Stranded Indian sailor Abhilash Tomy saved by French vessel 'Osiris' in a dramatic rescue

Tomy's 32-feet long sailboat Thuriya first braved the wrath of the sea and gusty winds, leading to at least one toppling. The sailor may have been inside when the toppling happened, injuring his back.

India's Abhilash Tomy gestures on his boat "Thuriya" as he sets sails from Les Sables d'Olonne Harbour on July 1, 2018, at the start of the solo around-the-world "Golden Globe Race" ocean race in which sailors compete without high technology aides such as GPS or computers. / AFP PHOTO / Damien MEYER

New Delhi: After four days of a tensed rescue operation involving four nations, Indian sailor Navy Commander Abhilash Tomy was found and dramatically rescued. The Indian Navy Commander who was on a solo circumnavigation race, was struck by a storm which ravaged his boat, cracking both masts with him getting a severe back injury. As per reports, Tomy had set sail in the Golden Globe Race 2018, which requires sailor to solo circumnavigate the globe. After his boat was struck down, the 39-year-old sailor sent out distress messages from his vessel on Saturday after which the Indian Navy along with Australian defence forces set about in the mission to rescue to him. Traced by the Indian Navy Reconnaissance aircraft, Tomy was rescued by French vessel Osiris on Monday. As per the Egyptian mythology, Osiris is referred to as the God of Life, and fittingly the French vessel gav the Indian sailor a new lease of life. Tomy’s mentor an race manager retired commander Dilip Donde said Tomy's 32-feet long sailboat Thuriya first braved the wrath of the sea and gusty winds, leading to at least one toppling. The sailor may have been inside when the toppling happened, injuring his back. "While the vessel stabilised after the toppling, the solo occupant was far from normal. The injuries made him immobile and request for evacuation through a satellite-based communication gadget," he said. For the next three days, Tomy drifted in the boat in the vast Indian Ocean, sans any help. The only contact with the outside world was through sporadic text messages through satellite and a GPS transmitter which gave his location to a race control room in France. Organisers of the Golden Globe Race (GGR) contacted the Australian rescue authorities, who found out about Osiris' presence in the vicinity. It reached Thuriya two days later and rescued Tomy, in an act befitting the credentials of mythological figure. (With inputs from PTI)