Indian Navy Commander Abhilash Tomy has been invited to be a part of the prestigious Golden Globe Race, as part of which he will sail around the world, single-handed and non-stop. He is the only officer to be chosen for the race from the whole of Asia.
According to the rules, no boat designs or technology newer than 1968 can be used for the same. Therefore, there can be no use of Global Positioning System (GPS), satellite communication and navigational aids.
The Golden Globe Race is being conducted by Sir Robin Knox Johnston of UK to commemorate 50 years since the world’s first solo non-stop circumnavigation undertaken by him in 1968 onboard the Indian built boat, Suhaili.
The Indian Navy Commander has covered 53,000 nautical miles under sail, including a solo non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in 2012-13 onboard Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Mhadei. He is also a recipient of the Kirti Chakra, Mac Gregor and Tenzing Norgay awards.
According to a press release by the Ministry of Defence, the indigenously built sailing vessel ‘Thuriya’ has been built by M/s Aquarius Shipyard Ltd at Goa. The boat showcases India’s boat building capability on the world forum and promotes the ‘Make in India’ initiative. Thuriya stands for pure consciousness and is the background that transcends the three common states of consciousness, namely waking consciousness, dreaming and dreamless sleep.
The race is expected to complete at Les Sables d’Olonne in April 2019. Progress of the race can be viewed on the official GGR website (http://www.goldengloberace.com)
