Clinch first position in Ocean Global Race 2023-24

Two Indian lady sailors, Dhanya Pilo (a resident of Kharghar) and Payal Gupta (from Dehradun), were part of the female crew of the epic sailing yacht ‘Maiden.’ They clinched first place in the Ocean Global Race (OGR 2023-24) and received the trophy in a ceremony held in Rome on June 21, 2024.

‘Maiden’ made history as the only all-female crew to win the McIntyre Ocean Globe Race, taking first in IRC rankings and becoming the first ever all-women crew to win an around-the-world yacht race. The team completed the race in 153 days, 2 hours, 16 minutes, and 53 seconds. The dream team was assembled by legendary sailor Tracy Edwards (MBE) and current skipper Heather Thomas. The race route, covered in four legs from September 2023 to April 2024, included Southampton, Cape Town, Auckland, Punta del Este, and back to Southampton.

The best part is that ‘Maiden’ and her all-female crew embarked on this remarkable journey not only to compete but also to show what girls can achieve, supporting girls’ education worldwide so they too can follow their dreams.

Both lady Indian sailors have been avid sailors for many years and are creating stepping stones for international offshore sailing for Indians. According to them, "For the crew, each leg of the Ocean Globe Race 2023 wasn’t just a nautical challenge but a voyage of hope, determination, action, and progress. We were the only all-women crew in the entire race with 14 other competing teams from around the world. Maiden (The Maiden Factor Foundation) is a global ambassador advocating for the empowerment of girls through education."

The Kharghar-based sailor, Dhanya Pilo, shared her experience: “This race is super exciting because we were allowed to use only marine technology that was used before 1973 to sail around the world, like no phones, no laptops, no satellite, only old school marine instruments like paper charts, barometers, sextants, etc.”

About the Crew Members from India:

-Payal Gupta: Born and brought up in Dehradun, Payal Gupta, a former Navy personnel, has mastered reading the ocean. The 33-year-old is one of the most experienced seafarers on board, having clocked over 40,000 nautical miles. She has previously participated in a circumnavigation as part of a mixed crew in the Navika Sagar Parikrama Project. During her voyage at different ports of call around the world, including Fremantle, Lyttelton, Port Stanley, and Cape Town, she gave educational talks on ‘Women Empowerment.’

- Dhanya Pilo: A sailor and filmmaker residing in Kharghar, Dhanya emphasized, “Sailing around the world is a great way to understand the changes in our ecosystems and test our own future coping mechanisms. It is very rare to see a sailboat in India, and there were even sailing clubs that were called that but had no sailboats.” Growing up in Mumbai, she approached the small sailing fraternity and has been an active sailor for over 20 years. Dhanya was part of the Indian Women’s Team Windcatchers when they raced in the Thailand Match Race III, Qatar Open Match Racing, Nations Qualifiers Mumbai, and the Women’s World Match Racing Championships in Busan. She also earned her Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award.