Commander Dilip Donde of the Indian Navy is the first solo sailor from India to complete a circumnavigation of the globe.
A NDA alumnus and a trained clearance diver in the Navy, Donde set out for his Project 'Sagar Parikrama' on August 19, 2009 in the INSV Mhadei, the first fiberglass yacht constructed entirely in India.
The 42-year-old officer covered 21,600 nautical miles sailing through the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Arabian Sea and along the Equator to achieve the milestone. He made only four halts during the voyage, at Fremantle - Australia, Christchurch - New Zealand, Port Stanley - Falkland islands and Cape Town - South Africa.
He battled giant waves and ferocious winds and ultimately steered back to the Mumbai harbor after 276 days of arduous journey. He is the 175th solo circumnavigator in the world, the first Indian and the second Asian to have achieved this feat.
