At the launch ceremony of his book, ‘151’, which documented his solo circumnavigation of the globe in a sailboat without a single land halt, held on the Divar island in August 2017, Commander Abhilash Tomy had autographed my copy, stating, “Fair winds and following seas!”
Sadly, the champion sailor did not get his share of fair winds and following seas in the recent Golden Globe circumnavigation race, where he encountered the roughest seas ( 130 kmph winds and 45 feet high waves) in the southern Indian ocean, resulting in his boat, INSV Thuriya capsizing and breaking its main mast in the process.
However, there is a collective sigh of relief across Goa, where Tomy’s boat was built and where the brave commander trained, as news of his safe rescue came in a few days back.
In an interview to Café on Thursday, Captain (retd) Dilip Donde, India’s first solo circumnavigator and Tomy’s manager for this race, said, “It is sheer bad luck that Tomy encountered the most unusually rough seas. He also had a smaller boat this time (INSV Thuriya being much smaller than the INSV Mhadei, which was successfully used by both Donde and Tomy to circumnavigate the globe).”
However, Donde was quick to compliment Thuriya’s engineering. “The boat has been very strongly built. Despite the capsizing, the boat remained intact and kept Tomy completely safe and secure from the rough seas.”
Complimenting the rescue effort, Donde said, “As per a United Nations charter, all the seas across the world have been divided into specific ‘search and rescue regions’. The southern Indian Ocean comes under the jurisdiction of Australia and they did a splendid job in coordinating Tomy’s rescue with the French ship and the Indian navy,” Donde said.
Sharing an update on Tomy’s recuperation on the French island, Donde said, “Tomy seems to be recovering. He is waiting for the Indian Navy’s INS Satpura to pick him up. If the doctor on board the Indian frigate deems it fit, they could even bring Tomy back to Mumbai themselves.”
Ratnakar Dandekar, managing director, Aquarius Shipyard, Goa, the man who built the Thuriya and the Mhadei and Tarini (which was used by six women Naval officers to circumnavigate the globe recently), said, “The relationship between a boat builder and the sailor is special. Tomy is a very dear friend and I am relieved and happy at his safe rescue.”
Dandekar is particularly happy that Thuriya withstood the heavy beating. “When Tomy sent the message—‘Inside the boat and safe’, I think it said it all. I am very happy that the boat withstood the very rough seas and kept Tomy safe and sound. The boat simply needs a main mast and some new rigging and it will be fit to sail again!”
Goa based retired Indian Navy helicopter pilot, Captain (retd) Anshuman Chatterjee also seemed relieved, when Café caught up with him. “Abhilash is a close friend and colleague. The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) of Australia did a very professional job in coordinating with both, the French ship Osiris and the Indian Navy, in carrying out this rescue mission. We are indeed lucky that the Osiris was close to where Tomy was and the Indian Navy’s P8I aircraft could relay his exact position to them.”
Chatterjee was full of praise for the INSV Thuriya. “The sturdiness of the Thuriya was the key factor that helped Tomy survive. The boat held its integrity even after the battering it got. Of course, Tomy’s previous experience and training obviously helped him survive.”
Likewise, Elias Patel, founder of the Goa Triathlon and Goa Swimathon, was all praise for Tomy’s grit. “Commander Tomy has always been a daredevil and one of the calmest and most thorough professionals I have known. Surviving without food and water in the middle of a raging sea with an injured back is something that only a very special and trained individual can pull off. I personally feel that the boat builder has to be commended for building a world class boat which protected our hero completely while he utilised his survival training and skills to stay alive.”