Panaji, Aug 12 - An Indian Navy commander is attempting a daunting solo sailing expedition across the globe with only a soft toy replica of Tweety, the cute yellow canary popularized in cartoons, as company.

From where he stands on the wobbling deck of the 56-ft yacht, Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Mhadei, rigging his sailing gear in order and speaking to more than one media crew, commander Dilip Donde, really doesn't look the sort of guy who'd have a large soft toy birdie hung on his bunk.

'It's a gift from someone who wanted me to carry it along on this trip,' Donde told IANS as he left for Mumbai ahead of starting his 21,600 nautical mile round-the-globe expedition Aug 19.

Tweety, however, is not the only adornment in the constricted but cozy interiors of the yacht, which was fabricated from scratch at a private shipyard in Goa about a year ago.

The custom-made yacht, which was designed by a renowned Dutch ship builder, has a Global Positioning System (GPS), communications devices, elaborate reverse osmosis gear which converts sea water into potable water and a huge braid of dried onions hung from a rack.

'We have cooking gear on board including a gas stove. We have also stashed in a lot of packed foods to add to the variety,' said Donde, a self-confessed lover of waran bhat, a staple Maharashtrian dish which includes rice and dal spiced with asafoetida.

According to former vice admiral M.P. Avati, the guiding force behind the expedition, Donde had promised himself a waran bhat treat on a relatively good day at sea when a sailor's chores are few. 'I hope he will have it a few times before he hits Cape of Australia. Otherwise, there are always packed foods to bank on,' Avati said.