FIRST EVER ALL WOMEN OFFICERS OFFSHORE SAILING EXPEDITION (CHENNA-VIZAG-CHENNAI) BY EME SAILING ASSOCIATION, MCEME AND ARMY ADVENTURE WING
The first ever All Women Officers Offshore Sailing Expedition of the Indian Army was organized under the aegis of Army Adventure Wing Southern Command Sailing Node and EME Sailing Association (MCEME). Sailing is a sport in which there is enormous scope for the Indian Army and India as a Nation to do well, especially if young women sailors could be motivated to join the sport. Towards this objective, an All Arms All Women Offrs’ Sailing Expedition (Chennai-Vizag-Chennai) is being undertaken for the first time in the history of the Indian Army.
The historic expedition was flagged off by Dr (Smt) Tamilisai Soundararajan,the Honourable Govenor of Telangana State and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry on 15 Feb 2022 from the Chennai Port. The Honourable Governor, in her address complimented MCEME, EME Sailing Association, the Southern Command Sailing Node and the Army Adventure Wing for conducting such an event for the first time ever, and said that it demonstrates the strength and vigour of Women Officers in the Indian Army. She said that the expedition would not only give an impetus to Sailing as a sport, but would also inspire and motivate young girls to don the olive greens and serve the nation.
Lt Gen TSA Narayanan, AVSM, Commandant MCEME and Colonel Commandant, Corps of EME who is also the Commodore EME Sailing Association and President of the Laser Class and Kite Board Associations of India, congratulated the Women Officers for having completed the gruelling training and being selected for the expedition. He highlighted the significance of the expedition and said that the event is yet another step towards women empowerment and the sustained efforts towards enhancing the role of Women Officers in the Indian Army.
Maj Mukta S Gautam from the Corps of EME is leading the momentous expedition with the elite team comprising of Majs Priya Semwal, Priya Das, Rashmil Sangwan, Arpita Dwivedi and Sanjana Mittal and Capts Jyoti Singh, Malvika Rawat, Shubham Solanki and Sonal Goyal. The Officers have been trained in blue water sailing and have undergone rigorous training under the tutelage of EME Sailing Association and HBTC Marve, before embarking on the expedition.
The EME Sailing Association at MCEME has been at the forefront of promoting Sailing and has carved a unique niche for itself. Apart from creating innumerable Sailors of national and international repute, EME Sailing Association has also undertaken a large number of offshore sailing expeditions over the last two decades, like the Mumbai-Kochi expedition in J24 Boats in 2009, the Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai expedition in Seabird class boats in 2017, and the ‘Indian Army Around the Indian Peninsula Offshore Sailing Expedition’ in the year 2018.Lt Gen A Arun, YSM, SM, VSM, GOC, Dakshin Bharat Area, Officials from Indian Navy and Coast Guard, Chennai Port Trust and members from the media attended the Flagging Off ceremony.