lampshades. I love it when people appreciate the food that I cook, so I gave my crew members the best dishes that was possible on land with the limited resources that we had on the boat. Vartika Joshi: Six is a great number, we were always entertained. We watched movies, listened to music, and you won’t believe some of the goodies the crew rustled up in our tiny pantry, even while sailing in rough seas.
We made parathas, baked cakes and breads, and even made halwa and rasgullas! We celebrated festivals at sea. When we think about it now on land, we remember the Diwali we spent at sea. We celebrated three birthdays including the first birthday of the boat; also specific occasions like crossing the equator, the International Date Line and such.
Interviewer: What motivated you to fulfil the country’s expectations? Swathi P: We knew that the entire country was watching us and praying for us, so we never wanted them to have a single day thinking that we are in trouble. We knew that it is going to happen but the people out there did not know what kind of challenges we were facing. So, one of the motives that we kept in mind was that we did not want to frighten them.
We decided that once the circumnavigating was over, we are going to show what we have actually gone through. Interviewer: As a woman, how would you consider this expedition? Vartika Joshi: It is a matter of great honour and we couldn’t have imagined anything better for our cast-off. Of course we being an all-woman team, it is a great boost to women in the country.
But, as we are going as sailors, and we as sailors have seen that the sea does not discriminate between genders. It is always gender- neutral and we have realised that gender does not play a role in sailing. But to boost the morale in the country and for more women to take in adventures like sailing, I feel it is great that an all-woman team had been formed to