Abhilash Tomy with his parents | Photo: Mathrubhumi
Kochi: Commander (Rtd) Abhilash Tomy, who scripted history by becoming the only Indian and first Asian to complete the 2022 Golden Globe Race (GGR), a solo non-stop Yacht race around the world, is now back at the comfort of his home in Kandanad, Ernakulam.
“Despite being exhausted, I cannot sleep for more than one or two hours. It will take some more days for my sleep pattern to fall back to normal. When you reach back home after spending solitary days in the ocean, all you wish for is a good sleep,” said Tomy, sitting beside his mother.
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Tomy, who secured second place in the GGR, reached home after Thursday midnight. He did get a few hours sleep on Friday but later got busy with the felicitation programmes.
“While sailing through the waters, the only conversations are through satellite phones. On most days, I did not speak to anyone and simply floated on the waters. When you travel on the sea, without seeing the shore anywhere near, it’s a very different world,” an upbeat Tomy said.
Meanwhile, the champion sailor’s parents, VC Tomy and Valsamma, are delighted and proud of their son’s remarkable achievement. “When Abhilash returned after his first yacht race, then President Pranab Mukherjee was present to welcome him. He then told me that I was the proud father of a proud son,” recollected Tomy’s father.
After spending a few more days with his parents, Tomy will head to Goa, where his wife and children are waiting for him.
Abhilash Tomy, a retired naval officer, became the first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the world under sail in 2013. In 2018, he took part in the GGR as an invitee but failed to complete the journey after his boat got damaged in a storm, and he suffered a severe injury to his spine.
However, he returned to compete in the 2022 edition of the race and accomplished the feat with a second place finish.
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