CHENNAI: The morning of April 15 saw the who’s who of the Indian Navy poring over reports of the wind pattern and weather system over the North Atlantic. They were plotting the position of Bayanat and its skipper, Commander (retd) Abhilash Tomy.
A former naval aviator, Abhilash is contesting the Golden Globe Race (GGR), considered one of the world’s toughest yacht races. In its final leg, just when he was gaining ground, Abhilash had made a manoeuvre that surprised many.
While his fellow competitor and race leader Kirsten Neuschäfer of South Africa navigated east towards their final stop at Les Sables d’Olonne (LSO) on the French coast, Abhilash continued to climb north. Various theories were floated, but they all had a common denominator: Abhilash knew what he was doing. “There have been numerous instances in the race where he demonstrated just how good a sailor he is. Abhilash always has a plan,” says Sandra Shipp, his team manager.
On April 17, Abhilash’s “risky” move paid rich dividends. Nearing the Azores islands, Bayanat had the wind on its stern and was picking up speed. “Boldness and panache were Abhilash’s signature this weekend,” read the race report on Monday.
On Wednesday, the 43-year-old had eked out a 25-nautical mile lead over Kristen for the first time in months. With less than 1,000 nautical miles to go, it promises a thrilling finale, uncommon for a yacht race. “This is an F1 race right in the middle of the ocean,” remarks Captain D K Sharma (retd), a former Navy spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the sheer brilliance of Abhilash’s manoeuvre is only sinking in. “He is one hell of a mariner,” says his friend Ramesh Menon. “Even after months of hardships on the sea, to have the sharpness of mind and the gut instinct to know where he must go to get the wind is simply stellar.”
Unlike other sailing competitions, GGR does not permit the use of modern navigational instruments. Only what was available to Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in the inaugural race of 1968. So, no GPS, electric autopilot, chart plotters, or electronic compasses. The sailors must rely on celestial navigation, the sextant, and the barometer.
The race
The nearly 30,000 nautical mile-long, solo, non-stop circumnavigation around the world is no easy task. Only a handful of people have done it. The GGR, however, is a different game altogether. It imposes further limitations on the sailor beyond what the elements unfailingly do.
“It is like going to outer space. You have to be 200% ready,” says Commander Vijay K Vadhera (retd), former skipper of INSV Samudra, which completed the Navy’s maiden round-the-world voyage in 1988. Instruments from 1968 mean that sailors have to manually adjust their boat’s course at regular intervals while also tending to a slew of tasks onboard. “
The two knockdowns that Bayanat endured early on in the race rendered its electrical system and the wind pilot useless. This means Abhilash has had to steer the boat on rough seas manually. So, not many winks. Besides, the fuel lines that powered his boat’s engine were fouled, the main sail tore, and the wind generators, the halyards, and the wind vane were damaged in a storm.
Amid all these, Abhilash’s resourcefulness and humour shone through. On one occasion, he tweeted: “I need a toilet door. Not used to such lack of privacy,” — a reference to how he had to chop up his toilet door to rebuild the damaged wind vane. “Though the other entrants are all fantastic sailors, not many were able to tackle the problems with such great ease,” notes Vice Admiral Rao.
Sailing: inherited, earned
The 2022 GGR was Abhilash’s second shot at the race. He participated in the 2018 edition, which marked the 50th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s voyage. However, the race didn’t go as intended.
On September 21, 2018, a little over two months into the race and when Abhilash was cruising in the third position, a storm, with winds reaching 70 knots and waves as high as 14 metres, battered his boat in the remote southern Indian Ocean. His boat Thuriya capsized, leaving the sailor with a debilitating back injury, immobilised and adrift, at the mercy of the fickle sea.
Abhilash’s rescue was one of the most dramatic moments in the race’s history. With titanium rods in his spine and five vertebrae fused into one, Abhilash “had to learn to walk again” following the 2018 injury. Yet, his eyes were set on the far horizon. When he announced his interest in competing again, the sailing community rejoiced.
Commander H S Rawat, the last commanding officer of INS Vikrant, who had followed the 2018 race closely, calls Abhilash’s return “a miracle” and adds Urmimala’s (Abhilash’s wife) backing is equally admirable. In the latest edition of the race, Abhilash seems to have set his course for victory, and Urmimala is his loudest cheerleader.