Yacht Trishna begins its epic circumnavigation.
|
|
History | |
---|---|
IndiaIndia | |
Name: | Trishna |
Owner: | Sapper Adventure Foundation |
Operator: | Indian Army Corps of Engineers |
Port of registry: | Mumbai, India |
Builder: | Nautor's Swan |
Launched: | 1970 |
Christened: | Guinevere of Sussex |
Acquired: | 1984 |
In service: | Yes |
Renamed: | Trishna |
Homeport: | Mumbai |
Identification: | BOM 109 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type: | Swan 37 |
Type: | Yacht |
Tonnage: | 10.5 tonnes |
Length: | 36 ft 6 in |
Beam: | 10 ft 9 in |
Draught: | 6 ft 1 in |
Sail plan: | Sloop |
Crew: | 6 |
Trishna is a Swan 37 yacht belonging to the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. The 1970-vintage boat, earlier known as Guinevere of Sussex, was purchased in 1984 from the United Kingdom. The yacht has since been used for long distance ocean sailing and training. The first of the yachts' journeys after it was acquired was its voyage from Gosport to Mumbai, India. Subsequently the yacht embarked on its most notable voyage, the circumnavigation of the globe from 1985 to 1987. This was the first such achievement by an Indian crew. In subsequent years, the yacht has been used for international cruises primarily in the Indian Ocean region and is currently still operational.
The Sapper Adventure Foundation had sponsored a sailing expedition from Bombay to Bandar Abbas, Iran in 1977 in an 18-foot 1921-vintage wooden Seabird Class sailboat Albatross. This was an exercise to test the sailing capabilities of the sailors of the Corps of Engineers and a precursor to the circumnavigation of the globe by the Sappers on Trishna.
The planning for the circumnavigation commenced in early 1980s and finally took off in 1984 when a team of officers from the Corps of Engineers flew to the U.K. to buy a boat and sail it back to India. Limited funds dictated the Sapper Adventure Foundation to purchase a second-hand sailboat for the venture. After an extensive survey of the second-hand boat market in the U.K., the crew shortlisted the 1970-vintage Swan 37 boat, Guinevere of Sussex based at Brighton. After purchase of the yacht, it was sailed by the crew to the Joint Services Sailing Center, Gosport, U.K., where it underwent minor repairs and partial essential re-fit to make it sail-worthy for the voyage back to India. The crew also underwent sail training, which was organised under the aegis of the Royal Engineers. Major Ron Gravels, ex-RE, was engaged and he undertook a month-long sail training program for the crew on the Solent, English Channel crossings to [[Cherbourg]] culminating in a sail to the ports of Guernsey and Alderney in the Channel Islands