Commander Tomy’s rescue operation LIVE: Abhilash Tomy, who is serving as Indian Naval Officer, is in the south Indian Ocean, approximately 1900 nautical miles from Perth, Australia.
Golden Globe Race Commander Abhilash Tomy, who was traced by an Indian Navy Reconnaissance aircraft, was rescued by French vessel Osiris on Monday, the Indian Navy announced. Tomy will now be picked up by Australian Naval ship HMAS Ballarat, which has left Perth to rescue him. INS Satpura will arrive at Tomy’s current location by Friday, the Navy added.
Tomy was dismasted and had suffered a back injury in extremely rough weather and sea condition, with wind speeds clocking at 130 kmph and waves rising 10 metre high, off Perth on Friday. The 39-year-old Indian Golden Globe Race skipper, who is serving as Indian Naval Officer, is in the southern Indian Ocean, approximately 1,900 nautical miles from Perth, Australia.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted, “Spoke to VCNS VAdm Ajit Kumar P, AVSM, VSM regarding the condition of injured navy officer @abhilashtomy. The Rescue Mission is being coordinated with the Australian Navy. The injured officer shall be picked up in the next 16 hrs by a French vessel Osiris.”
Read | Global Race Commander Abhilash Tomy likely safe; Indian Navy and Australia coordinating rescue
President Ram Nath Kovind not only expressed relief on the rescue operation of Abhilash Tomy but also, appreciated Australian and French efforts in the operation. He also wished the Commander speedy recovery.
Gregor McGuckin, who was closing in on Tomy, also asked for a 'CONTROLED EVACUATION' of himself. He was NOT in distress but felt it was the responsible option to take now that all rescue assets are close at hand.
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Golden Globe Race Commander Abhilash Tomy has been rescued in a conscious state and shifted to French fishing vessel Osiris.
Tomy’s ‘Thuriya’ is a replica of 1968 winner Robin Knox-Johnston’s 32-foot wooden sailboat. The only boats allowed in the competition are of traditional construction, with no modern, faster designs.
Commander Tomy’s boat Thuriya was dismasted in extremely rough weather and sea conditions, amidst wind speeds of 130 kmph and 10-metre-high waves. The Kirti Chakra awardee was in the third position in the race with 11 international participants, having sailed over 10,500 nautical miles in the last 84 days, since setting off from Les Sables-d’Olonne in France.
When interviewed last year, Tomy had particularly relished this aspect of the challenge, saying, “We won’t be allowed to use any new technology that has been developed since then. If it didn’t exist in 1968, we can’t use it. So that means no GPS, electronic watches, electronic compass, electronic meter. We are permitted to use LED lights, a few solar panels and wind generators.”
The GGR is being organised to celebrate 50 years since the 1968-69 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, to complete an unassisted, solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the world via the Great Capes. A key feature of the race is that circumnavigation is being attempted under the same conditions as the original 1968 around-the-world-yacht race.
On March 31, 2013, Tomy had become the first Indian to complete a solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world by boat, an around-the-world trip that began on November 1, 2012.
The commander’s friends have been in touch with another participant, Gregor McGuckin, an Ireland national whose yacht Biscay 36 Hanley Energy Endurance was also dismasted in the same storm. He is expected to reach Tomy in the next 10 hours, sources said Sunday evening.
The Indian Navy had dispatched the Indian Naval stealth frigate INS Satpura with Chetak helicopter and tanker INS Jyoti along with P-8i following the alert. The earliest that INS Satpura can arrive at the location would be Friday, the Navy spokesperson said.
The P-8i aircraft, which was launched from Port Louis in Mauritius, landed back after nine hours on Sunday having established visual contact with Thuriya, said a defence spokesperson. “Commander Tomy responded by ping on EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) as the aircraft was flying over him,” the spokesperson said.
Commander Abhilash Tomy sent distress messages from his vessel following the injury. The Australian Defence Force also joined the mission to rescue him. Tomy sent his first satellite text message on Saturday, saying, “ACTIVATED EPIRB. CANT WALK. MIGHT NEED STRETCHER”, GGR organisers said in a statement. A subsequent message read: “CAN MOVE TOES. FEEL NUMB. CAN’T EAT OR DRINK. TOUGH 2 REACH GRAB BAG”.