Indian Army undertakes sailing expedition

The Indian Army Sunday undertook a challenging wind sailing expedition from Haldia on the east coast up to Porbandar on the west.

The expedition, 'Round the Indian Peninsula' being organised by EME Sailing Association, Secunderabad was flagged off by Lieutenant General Paramjit Singh, Commandant, Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, from Haldia, a defence release said here.

The expedition is aimed at fostering spirit of adventure among the young soldiers of Indian Army and spreading awareness about Ocean pollution by collecting samples of polluted water from seas, it said.

The team led by Major Alok Kumar Yadav would complete the expedition in about 45 days.

EME Sailing Association has undertaken off shore expeditions earlier, but on a much smaller scale using Sea Bird class of boats.

However, the current expedition being more challenging has been undertaken for the first time in an Ocean going Bavaria Class 44 feet Sail Yacht, it added.

The team comprising 50 sailors has representation from all arms and services of the Indian Army.

The team would touch all major parts along the Indian coast line including Vishakhapatnam, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Mangaluru, Goa, and Porbandar, the release said.

Contingency planning, Safety at Sea, Distress management and Team Building are other aspects which were undertaken during the gruelling training of the sailors, it added.