Abhilash Tomy: Rescued Indian sailor speaks of ocean ordeal
- Published
He is currently being treated at a hospital on an island in the Indian Ocean
Indian solo yachtsman Abhilash Tomy who was rescued from the middle of the Indian Ocean on Monday has said that he survived because of his "sailing skills" and "naval training".
Mr Tomy was stranded 3,200km (2,000 miles) off the coast of Western Australia after his boat was badly damaged during a storm on 21 September.
He is reportedly undergoing treatment at a medical facility.
The Indian Navy tweeted on behalf of Mr Tomy on Wednesday.
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"He rates his health as three on 10 as of now," navy spokesperson Captain D K Sharma told the Hindustan Times newspaper.
He is currently being treated on Amsterdam Island, a French territory in the area where he got into trouble. It's home to temporary workers at a volcanic research facility and has a hospital. After treatment for back injuries, he is expected to be transferred to an Australian naval ship.
Mr Tomy was participating in the Golden Globe round-the-world race. After his satellite phone was broken, he used a texting unit to communicate with the race organisers. He was able to send a message saying he had a severe back injury and was immobilised.
Rescue teams from various nations, including India, had raced towards him, but the French fishing vessel Osiris reached him first. A doctor and a stretcher were on board the vessel.
Abhilash Tomy has already sailed round the world once in 2013
Mr Tomy's boat, the Thuriya, is a replica of Robin Knox-Johnston's Suhaili, winner of the first Golden Globe Race in 1968.
Friday's storm, which damaged the vessel, whipped up 70-knot winds and 14-metre (45ft) waves, and also knocked down the yacht of another competitor, Dutchman Mark Slats, twice.
Fortunately for Mr Tomy, the 14m (46ft) waves and winds of up to 70 knots subsided before the French boat arrived.
Loneliness is part of being a long-distance yachtsman, but the spot where he was stranded was not the most isolated in the world's oceans, in terms of distance from any land.
- Published24 September 2018
- Published25 September 2018
