Friday, February 26, 2010

Reached Cape Town

Mhadei reached safely at Cape Town at about 1030 local time on 25 Feb 10 to a fine welcome organized by the South African Navy and the Cape Townians! Got introduced to the interesting night life of the City on the first night itself when I visited Mhadei to check on her and found her to be the center of attraction of a rather loud group of admirers. Too bad I can't post the noises but as you will be able to appreciate from the pictures she is in good company getting ready for the next leg to Mumbai!








116 comments:

HomeSweetBoat said...

Hello Dilip

CONGRATULATIONS and well done ... excellent sailing and WOW what a welcome ... those seals are beautiful. I can just hear them, spent many a holiday in beautiful Cape Town. ENJOY.
Regards
Fay from the Gold Coast

Evie from Bendigo said...

Hello Dilip
Congratulations on reaching Cape Town.
I could well imagine the noise of your visitors they are a noisy bunch when they get together.
I hope your stay in Cape Town is only a brief visit and you are soon on your final leg home. I can but imagine the growing excitement you must be feeling nearing your journeys end but at the same time a bit sorrowful that it will end.
Enjoy your stay in Africa
Cheers
Evie from Bendigo

Anonymous said...

Hello Dilip,

Congratulations on reaching Cape Town and Wish you all the best as you embark on your final leg. We are all eagerly waiting for your successful completion of this grand adventure.

Regards -
Diptish Vartak
Philadelphia, USA

Kissyfrott said...

Hello Commander Dilip!
A magnificent 4th leg, congratulations!
These South African Navy uniforms look much like those of the US Navy famous Seals.
Enjoy your stay in Capetown... Last stop before home!
Holidays almost ending...
And good appetite!

hp said...

हाय Dilip & Mahdei,

You seem to always make the same kind of friends wherever you go! :-)

Enjoy your stay!

नमस्कार!

@RichieParis, c'est le genre de remarque à la Archibald Haddock que j'attendais depuis... :-)

designer said...

Congrats Dilip on a good fast sail to Cape town. I was worried when we did not hear from you for many days and was hoping that it was not the 'Gamberi' that had 'Got' you down. Be careful if you have that stuff again !
What were the winds and seas like on the final stretch ?
Have a good long stay in CT and take it all in ( but keep in touch), before you set off on your
longish final leg.

Mike_trrac said...

Hi Dilip,

Sounds as if you had good fast and smooth sailing. Well done on a successful transit to the Cape. I trust that the rest of Cape Town will entertain you as warmly as the seal population and that you have a well-earned furlough in Africa.

cheers

Mike (Avoca Beach, NSW)

Jonathan Castelino said...

Hi Dilip,

Well done ! Talk about being cheeky ! Well, I guess this pod of seals are like the sulphur crested cockatoos that inhabit our urban areas in Australia - they learn to cohabitate with humans and adapt very well. Great pictures !

Good luck on the final leg of your adventure !

Jonathan
Melbourne

Prabir said...

Congrats Dilip. The photos with the seals are very lovably sweet. Hail to you and now on to the last lap. What a great adventure. All the best

SaltyDog said...

Commander Donde,

It looks like you had quite a party on the dock. Those camera hounds certainly were posing for the photographer. Can’t wait to see who shows up to see you off when you begin your final leg. Enjoy every bit of your layover, Dilip. Take care.

From Seattle, WA, USA
SaltyDog

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, sir.
Enjoy your rest, before the next
leg of your travels.
Richard (QLD) Aus

just mee2 said...

Donde.. congratulations... ab mumbai dur nahi... :)

good to know all is well... take care and enjoy the break...

cheers
meetu

Unknown said...

fantastic dilip, hang in there, now that i have become so interested (and many other australians) its a shame that, presumably, you will finish back in india and not end up in the land of oz ... love to see you and mhadei back here any time ... best wishes john starlight sunshine coast

DS Pathania said...

SHABASH Sir jee, But sincerely hope that this is not only the night life that u get to see in CT.May u witness greater beauties (to Click) Have Fun remeber this is your last stop b'4 u reach Amchi Mumbai ( Home Sweet Home).We certainly are waiting eagerly for u to finish this historic expedition with victory under your keel.

Anonymous said...

Dear Dilip,

My Congratulations and what a special welcome you got. I wonder, after being on sea for such a long time, isn't it difficulties being on main land? Have a great time in Cape Town and a good rest.
Thank you for the lovely photo's.
Regards,
Ingrid, Tyreso, Sweden

Trudy said...

Congratulations
Commander Donde, on reaching Cape Town safely and in good time.
Your welcoming committee made it known loudly, that you have arrived!
Maybe, they wanted a fishy reward?
I hope your stay in Cape Town is pleasant. It doesn't sound as if you had many/any repairs to do.
Enjoy your time,
Trudy, Austria/Australia
Great photos!

Dharmendra Parmar said...

Donde.. congratulations

Dharmendra Parmar said...

Donde.. congratulations

Lalit Attri said...

Cdr Donde

Congratulations on successful S. Atlantic crossing. We were getting little anxious on such long silence. Hope you have a great time in CT and stock up on more WD40 just in case. The seal pics are great.

When is the departure from CT?
I am sure that next time you put out to sea, it will be a wonderful feeling of heading home.

@ Richie
Lovely comparison of two naval uniforms. Good one.

Rgds
Lalit/ Chandigarh

Toni McLean said...

Wow! The Cape Townians are very discerning admirers of yachts, aren't they? Definitely interesting night life! You never know, they might provide a guard of honour as you sail out of port.

Enjoy your stay.

Best wishes
Toni

hezakiah299 said...

02-26-10 @ 10:35
Hi Dilip,
Glad to see that everything went well for you, and I hope the last leg of your journey will be safe and trouble free for you.
That’s quite a welcoming committee that you have, and I imagine a pretty noisy one also, but they were happy to see Mhadie, she has her fans to.

Take care of yourself and always be cautious, you are in my prayers.
Michael(75)from Kingwood, WV (USA)

Abhilash Tomy said...

Congratulations sir! I am battling out my fights here. Hope to meet you soon.

Janell in Oklahoma,USA said...

Congrats Dilip! Hope your time in Cape Town is pleasant and that you get rested and ready to take on the last leg of your trip. THX for sending along the pix --very enjoyable.

Blessings,
Janell in Oklahoma, USA

Unknown said...

Congratulations Commander on your journey so far.
Godspeed on the homeward stretch.
Thanks to Jessica for making us aware of you.
I am enjoying following your adventure. Love the pics.
Margie
Cooroy, Queensland

Bob B said...

Quite a group of on-lookers. I can imagine they would also provide security. Did you see where a crew of Australian men are going to re-enact Capt. Bligh's epic journy of 4000 miles in a long boat. I wish them, as I'm sure you also do, all the best of luck, skill, fair winds, etc. And all that to you also in your next leg. Bob in Tucson USA

JJ said...

Congrats on achieving a safe voyage to Cape Town. All the best for the final one back home.

Love the pit crew! Or were they your security officers.

Take Care Dilip.

JJ

Anonymous said...

Is that your shore support?

olseadog said...

Congrats Dilip on a very well executed crossing of the South Atlantic. So did the "Cape Doctor" pay you a visit ?
Thanks to your mate "tell tale" for keeping us updated and for the terrific photographs.
Have a good relaxing and enjoyable stop over ! For a sailor life is not only about the voyage, but also as much, about the memorable 'pit stops'.

@SaltyDog.
Hi ! Enjoyed your piece about "tell tales's tall tale in totality". Cheers !

Anonymous said...

Yeah, enjoy your pit stop but share it with us. Show us where Mhadei is berthed, the surrounding port area, more of your pit crew, Table Mountain etc.etc.

Clint Jeffrey - VK3CSJ said...

Hi Dilip,
Good onya mate, you're showing everybody how is done and I thing the Seals agree. I love Richie's "Navy Seals" comment!...trust you to come up with that...

I dunno about you guys but I much prefer this type of blog...anyway dats another story!

Cheers Dilip...take care!

Clint - Melbourne Township

MAN D R said...

Cdr. Dilip,

Here's wishing you all the very best for your onward journey to Mumbai !

We all await your return post a daring adventure !

Warm Regards,
Mandar Narvekar

Anonymous said...

Hi Commander Donde!

Im glad you made it well to your last milestone before heading home. It is being an amazing adventure, thanks for sharing it with us. The pics are lovely, what a great noisy bunch of admirers you got there. Those seals probably thought you were having some of the navy seals as part of your crew!

Best wishes,

Marina

Kissyfrott said...

@45° 31' à qui le dites-vous! Blue Blistering Barnacles et Tonnerre de Brest!
Master Donde serait superbe en Haddock, but he is much too wise and peaceful. Haddock's character is the explosive kind!
Glad you are in Africa today, Commander, the chilean coast is not the best place for a cruise right now.

SUBIR said...

Hi,
Congrats on reaching Cape Town. Have fun.
Regards,
Subir.

Anonymous said...

@RichieParis. Not fair mate ! Having it all by yourself in Francais ! "Tu" must transalate for Dilip and "Nous". What say U ?

43"x 73" - U2 !

Queenslander said...

Commander Donde,

Congratulations on another safe passage.

Does anyone (Tell Tale?) know when Dilip will be departing Cape Town? The reason I ask is that March 2008 & April 2009 were bad months for Tropical Cyclones around Madagascar and the water temperatures are high at the moment.



@ RichieP... uniforms... very funny!

@ Clint Jeffrey re "other" blog... I concur, but that ship has sailed. I do not even bother to read the comments... line after line of text makes me dizzy!

@ Jony the Pony (the real one)... you HAVE to get a Blogger Account! It is the only way to prevent identity theft!

Jony the Pony said...

@Queenslander,
sorry, but I have a Blogger Account, but nobody can prevent someone else to use my name when posting as "anonymous" or "name/URL".
I also can not prevent people from making up some Jony-the-Pony like email addresses and start mailing people like "Bob from Seattle". As far as the origine of "keep up them dodgers" is concerned, "steve in california" got it right, I was just goofing on the dodger discussion and simply wishing our circumnavigating ladies good luck.
Anyways, it is no fun when people start to take over your identitiy and posting messages in your name, so I decided to quit blogging on Jessica's, Abby's and Mr. Donde's blogs.
I sent a similar mail to Abby's blog but it never got posted. I hope this clarifies the situation and it will definitly be my last contribution,
Jony the Pony

hp said...

हाय Dilip & Mahdei,

@RichieParis said: "Glad you are in Africa today, Commander, the chilean coast is not the best place for a cruise right now."

And that is where Minoru Saito San is right now. Also Alessandro Di Benedetto is just off NZ coast where the Tsunami will be.

What would you do in such a situation?

नमस्कार!

hp said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
KD said...

hi Dilip Dada!!

Congratulations!!

Almost there now... can't wait to meet u... come back soon.. :D

Trudy said...

Pity,
Jony the Pony, we'll miss you!
And I also like this blog format better!

Have a 'seal' of time in South Africa, Dilip,

Trudy, Austria/Australia

SaltyDog said...

@Jony the Pony: I too will miss you. You have been a faithful supporter of these circumnavigators. I’ve just recently realized that this was happening to you and a few other bloggers. You have my apologies if I have mistaken the other blogger for you. I’m sure your thoughts will still be with Dilip, Jessica and Abby. Best wishes, Jony.

From Seattle, WA, USA
SaltyDog

Abhilash Tomy said...

@Jony the Pony - Will miss you. Thank you very much for being a part of the voyage so far.

@ Queenslander - the official departure date is 10 Apr (give or take a day). The plan as of now is for Cdr Donde to depart as soon as work on the boat is over. Since a lot of hardware was sourced from RSA it makes sense for the boat to stay here longer than the last two ports - not to mention the 6500 miles that lie ahead.

Queenslander said...

@ Tell Tale... Thank you.

@ Jony... I cannot ever remember you commenting with a Google Account Blogger ID. Ditto the others who will miss you!

@ The galah who is pretending to be the Pony... GET A LIFE!

hp said...

Bonjour Dilip & Madhei,

@Anonymous said...

@RichieParis. Not fair mate ! Having it all by yourself in Francais ! "Tu" must transalate for Dilip and "Nous". What say U ?

43"x 73" - U2 !
February 27, 2010 8:20 PM

I was commenting on RichieParis sense of humour by comparing his remarks to what Captain Haddock of Tintin fame would have said about the uniforms...
You don't tell me! was RichieParis reply.

See you mate!

Jan Pace said...

Hi Dilip,

Oh how cute. I hope that they were polite and let you past to get to Mhadei.

I guess it won't be too long now Dilip and you will be home. What an accomplishment.

Enjoy the rest in Cape Town Dilip and I wish you safe travels for the duration of your voyage.
Warmest wishes from Jan Pace (Auckland, New Zealand)

Kissyfrott said...

@43"x73"' OK, mate! Sorry, I didn't come back earlier... But the french part was so tiny, and unsignificant? Thank you, 45°31', for the translation! The other french word was "serait", just put "would be" in its place and that's all.

@Jony the Pony: Sorry you won't comment any more, I shall miss you too. Knowing you will still follow is a consolation. You can't avoid all of them stupid people. All the same: either bravely anonymous, or honestly usurpating your ID... The question is, how that kind of rats got on the yachts? I don't even see where may be the fun for them?

@Commander Donde: Just thinking you must have some good times with South African and Indian Navy Officers by now... Enjoy your deserved rest time and hot showers, soon you'll be back to your saddening risotto con gamberi e funghi diet... You should give a pay raise to your cook!

Anonymous said...

@ RichieParis & 43"x 73". Thanks 2 U 2 good guys for the transalation.
Didnt want to miss out on anything funny ! Cheers Mates !

ViShRuT said...

Awesome Progress!!!!! Enjoy solid land for a while, and The BEAUTIFUL Cape Town.........

Unknown said...

Dear Donde Sir,
Congrats on making Cape Town! I hope it's all downhill (figuratively speakiong, of course!) from here on. All the best for the final leg, and hope it's smooth sailing.
Warm regards,
Vombatkere

Radm NK Mishra said...

Dear Dilip

Congratulations. You are about to write history. Fair winds and following seas.....

Another Kiran In NYC said...

What a fabulous adventure. Great pictures!

I follow your blog and voyage with my senses and imagination. I can almost smell the sea and feel the thudding of the waves as every couple of seconds, they slap the sides of the boat. It just makes me happy!

The very best to you as you sail on to homeport!

DS Pathania said...

Sir,
HAPPY HOLI and may the festival of colours brings joy in your life. I went to see India - Pak hockey world cup match with my wife and son in Major Dhayan Chand stadium on 28 Feb. It was life time experience with 16000 people cheering and howling their lungs out. The icing on the cake was India emphatic victory.Don't worry when you enter Mumbai after completing your voyage we will cheer for u with equal zeal.
Good Luck

Anonymous said...

Hi Commander Donde,

I hope you are doing fine. When are you leaving Cape Town? How are Maddhei and your noisy bunch of fans doing? Maybe one of them would like to join you for the next leg of your trip.

Best wishes,

Marina

hezakiah299 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
workerbev said...

Hi Cdr Donde (Beverly here in Tasmania) I haven't commented in awhile and I'm sorry cause now you are already in port.

And what say you the reason you are staying in Cape Town for over a month? Is it to let the weather abate or so much to be done to Mhadei? I didn't think she had any problems coming across in the last leg, maybe I missed it.

@Jony the Pony - if you are still following the blogs. I will surely miss you really bad - I enjoyed you always being there. I don't know what happened so I reckon I will have to read back over a lot of blogs to find out. But I'm sorry for anyone who has to do something to people's accounts. I was just hacked into on my yahoo account in Jan 10 and it was a real bogger of a mess to clear up. I wish some people would just get a life. I will be thinking about you every time I read blogs and you aren't there. BP

@Richie - you are soooo funny. I will definitely miss you when all these voyagers are over. You make me laugh a lot!

@SaltyDog - wish I still lived in Tacoma, I would come up and meet you for coffee. You are my hero due to your post welcoming me back. Thank you, thank you, thank you! BP

Well Cdr Donde, don't know what you are going to do until 10 Apr but whatever it is, please have fun and be careful. I will look forward to your departure and the adventure you will have until you arrive in Mumbai.

God Bless and take care - Beverly & Andrew Penney, Tasmania

"IF YOU CAN'T SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, STRIDE DOWN THERE AND LIGHT THE BLOODY THING YOURSELF!!"

Ren said...

Jony, just USE your Blogger Account EVERY time...we'll just ignore anyone that's not logged in as you! How much easier does it get than that? Don't leave us for some dip!
Ren

hezakiah299 said...

03-02-10 @ 20:30
Hi Dilip,
Hope you’re having a good time in Cape Town, aside from the work to be done on Mhadie. I hope that doesn’t take to much of your time, but I figure that you have a fair amount of help.
I guess that you and Jessica will finish up your venture at about the same time, and that will leave a bit of a void in my time. Abby is in motion, and then Laura Dekker (who just got a new boat, a Gin Fizz Jeanneau Ketch)
should be getting started. She probably has a lot of work ahead of her preparing the boat for her trip.
Enjoy your stay in Cape
Town, I understand you’re setting sail approximately 04/10/10, good luck to you, and sail safe and true.
Take care of yourself and always be cautious, you are in my prayers.
Michael(75)from Kingwood, WV (USA)

Anonymous said...

Hi Sir!

Great!! You are now very close to back home.Wish you the very best for next & last leg.

Regards,

SKY

ben said...

Hello Dilip,

good to see you made CT safely. Rest well and enjoy the hospitality of the locals, human and non-human it seems lol

Lifes been pretty hectic lately so haven't been able to post as often as I'd like...hope it doesn't last too long. Will try and keep up with ya progress tho.

Regards to Mhadei and crew.

Ben (Qld)

Unknown said...

Hello Commander Dilip,


Congrats on reaching Cape Town..hope u r njoying d welcome of RSA navy n Mhadei is njoying wid her noisy fans!!

Wishing u a good stay n smooth sail in the last leg back home...

Anonymous said...

Fellow circumnavigator-to-be Ryan Langley's new blog is up at: http://theimpossiblevoyage.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Congratulations commander Dilip Dhonde!
All set to become first Indian-solo circumnavigator!!

All the best for your next journey!

Regards,
--Vaibhav

koda sri vatsa said...

hey, skipper. Greetings from t66. Well done. yet another lap gone..... take the very well deserved brk and get set for the final leg? looking fwd to seeing your here again, in the familiar waters. take care.

Dan said...

Dear Commander Donde

One long last leg to Mumbia and home. I hope there is a big promotion or at least some pretty ribons waiting at the dock for you! You have done a lot to promote the good name of the Indian Navy.

I check your blog daily. Please keep us updated when you have the time.

Dan
Portland, Oregon, USA

Claudia said...

Dilip,
Can you locate your fellow circumnavigator,
Jeanne Socrates before she departs Cape Town???
http://synereida.livejournal.com/
You can email her at
http://www.svnereida.com/contact/contact.php
and tell her how to contact you and/or where your ship is located. It would be nice to compare notes and then tell us about it!
Claudia

j84 said...

Hi there! Been reading your blog on and off and it has been very heartening to know of your success. Jugal.

malavika sanadi said...

hey dilip..wow on your final lap..amazing. this experience must have been the best in life.Congrats. kaira told me that u are on ur last and final phase.all the very best and see u soon on the Indian soil...lots of love malu

Michelle Waters said...

Solo Circumnavigators or Wannabes for 2010
(With thanks to Tonya's original research!)

Jessica Watson (BD 5-18-1993)
Buderim, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia
http://www.youngestround.blogspot.com/
Currently in the Indian Ocean

Dilip Donde (BD 9-26-1967)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
http://sagarparikrama.blogspot.com/
Currently in Cape Town, South Africa for repairs

Minoru Saito (BD 1-7-1934)
Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan
http://saito8.blogspot.com/
Currently in Valdivia, Chile for repairs

Jeanne Socrates (BD 9-16-1942 Not sure about this one)
Hamble Hampshire England UK
http://synereida.livejournal.com/ GREAT PICS!
Departs Cape Town, South Africa headed East MONDAY March 8th!
Email Jeanne at http://www.svnereida.com/contact/contact.php

Abby Sunderland (BD 10-19-1993)
Marina del Rey, California, USA
http://soloround.blogspot.com/
Currently in the Southern Pacific, about 900 miles West of Easter Island

Bernt Lüchtenborg (BD 1953)
Cuxhaven, Germany
http://www.tinyurl.com/Bernt-Luchtenborg
Currently in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Senegal (Western Africa)

Ryan Langley (BD 7-4-1992)
Port Angeles, Washington, USA
http://theimpossiblevoyage.blogspot.com/
Planned departure - late Summer 2010

Laura Dekker (BD 9-20-1995)
Whangarei, New Zealand (currently living in the Netherlands)
http://tinyurl.com/lauradekkerblog
Planned departure - September 2010

Abby North (BD 4-15-1994)
Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Sustained serious boat damage and lost her boat sponsor
Planned departure - probably will not repeat attempt

Susan said...

Hello Dilip,
Just checking in. Love the pictures and your new friends there!
I hope you have some time to explore the area a bit while you're there... Jeanne Socrates posted some nice photos... the area looks quite scenic.

@Jony the Pony... I too will miss seeing you on these blogs.
@Richie, SaltyDog, Hezakiah, workerbev, Queenslander, Evie,
Subir, and others... these blogs wouldn't be the same, or as warm and snuggly, without you!


Susan in Oregon

hp said...

हाय Dilip & Mahdei,

Looking forward to follow you on the next leg of your voyage.

Enjoy your stay!

नमस्कार!

@ "Michelle Waters" aka RL:

Alessandro Di Benedetto is still missing in your list.

Anonymous said...

hello doc,
jessica watson is already ahead of you and will be reaching australia soon. she hash't stopped anywhere at all and is hardly sixteen years old. you have superior equipment and seem to be stopping everywhere. do you think this can be called as circumnavigation when in reality it should be called only if you can pull a 'jessica watson' around the world?
good luck,
your admirer

Susan said...

@your admirer
It is a solo circumnavigation, but it isn't, and wasn't meant to be, a non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation, which is what Jessica Watson is doing. Anyone going around the world is doing a circumnavigation!
Another Dilip Admirer

Anonymous said...

@Susan: does that mean those travelling on business are circumnavigating the world if they touch different cities? i am not sure i understand. in any event, this feat is great and i mean no disrespect to dilip. however, if you can pull off an 'abby' or 'jessica watson' then in my mind, this feat is comparable to theirs. else, there is no reason to say this is circumnavigation. it is just hop-stopping at different places.

hezakiah299 said...

03-09-10 @ 13:42
Hi Dilip,
Hope you’re enjoying your ‘time off’, but I’m sure you are very busy. What kind of maintenance will you be doing to Mhadai?

@ Susan in Oregon: And I feel the same about you, especially the snuggly part…lol…You add a lot to all these blogs, I enjoy reading all your comments.
Dilip, is your welcoming committee still entertaining you??
Take care of yourself and always be cautious, you are in my prayers.
Michael(75)from Kingwood, WV (USA)

Anonymous said...

eagerly awaiting the next post and your safe completion of the last leg!

Cat Harbour said...

Hi Dilip,
Missing your regular updates. Check everyday to see how you are doing. Waiting to hear from you again.... a few shore pics, etc. Best wishes the rest of the way. Have a good trip back home.

Rex Gibbons,
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

MJ from Brisbane said...

HEY YOU - YOU MUST BE HAVING A GOOD TIME BUT HOW ABOUT ANOTHER POST OR UPDATE FOR US LANDLUBBERS...............PLEASE!!!

Anonymous said...

To Circumnavigate is to sail all the way around, whether it's non-stop or all-stops, no matter how long it takes. Look it up in your funkenwagnalls!

Anonymous said...

@anonymous: funkenwagnalls eh? haven't heard that term and had to wiki it. In any event, look up this definition http://www.thefreedictionary.com/circumnavigation
Circumnavigation does not necessarily mean 'around the earth'. it could mean around a light pole or any object. it does not talk about stops.
when it comes to sailing, you have to admit that the feats by people such as jessica watson or sunderland are a class apart from the rest. i can run but that does not mean i am like carl lewis! hats of to dilip. undoubtedly, it is a great feat and we stand inspired by him.

Candice Dorn said...

@anonymous-freedictionary...you know, you COULD leave a name for your fellow bloggers to refer to you...any name would do!
Yes, Jessica has certainly shown herself to be one tough cookie...she's now on the last leg of her voyage, but Dilip has too. He is actually traveling farther because he has to return to India and just because he has stopped (they were planned stops BTW) doesn't lessen the enormity of his journey! Abby has barely begun her voyage. With no real weather yet (because she can out-race any of it and her controller makes sure she does) it's too early to put her in the same class as Jessica and Dilip.
Candice Dorn

Anonymous said...

Circumnavigate:

1- To navigate a circumference, such as an island, a continent, or the Earth.

2- To travel all the way around the edge, particularly when in control of the route taken.

3- It is a term used very much to describe travelling all the way around the world by any method.

Source:
wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumnavigate

However long it takes Commander Dilip Donde and Mhadei or however many stops they make should not diminish their fantastic achievement of having circumnavigated the globe.

Candice, you may call me Anon for this is not about me but about supporting Cdr Donde and Mhadei.

Have a nice day!

Evie from Bendigo said...

Hello Dilip

Reading some of the posts we need your salty adjudication. Besides that when are you planning on leaving Cape Town? I should imagine you are fairly busy not only with repairs but with publicity as well.
Hope you are enjoying the fresh food and wines of the Cape.

@ Jony Pony- Am disappointed you will no longer be posting I too will miss you. Take care.

@ Susan in Oregon I too enjoy your company on our various sailor friends sites.

Dilip again enjoy your shore leave and write soon

Cheers
Evie from Bendigo

Anonymous said...

Hello? Are you there? It's 3/12 and you haven't posted in weeks.

Anonymous said...

We would love an update...what are you doing to the boat? When do you expect to get back to sea? Does anything other than seals live there? Where are you going next?

Even some land pictures would be nice.

We are still here checking on you!

hezakiah299 said...

03-12-10 @ 15:09
Dilip,
It seems like a lot of people are asking you for an up-date, including myself. I want to follow you and see how you're doing and support you. But it seems like you are just ignoring us. That's not a good way to treat your faithful followers and fans. I, for one, will discontinue following you as you don't seem to be to concerned about us.
Michael(75)from Kingwood, WV(USA)

Lonnie said...

@Michael,
Whoa man! You have been such a positive force for all our global travelers and then to hear you make such a harsh judgment doesn't seem in character! I'm sure Dilip is busy and hasn't had the time to check his blog. Cut him a break man! I can't imagine you saying something like that to Jessica or Abby!
Peace!
Lonnie

Anonymous said...

@hezakiah299: Looks a lot like Dilip may not continue this trip anymore or else why would he ignore us? Looks like either he or we or the seals had enough :) Dilip, please wake up and let us know that all is well.
Yours,
Chaskha

just mee2 said...

To all followers of this blog... on behalf of dilip... your support is really appreciated.. thank you... . He is busy getting repairs done..and His family is visiting the Cape at the moment.. so request excuse the long silence... :)

cheers...

@ donde... arrey laukar kahitari leeh...
translation.. write soon... lol

Anonymous said...

@Lonnie, Hes not out of character at all. Those are his true colors. How dare Dilip ignore him and spend some time with family instead. Shock, Horror!!!

Abhilash Tomy said...

Dear All

We have been kept pretty busy at Cape Town as most of the suppliers for the boat are from Cape Town. Getting her a good check up at this port.

As of now the boat's departure is planned between 26th and 30th of this month.

In the meantime you may visit http://picasaweb.google.com/abhilash.tomy/Falklands for pictures of Falklands. They are not in chronological order and I am yet to give them any captions.

Cheers!

Cheers!

Kissyfrott said...

@Anonymous (obviously), March 13, 1:32pm
Shame on you!
Michael is too kind, and just unhappy for not having news after many days. How can you dare to say that about true colors?

@Tell Tale: Many thanks, Sir! It is good to learn that everything is OK for Master Dilip and Miss Mhadei.
Two more weeks in Capetown will be pleasant and useful for both before the last leg to Mumbai.

HomeSweetBoat said...

@Tell Tale

Thank you so much for sharing those amazing pictures with us.

We are looking forward to following Dilip on the rest of his journey.

Stay well Dilip and enjoy beautiful Cape Town.

Regards
Fay from the Gold Coast

Anonymous said...

RichieParis.

Your defence for Michael is admirable but think about how hurtful his comment would have been for Dilip to read when all he's trying to do is attend to Mhadei and spend some time with his family.

This isn't about us. Dilip allowing us to tag along on his journey is a privilege. Please lets not foget that.

Lakshmi said...

@Anonymous and Richieparis: If you think Dilip has the time to read your comments and feel 'bad' and (omg) 'get hurt', I think you are wrong. Think about it for a minute guys! If Dilip gets so emotional so easily, do you think he can go around the world sailing alone. 'oh my god! that wave smacked my boat. oh! I feel so bad about it. I want my mommy!!!' :)
Dilip is a great Lion of India. He does not care about such silly things. Enjoy his journey and please give him some personal time too. Glad he is in your heart but respect his personal time to do whatever he chooses. He probably has better things to do than blog at this time.
Ciao
Lakshmi

Anonymous said...

Bravo Lakshmi! Truly well said.

Anonymous said...

You're not wrong, Lakshmi!

Fond regards Dilip and I hope all your plans are falling into place.

Kissyfrott said...

@Lakshmi and Anonymous
Sorry guys, I think I haven't written well, and have been misunderstood. I just wanted to say that Michael is a kind man, and probably playing tongue-in-cheek.
But of course I respect Commander Dilip, a brave Navy Officer and a true gentleman, and i never, never wanted to insinuate anything about the way he manages his stay in Capetown. He is fully right to spend time with his family, his Officer's duties, and Mhadei. And I take his blogs like a gift from him, not as something he owes to anyone.
I am deeply sorry if I may have let anyone think differently. I am only full of respect for Commander Donde, and I wouldn't have dared to criticize! My only wish was to moderate some harsh words towards Michael, whose entry was hard, but so unusual!
Lonnie's reaction was OK. But the second "anonymous" comment, about "true colors", was unnecessary. By the way, that kind of aggressive comments are (almost) always anonymous... Nothing peculiar.

@Commander Dilip: Please enjoy your stay, and have a wonderful last leg to Mumbai when the time comes!

Lalit Attri said...

@ Telltale

Hi abhilash
Thanks for the update.
Trust cdr. Donde is enjoying quality time ashore.

Good to know that Mhadei is getting thorough attention. Loved the falkland pics. Some excellent photography. Don't forget the Cape Town update later. Wish you change over to Flickr instead of Picasa. Much easier to browse on Flikr

Lalit fm Chandigarh

SaltyDog said...

Thank you Tell Tale for the update. I hope that Dilip is having an enjoyable and relaxing break from sailing. You are certainly a talented photographer, Tell Tale, and I appreciate you publishing some of your work. Very interesting.

Thank you Susan in Oregon. It’s been fun getting to know so many bloggers from around the world. You’ve been a faithful contributor and I always enjoy hearing from someone else from our corner of the world.

WorkerBev, that’s interesting to hear that you used to live in Tacoma. I actually live on Fox Island and grew up in Gig Harbor. Very few people have heard of either, which is why I make reference to Seattle. Tacoma is very close to my house as the crow flys. If we were able to get together for coffee, it would certainly be my pleasure. At the top of my list of things to do in my life is to visit Australia and New Zealand. So you never know, I might meet up with you and Andrew for coffee in Tasmania someday.

Best wishes to everyone.

From Seattle, WA, USA
SaltyDog

Jan Pace said...

Dear Commander Donde,

I hope you're having a lovely time with your family and having a great time in Cape Town.

Just thought that I would post another blog to say that I appreciate you sharing your journey and all those photos with us. I can remember earlier on in Jesse's journey she mentioned you and your blog and appreciated the conversations you had with her. That is how I came across your blog a few months ago now.

I follow everyone's blogs and just want to thank people like Michael, Salty Dog, Samurai and Richie Paris and many others who are such lovely people who always post such uplifting, interesting and sometimes really funny blogs. I know that Michael posted a comment that was a little uncharisteristic but like Michael I am an avid blogger who has a new found hobby and we enjoy hearing how you are getting on. I know even my family don't understand why I'm blogging so much, but really it's quite catchy. 10 minutes can quite easily turn into 2 hours (which isn't so cool when one has work the next day and it's 2.30am in the morning).

When you do have a moment Dilip I would love to hear what Cape Town is like.

@SaltyDog. It's great to hear that you are thinking of visiting New Zealand. Myself and family would love to meet you if you do visit here.

Warmest wishes. Jan Pace (Auckland, New Zealand)

Abhilash Tomy said...

To all blog followers,

Pictures of Cape Town will be posted soon. But we are really short of bandwidth and time.

At this point I dont want to shift over to Flickr. It might be easier, but I am used to using Picassa for uploading pictures. Sorry! may be for the next circumnavigation :)

Abhilash

Evie from Bendigo said...

Hello Dilip and @Tell Tale,

Thankyou for the update as to your departure time and to what is happening in your journey.

I hope you are having a fantastic R&R with your family along with the preparation of Mhadie.

@Tell Tale thankyou so much for the photos and the update.

Keep well all. You are expected to leave Cape Town when I am to become a first time grandmother.

Cheers
Evie from Bendigo

Sarah Howard said...

Abhilash,
You say you are short on bandwidth; is there anything we as Dilip's followers can do to help you?
Sarah Howard

Shri said...

Hello Dilip,

Hope you are doing well. I have logged on many times to see your progress. I am disapointed everytime! What is going on? Why there is no update/status for over 16 days? Are you planning to complete the voyage? Its really not fair to keep so many interested people around the world not informed about your status.
/Shri from California

Pamela said...

Shri,
Get a life!!!....or at least read the other comments FIRST and then you'd know what's going on! This voyage is NOT about you!
Pamela

Dan said...

Pamela? Who appointed you guardian of the this blog? Get a life yourself!!! I know a rude lady from Seattle named Pamela who was on the Cascadia list being nasty to people...hope you are not the same one.

Dan
Portland, Oregon, USA

Hari Om said...

@Dan:
Shame on you to fight on this blog. Stop acting like a kid.

@Shri:
Pamela was absolutely correct. Please respect Dilip's time.

Anonymous said...

Hari Om? you got to be kidding me

Designer said...

@ Abhilash,

Fabulous photos on 'picasaweb' mate ! Thanks a lot ! They add so much more substance and flavour to the voyage ! You have done good justice to record your and Dilip's visit.
I look forward to the Cape Town shots !
Cheers,

Unknown said...

Congratulations Dilip. Super sailing.Lovely pictures.All the best for the last lap!

Anonymous said...

I have been following Jess, Abby and Dilip on their sailing. While Jess and Abby have been slogging it out, looks like Dilip is the one having all fun. I hope he completes the trip within a year. He reminds me of Dravid's batting.


-Sachin Tendulkar

Anonymous said...

Hi Dilip,
pleasently surprised to note comments from Sachin. Cannot make out whether he is complementing or being sarcastic.
best wishes
Mcgraths

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Unknown said...

Proud moments for the whole Navy...great ....keep going strong...
Vineet

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