Mexican naval sailboat docks at Mumbai

A Mexican Naval sailboat, Buque Escuela Velero ARM “Cuauhtémoc” (BE-01), arrived in Mumbai this week and will remain docked there till Monday.

The vessel, headed by Captain Rafael Antonio Lagunes Arteaga, set sail with a crew of 234, of which 43 are cadets of the Heroic Military Naval School of Mexico. “The journey of the Cuauhtémoc every year is for training purposes, but it also has as its mission strengthening Mexico’s ties with other countries. We are proud to welcome it to India after 15 years,” said Mexican ambassador Melba Pría, who was present at the dock to welcome the boat.

The vessel is named after the last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtémoc. It made its first trip in 1982 and has so far completed 34 instructional journeys covering 705,012 nautical miles, which is equivalent to 33 laps around the world.

“Generations of Mexicans have an emotional bond with this boat. It has been given the nickname ‘Caballero de los Mares’, which means ‘Knight of the Seas’ in Spanish,” said Melba Pría. In its long career, the Cuauhtémoc has visited as many as 59 countries. For its 2017 tour, this naval academy will visit 15 ports in 12 countries. It has already been to Panama, United States, Spain, Italy, Greece and Egypt.

On arriving in India, the crew and cadets observed a solemn moment for the young cadet Eva Lidia N., who fell overboard on 11 June 2017 due to inclement weather while performing a manoeuvre of sails.

During their stay, the Mexican crew and cadets will participate in activities to bond with their counterparts from the Indian Navy, with the support of the consulate of Mexico in Mumbai. They will also take a guided tour of Mumbai, organised by Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.

After India, the Cuauhtémoc will go to Singapore, the Philippines, China, South Korea, Japan, the United States, and will finish its journey at the Mexican port of Acapulco.