KOCHI: Cdr Abhilash Tomy (retd), the first Indian to successfully finish the Golden Globe Race (GGR) 2022, was recently felicitated by Admiral R Hari Kumar, chief of the naval staff, at a special function in Goa in recognition of his historical achievement.
It was on April 29, 2023, that Cdr Abhilash made history by finishing second in GGR 22, also becoming the first Asian to finish the race, considered the holy grail in sailing. He sailed for 236 days, 14 hours and 46 minutes since his cast off on September 4, 2022, to return to Les Sables-d’Olonne, France, behind Kirsten Neuschafer of South Africa.
Sixteen entrants were to participate in GGR 22 and undertake the circumnavigation race with equipment and technology pre-dating 1968. Only three participants, including Cdr Abhilash, could finally finish the race, the others retiring midway owing to technical failures or accidents.
Cdr Abhilash, fondly called CAT, has recently taken over as mentor and coach to the two naval women officers preparing for a solo circumnavigation voyage as part of the the Navy’s ambitious Sagar Parikrama expedition.