Rescue of Abhilash Tomy: Know more about the Indian Navy sailor who was rescued from Australia

Originally from Alappuzha, Abhilash spent much of his childhood in Naval bases across the country since his father was in the Naval police. 

He has the distinction of being the first Indian and second Asian to complete a solo non-stop circumnavigation around the world on a boat that began on November 1, 2012 and ended on March 31, 2013.

He has received the Kirti Chakra and the Tenzig Norway National Adventure Award. He had also won the MacGregor medal, which is awarded to personnel from the Indian Armed Forces for extraordinary military reconnaissance.

The Golden Globe Race, involves solo circumnavigation of the globe in a yacht with no kind of modern technology. Tomy is the only Indian in the race that includes 11 participant.  He was in the third position in the race, having sailed over 10,500 nautical miles in the last 84 days. 

Tomy, 39, who was sailing his boat as part of the Golden Globe Race (GGR) - a solo sailboat race around the world -- drifted in the seas for three days before he was rescued by French fishing vessel Osiris, officials said. His boat was hit by a deadly storm, about 1,900 nautical miles from Perth, Australia, on Friday. The main mast of his boat Thoriya was ripped off by around 15-metre high waves, they said.