and re-established radio communications with India on the set.

Trishna left Darwin in North Australia on 13 Oct 86 for Kupang in Timor. Initially for three days the weather was rough, but thereafter the weather steadied and the sail was calm. From Kupang the boat sailed to Waingapu in Sumba, and then onto Bali. En-route the crew had their largest catch of a eight-kilogram Tuna fish. Good ‘following’ winds helped Trishna to reach Bali on 22 Oct. Bali has many Hindu temples, with dances being enacted based on the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The crew celebrated Diwali with the locals. The atmosphere was nostalgic, this being the third Diwali away from home – and the country! The yacht set sail from Bali on 02 Nov 86, reaching Jakarta on 09 Nov, and then onto Singapore, Penang and the first landfall on Indian shores at Campbell Bay, Nicobar in Dec 86. It was a momentous occasion, with the whole crew present. To top it off, the Skipper received his long delayed promotion to the rank of Lt Col 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.

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.

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

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