Metro India News | Hyderabad 

In continuing the rich maritime heritage and sea faring traditions of the Andhras, two Veterans & Senior Citizens, Colonel K Srinivas (Retd) ex EME and Captain CDNV Prasad (IN) (Retd), both from 63rd course of the National Defence Academy (1980) have sailed from Opua Bay, New Zealand at 1000h on May 14, 2025 (time zone-12) for Savusavu, Fiji on their first leg of the passage to India onboard their 34 Feet long sailboat named TYSTIE.

Their boat is presently registered in Poland but will change to Indian Registration and be probably rechristened 'VISHAKHA' (to honour the port of Visakhapatnam) on arrival at Visakhapatnam later during the year.  Both the officers are sons of the Telugu soil and proud alumni of the prestigious Sainik School Korukonda-1971 entry batch. Over the last 63 years, the school has contributed handsomely to feeding cadets into the National Defence Academy and other defence training institutions. The legendary Colonel Santosh Babu, MVC (Posthumous) of Galwan fame, is an alumnus of the school.

Depending upon weather and winds, they should reach the next port (Savusavu, Fiji) in 12 to 13 days, catering for some dog leg sailing. Their Passage Plan includes ports of call at Savusavu (Fiji), Port Vila (Vanuatu), Solomon Islands, Kupang (Indonesia), Bali (Indonesia), Panang (Malaysia), Langkawi (Malaysia), Phuket (Thailand) and Sri Vijaya Puram. They are likely to come across many a Telugu expatriate or persons of Indian origin at various ports of call.

This is an amazing trans-oceanic sailing endeavor being undertaken by Indian Senior Citizens - a breed that is generally content with being immersed in the lives of their grand kids. Their example is bound to motivate many others- young and old, to take to the seas.

The long Andhra coast, dotted with minor and major ports, beaches and coastal villages, has a rich potential for marine tourism and the entire spectrum of BLUE economy. I fondly recall that in 2018, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had flagged off watersports enterprise at Visakhapatnam. That initiative would get much impetus from the arrival of TYSTIE (VISHAKHA) at Visakhapatnam. This would also make a good case for development of berthing facilities at a suitable marina in Vizag in due course.