Le Sable Delon (France): Malayali sailor Abhilash Tomy has miraculously escaped the high tides and tempest in the Pacific Ocean as he competes in the Golden Globe yacht race.
Abhilash’s yacht ‘Bayanat’ was knocked down (slant up to 90 degrees) in the huge tides, twice, as he was nearing Cape Horn, the most dangerous area in the Pacific Ocean. Abhilash himself informed the organisers about it through the satellite phone.
He is currently in the second position in the race. South African sailor Kirsten Neuschafer’s yacht, which is in the first position now, also escaped without being affected much in the storm.
The race is a non-stop, solo yacht race around the globe, without using modern technology and with no other assistance. In the race, the sailors make use of facilities that were in use 50 years ago. Both the leading yachts are currently in a challenging zone. Abhilash had competed in the 2018 Golden Globe Race, but he could not complete the race then, as his yacht was damaged in an accident in the Indian Ocean.
‘I am sailing slowly to prevent damages to the yacht. There were tides as high as 8 metres. The boat was knocked down twice and the yacht went to the water at 90 degrees, almost touching the water,’ said Abhilash Tomy, speaking over the satellite phone.