Navy Sailor in Golden Globe Race Injured, Stranded At Sea

Sep 23, 2018

 

• Abhilash Tomy was sailing as part of the iconic Golden Globe Race

• He sailed out of the Les Sables d’Olonne, France, on a Goa-built yacht Thuriya on July 1

• His vessel momentarily capsizedand his mast snapped in the remote waters of the Southern

 

When Indian Navy sailor Abhilash Tomy sailed out of the Les Sables d’Olonne, France, on a Goa-built yacht on July 1, he knew he was taking a risk. As the first Indian to single-handedly sail around the world without a stop in a tiny vessel, Tomy was well-versed with the ocean’s unforgiving nature. But for Tomy, his love for the ocean blue was despite its treacherous nature. While sailing as part of the iconic Golden Globe Race, a 14m-high wave rolled over and left him severely injured. His vessel, Thuriya, momentarily capsized and his mast snapped in the storm in the remote waters of the Southern Indian Ocean.

“The windwane autopilot is destroyed,” said Aquarius fiberglass shipyard managing director Ratnakar Dandekar. “I presume he has hull integrity because he has not reported any water entry. It is worrisome. We have to just hang on till someone reaches him.

” The Thuriya was built at Dandekar’s Divar-based shipyard.

Given the danger and the precarious weather conditions, race organisers are working closely with the Australian Rescue Coordination Center in Canberra. Australian authorities have issued an alert to all ships, said the race’s media co-ordinator, Barry Pickthall.

The Indian Navy has also joined in the rescue effort and has diverted the stealth frigate INS Satapura, which had been forward deployed to the Southern Indian Ocean, to help locate and rescue the commander.

The storm witnessed wind speeds of 70 knots (130kmph) and rough sea conditions of 45 feet.

According to his on-shore support team, race officials received a code red alert from Tomy on September 21 at 5:39pm that his mast had broken off and that he had a “severe back injury and was unable to move”. The joint rescue centre at Australia has alerted nearby vessels to head towards Tomy and help in locating the stricken vessel.

According to race officials, Tomy remains incapacitated on his bunk inside the boat and is using the portable Yellow Brick YB3 texting unit to maintain contact with race officials. The primary satellite phone is damaged. There is a second sat phone and the second YB3 texting unit, but he cannot reach them.

“He is safe in the vessel,” commander Dilip Dhonde, the first Indian to complete a solo circumnavigation, said. “It will take a few days for rescue vessels to reach him.”

According to Indian Navy officials, Tomy had switched on his emergency position-indicating radio beacon to help rescuers locate him.

The 39-year-old is a recipient of the Kirti Chakra and is the only invitee from Asia to participate in the prestigious race that commenced from France.

The Thuriya was in the third position after he sailed over 10,500 nautical miles in the last 84 days as part of the gruelling 30,000-mile solo circumnavigation race.

Courtesy TOI