Mumbai, Jan 25 (IANS) Commander Dilip Donde, the first Indian attempting a solo circumnavigation voyage of the earth, will celebrate the 61st Republic Day by unfurling the national flag on his yacht, INSV Mhadei, docked at Port Stanley in the Falklands Islands, nearly 13,000 km from his homeland.
A Commander of the Indian Navy, Donde is at Port Stanley for the repair work of his 56-foot yacht and will depart Feb 1 on the fourth leg of the voyage to Cape Town, South Africa.

Starting his circumnavigation across the globe from Mumbai Aug 19, 2009, 42-year-old Donde has sailed over 14,000 nautical miles so far.

The feat, considered the equivalent of scaling the Mt. Everest, has been successfully attempted by about 300 sailors worldwide.

During the nine-month long voyage, INSV Mhadei will cover over 21,600 nautical miles (nearly 39,000 km), passing through exceptional winds and swells which are prevalent, especially below 60 degrees South Latitude, called the Roaring 40s, Fearsome 50s and Screaming 60s.

It is scheduled to halt at only four ports - Fremantle (Australia), Christchurch (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falkland Islands) and Cape Town (South Africa) before returning to Mumbai.

The requisites for a circumnavigation voyage are - it should start and end in the same port - in this case, Mumbai, crossing all the Meridians (Longitudes) at least once and the Equator at least twice.

The distance covered during the voyage should be more than the length of a Meridian, that is over 21,600 miles (nearly 39,000 km).

The vessel cannot cross any canals, straits which use engines or towing and the boat must round the three Great Capes - Cape Leeuwin (Australia), Cape Horn (South America) and Cape of Good Hope (South Africa).