INSV Bulbul

The Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Bulbul is a 40-foot racing cruiser built in India under the ‘Make in India’ project. It was flagged off from the Naval Base in Kochi on December 23, 2020 by Rear Admiral Antony George for a sailing expedition from Kochi to the Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands and back. The expedition was organized by the Offshore Sailing Club, Kochi under the aegis of the Southern Naval Command.

The aim of the sailing expedition was to foster a spirit of adventure, hone nautical skills, and promote ocean sailing among young naval personnel. INSV Bulbul is capable of undertaking independent ocean voyages worldwide.

The vessel is manned by a mixed crew of six officers skippered by Captain Atool Sinha, an Asian Games medalist with over 22,000 nautical miles of ocean sailing experience. The crew includes two women officers – Rear Admiral Arti Sarin, the Command Medical Officer of the Southern Naval Command, who volunteered to participate and encourage other women officers to take up adventure sports and ocean sailing; and Lt Cdr Tulika Kotnala, an accomplished ocean sailing expert who recently sailed over 4500 nautical miles in the Bay of Bengal expedition. The other crew members are aviator Captain US Charan, a recreational sailor, and Sub-lieutenants Aviral Keshav and Ojhas Kulkarni on their maiden voyage.

The sailing expedition commenced on December 23 from Kochi and was scheduled to return on December 28, after covering approximately 400 nautical miles.