NEW DELHI: After an arduous voyage of eight months to circumnavigate the globe on a sailboat, with stop-overs at five ports, INSV Tarini with six women naval officers is set to be flagged in with fanfare in Goa on Monday.The “Navika Sagar Parikrama” expedition, led by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi , is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew. Covering over 21,600 nautical miles since she left Goa on September 10 last year, the Indian-built sailing vessel INSV Tarini visited five countries and crossed the Equator twice, sailed across four continents and three oceans, and “passed south” of the three “Great Capes” – Leeuwin, Horn and Good Hope.“It was a gruelling test of human endurance, perseverance and sailing skills to battle the elements of sea and its wrath,” said Navy spokesperson Captain D K Sharma on Friday. The crew, which also included Lt-Commanders Pratibha Jamwal and Swati P, and Lieutenants Aishwarya Boddapati, S Vijaya Devi and Payal Gupta, have certainly shown exemplary grit and determination.They battled winds up to 60 knots in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. “Moderate to rough sea conditions, with sea states up to five, winds gusting up to 35-30 knots and swells as high as six meters, was a matter of routine for the gutsy crew,” said Captain Sharma.The expedition was sailed in six legs, with stopovers at the Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands), Cape Town (South Africa) and Mauritius . “The crew called on governors, high commissioners, mayors etc during their stopovers. They also interacted with the local populace, especially children, to promote ocean sailing and the spirit of adventure,” said the spokesperson.The six women officers trained under Captain Dilip Donde, the first Indian to solo-circumnavigate the globe in 2009-2010, and Captain Atool Sinha , an Asian Games silver medallist, for almost three years to prepare for the voyage.