Cdr Abhilash Tomy set off for his second solo circumnavigation of the globe in his
sailboat, ‘Thuriya’, from Les Sables d’Olonne in France today, for the 30,000-
mile, round the world Golden Globe Race. Built by Ratnakar Dandekar of Aquarius
Shipyard in Divar, Goa, ‘Thuriya’ is the only Indian entry out of 18 boats at
the start line.
The race is being held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of
the original Golden Globe Race in 1968, in which Sir Robin Knox-Johnston became
the first person to successfully complete a solo, unassisted and non-stop
circumnavigation of the Earth in 312 days, in his Mumbai-built wooden sailboat,
‘Suhaili’. Interestingly, Cdr Tomy’s ‘Thuriya’ is a replica of ‘Suhaili’; the
only one in the race.
The biggest challenge
of the GGR is that all the boats can only use equipment available in 1968. This
means, for example, that GPS cannot be used for navigation, which must be done
using sextants, automatic watches (digital watches and electronic calculators
are not allowed) and physical admiralty charts (sea maps). Communication with
the outside world is limited to a radio set. Each boat is equipped with satellite
phones, but they can only be used for medical and physical emergencies.
Starting from Les
Sables d’Olonne, boats will go south in the Atlantic Ocean till the Cape of
Good Hope at the tip of Africa, then into the India Ocean past Cape Leeuwin in
Western Australia and South Cape in New Zealand, then into the Pacific Ocean,
pass the international dateline, and Cape of Horn on the tip of South America
to re-enter the Atlantic Ocean for the final leg back to Les Sables d’Olonne.
Cdr Tomy aims to complete the race within 311 days, one day less than Sir
Johnston’s epic sail.
The race started with
a ceremonial sailpast by all the boats in Falmouth, UK, led by Sir Robin Knox
Johnston on ‘Suhaili’. This was followed by a friendly race to Les Sables
d’Olonne where, in the two weeks before July 1, mandatory safety checks were
carried out and the sailors equipped their boats for the long voyage. Cdr Tomy
is backed by the Indian Navy, Aquarius Shipyard and Goa Shipyard Ltd. Equipment
support is from Elcome (communications), Windpilot (autopilot), Decathlon
(clothing) and Jellyfish Water Sports. Capt (Retd) Dilip Donde, the first
Indian to circumnavigate the world, is his base manager.
Explaining the
journey before he started, Cdr Tomy said: “During Sagar Parikrama (his first
circumnavigation), I used GPS, computerised maps and satellite-based
technologies. But for this race, I have to make do with a compass, printed
maps, and star and planetary movements. There is a solitary HF radio set for
contact. The size of the boat limits the amount of water I can carry. Sir Robin
used rain water he collected. I will to do the same. There is no help from the
outside world throughout the race.”
No GPS, chart
plotters, electronic wind instruments, electric autopilots, electronic log,
iPhone, satellite phones, digital cameras, computers, CD players, pocket
calculators electronic clocks and watches, water makers, carbon fibre, Kevlar,
Spectra, etc, are allowed. It is back to film cameras, cassette tapes,
sextants, wind-up clocks, trailing logs, Dacron sails, wind vanes and
typewriters.
To
make up for the tech ban, there is a major emphasis on safety, and Cdr Tomy is
carrying nearly four times the safety equipment he had on his last solo
non-stop circumnavigation. Regular briefings and safety are scheduled by the
organisers. MSOS will provide medical support at sea.
