INSV Mhadei

INSV Mhadei is the sail training boat of Indian Navy. INSV is an acronym of Indian Navy Sailing Vessel. It was used by Abhilash Tomy for his solo, unassisted, non-stop circumnavigation under sail.

Design and description
The sloop is 56 feet long, and was built under Commander Dilip Donde Donde's supervision, by Ratnakar Dandekar at the boat yard of M/s Aquarius Fiberglas Pvt Ltd at Divar. The vessel was handed over to the Indian Navy in February 2009. The yacht was christened INSV Mhadei, the river Mhadei being the origin of the Mandovi River in Goa.

Mhadei has a displacement of 23 tons and is made of wood core fiberglass. The boat has a suite of eight sails comprising two main sails, two genoas, one stay and storm gib each and two gennekars. She is also fitted with the latest communication and navigation equipment and has facilities for paperless navigation and internet broadband and telephony anywhere in the world.

Service history
After launching in Goa, Mhadei went on a trip to Colombo, and then to Mauritius under Commander Dilip Donde. It was the first trip of its kind in the Indian Navy. Donde then took the boat on a circumnavigation voyage on 19 August 2009, and returned on 19 May 2010; Mhadei was the first Tonga 56 yacht to complete a solo circumnavigation.

In 2012, Mhadei was used by Lieutenant commander Abhilash Tomy of the Indian Navy to complete a solo, unassisted, non-stop circumnavigation under sail. He was the first Indian, second Asian, and seventy-ninth person to do so. Mhadei finished the journey at Kochi, after completing a voyage of 23,100 nautical miles (42,781 km).

In 2013, the navy's first all female team of sailors began preparation for another circumnavigation of the world, led by Lieutenant Commander Shweta Kapur. The crew practised in a race from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro.

Specifications
From the Indian Navy
 * Displacement: 23 tons
 * Length (overall): 17.1 m
 * Beam: 5 m
 * Height of mast: 21 m above waterline