Mangaluru: While many a coastal resident would have experienced sailing on the sea, not many would have taken a sortie on an air-cushioned vehicle — the Hovercraft.

Coast Guard, Karnataka, on Friday took several journalists from Mangaluru onboard its Hovercraft as a part of “A Day at Sea” with media persons and it was the first experience for a majority of them.

The amphibian with the Coast Guard can travel up to a speed of 45 knots per hour on sea thereby becoming the fastest vehicle on water. Since it was a short sortie, Commandant Manish Kumar, who piloted the Hovercraft, maintained a speed of 24 knots.

Coast Guard Karnataka Commander S.S. Dasila said that the vehicle is deployed to undertake multiple tasks, including rescue, anti-smuggling and patrolling operations.

“A Day at Sea” began at 10.50 a.m. when journalists boarded the Hovercraft off Panambur Beach. After about a 30-minute cruise towards the North along the seashore, the pilot brought the vehicle to a halt at Hejmadi Delta, at the confluence of the Nandini and the Shambhavi with the Arabian Sea, off Sasihithlu and Kolachikambla.

While many were busy taking pictures and shooting clippings, Mr. Dasila, Commandant Gulwinder Singh, who is also the Public Relations Officer of Coast Guard, Karnataka, and Commandant Manish Kumar, explained various operational aspects of the vehicle as well activities of the Coast Guard in general.

An engineer with the Hovercraft said that though the vehicle can travel for 10 hours upon full refill (3,600 litres of diesel), it is halted once in four-five hours for a check. Coast Guard Hovercraft had been to Mumbai during the recent unveiling of the Shivaji statue by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for offshore patrol.

After spending about 20 minutes at the delta, the journalists boarded the vehicle again for the return journey towards the Coast Guard Headquarters at Panambur.

Mr. Dasila said that work on the Hoverport at Tannirbhavi Beach, clearance for which was recently given by agencies concerned, is likely to be completed during 2018-19. At present, the two Hovercraft with the Coast Guard are berthed on the banks of the Phalguni (Gurupura) River, off Bengre.