Abhilash Tomy makes history on the high seas

Retired Indian Navy officer places second in Solo Around the World yacht race

Commander Abhilash Tomy, a retired Naval officer, has become the first Indian to complete the prestigious Golden Globe Race.

He finished second in the solo around-the-world sailing race, which started on September 4, 2022 from Les Sables-d'Olonne in France.

"#GGR2022 2nd Arrival Abhilash Tomy (43) / India / Rustler 36 - "BAYANAT", finished his 2nd solo around the world," read the announcement on the official page of the race.

The 44-year-old Tomy is the first Indian and Asian to complete the Golden Globe race.

His Bayanat reached the French coast on Saturday at 10.30 IST, after sailing for 236 days.

South Africa's 40-year-old sailor Kirsten Neuschafer was first.

In 2018, Tomy was left incapacitated in a sail boat after it was hit by a massive storm in the choppy waters of the Indian Ocean, but even the rough seas could not drown his will to survive against the odds.

Tomy, 39 then, the 'only Asian' to participate in the prestigious Golden Globe Race 2018 -- a 30,000-mile solo circumnavigation of the globe -- that kicked off from Les Sables-d'Olonne, a seaside town in France in July, was rescued from his location late September by French vessel 'Osiris'.