'Planet is changing,' cautions circumnavigator Abhilash Tomy

He is in essence a voyager and seeker of human learning. As former commander Abhilash Tomy sailed the seven seas, circumnavigating the earth, placing second in the world’s toughest race, the Golden Globe Race 2022, there is a whole world at stake. Not only individually, a courageous show of resilience and fortitude that persevered, or his sailing prowess for a 2023 GGR race using 1968 technology at a time where the chasm between the sailor and the boat is widening. Braving the storms, incessant damage to the boat, his body, lack of water, worm-infested food, it is the world’s health is of prime focus. Tomy dedicatedly, collected 10 ml water samples daily, for 236 days, bottling it for biological markers, that will tell on the health of the earth. What shocked him was the devastation wreaked on the seas. “I saw a lot of plastic, big chunks floating in places where none was supposed to exist,” says former Navy commander Abhilash Tomy, adding, “The samples have gone to my sponsors Bayanat, who will test the waters of our oceans for 30 markers, one being the presence of micro plastics,” says the victorious seaworn sailor who has created maritime, Navy, Indian and Asian history by completing the Golden Globe Race in second place. Now, it’s our earth’s future that is troubling. Even as the celebration of his tenacious human spirit has brought kudos from all, Abhilash is thankful that Bayanat, with its geo spatial artificial intelligence, digital twins, and surveys, is working towards a better planet. “Their ship Ocean Explorer, and parent organisation G42 have been doing some ground-breaking research,” says Tomy, who is saddened at the depth of carnage to the seas. Cautioning the world, Tomy warns, “The planet is changing. After sailing for decades, the changes I have seen in our seas are scary. I saw flying fish 40 degree south, and they don’t venture so far – they stay at 20-22 degree as 40 degree is very cold water. Spotting flying fish there signifies that the water has become very warm.” The prolific sailor was badly sunburnt at that particular point, which, “is historically windy and stormy. I was under such bright sun, my skin started peeling off my face. The high pressure and low pressure systems have become more intense.” A foreboding indicator of global warming. What a failed 2018 attempt taught Tomy While the lessons sailing through the ravages of nature have been infinite, Abhilash keeps adding to his cauldron. From his favourite book, 100 Years of Solitude, which he reads at least once a year, each drew him towards the esoteric nature of being. Braving a 2018 GGR failed attempt where his boat demasted, and he was stuck precariously propped on the mast, Tomy fell close to 30 feet, had four spinal fractures. Help came in the form of a French fishing boat, he was airlifted to an Indian ship that brought him home. Titanium rods fixed by an able team, Tomy recouped, shifted to Goa, bid farewell to the Navy, to prepare for the 2022 GGR. Called the voyage of mad men for a reason, his resolve has been laudable. 30,000 nautical miles in 236 days Fair winds and following seas, Tomy’s charted path on his 236 day voyage involved immense strategy and tactics, first based on the historic weather patterns, and second based on actual weather. And it was pretty close. The voyage, divided into different sections, each taking its pound of flesh - from the start Les Sables d’Olonne France to Lanzerote island, then to the Equator. Third leg - Equator to Cape Town, and then to Tasmania. From there to Cape Horn, then to the Equator and finally from to the finish. “You take into account historical weather patterns, high pressure areas, normal pressure areas, all of which can be disturbed by a cyclone. The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) or the doldrums are at a particular place, but could be off by so many 100 miles so you make decisions based on that. On the return, I faced many problems – and spent time fixing. I had to climb the mast, and spend half a day on it. The movement of the mast is less, so I’d put the boat on a particular course. I was not racing tactically, but trying to repair. In that bargain I might miss a window of opportunity to go a particular direction. The last two legs were governed by the damages,” explains the sailor. Deep insight as a sailor and administrator From his first solo sea voyage years in 2012-2013, where he sailed around the world without stops in a 56-foot sailboat, clocking 151 days, to the GGR 2023, Tomy understands the sports and administration parts of sailing and now wants to work towards the development of sailing. Leaving the navy was a tough call, which Abhilash felt was necessary as he had “plateaued.” “I did everything I wanted to do in the Navy. I wanted to fly, I did that. I wanted to sail I did. I had fantastic and phenomenal support from all my Navy bosses, and felt I had reached a point where I was preventing others from sailing, and you don’t want to get stagnated,” says the philosopher sailor whose post passing the doldrums was a call to mindfulness, “Slow down! Sometimes being present where you are, is more important than keeping up with the illusion of urgency. Having entered the  #doldrums and being slowed down was probably one such lesson. Faster isn’t always possible. More isn’t always greater. Progress isn’t always visible. Direction is sometimes more important than speed. It’s okay to slow down, Re think. Reassess. Re-evaluate.” The daily rigours on a solo unassisted voyage Mechanics, tactics, repair, planning, strategy, yet most of it was about motivation, and rekindling faith. Tomy had his daily chores chalked out – “eat at least two meals. Celestial observations, fixing the course - at a specific time. Achieving at least five to six hours of sleep. From trimming the sales, adjusting a direction, repairs, etc. On a calm sea day – it would have been welcome to catch up on sleep but technically, you do repair work and pending tasks on calms days, so you land up getting less sleep. The wind pilot is more effective when its windy, when the wind is light, one ends up steering the boat so sometimes I’d go down to one or two hours of sleep a day too,” grimaces Tomy, thankful to the navy for his training. Spectacular sights ahoy! Predictably, Tomy’s encyclopaedia of spectacular sights is a treasure trove. “The most breathtaking was when I left Cape Town, heading down south. I saw the full moon rise behind the Table Mountain, and you could see its silhouette against the huge moon. It was surreal, beautiful. And no, I have not taken pictures so don’t ask!” grins the sailor who had many cameras onboard. Once on a whim, he rigged a go-pro under his boat while passing a huge tract of sargassum weed, “I just recorded it blindly, and what I saw amazed me, there were hundreds of colourful fish swimming under the boat.” Back home, to rehabilitate An emotional reunion with his wife Urmi, and his two sons, the younger one was plain happy that, “papa is home.” While he welcomes the attention and interactions, the Kerala lad now aches for the din to abate. Admitting to being asocial, “After some time, I need to go back to my own space, to reenergise. Am happy to share my experiences. Yet, there is a point after which I need to be on my own,” says Tomy, grinning wryly when asked about the huge costs behind such a race (Rs 2). Having borrowed money from many to repair his boat before the race even started, he is thankful, “they are not asking for it yet.” Job offers are aplenty, yet Tomy, who lost 25 kg during the voyage (he went from 90 kg to 75 kg), has a long road to recovery. “A body takes at least a year to recover after a year at sea – the salt, sun, preservative-ridden food. For it to get out of my system takes time. The lack of water stressed my muscles and kidneys, a lot of micro nutrients have been depleted. I need to replenish them. Have to address muscle entrophy, build strength and balance back – it’ll take about a year, for regular sleep pattens to settle and to be able to walk properly with 100 per cent balance,” says the resolute circumnavigator who was introverted, impractical and “a text book case of being a nerd” as a child. Carrying a wealth of experience, good wishes and philosophy of his own As a boy, Abhilash always had a book at hand – Be it Martin Gardeners Mathematical Circus, or Chekov, Tolstoy, Toynbee and Nehru. “I was reading these authors before I was in 10th standard,” chirps the Kirti Chakra 2013 awardee, and the Nau Sena Medalist 2019. Thus, Bayanat had Tomy’s own little library onboard comprising of Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens, I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj, 1984 by George Orwell, Count of Monte Christo. Yet, these were the talismans and good luck mementoes that he had a special place for. “A lot of people gave me a things to carry, a cross from Jerusalem, a Ganesha, a Lakhmi, and (he grins) a few bottles of wine. No, I didn’t drink it. I offered it to the Capes when I rounded them – it’s not a sailor thing, it’s a ritual I do. I realise that if I don’t offer something, the Capes tend to take something away,” he says, of a race that has seen only few finish, and many heartbreaks and lives lost. The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awardee 2013’s steely resolve and stupendous self-belief and mental strength have taken him through tumultuous, bone-breaking and mind-numbing challenges that even better men have succumbed to. Yet Tomy keeps raising the bar, and imbibing profound lessons. “Most of the world we experience is a hallucination - all of humanity puts faith in things that don’t exist, which gives it meaning which actually doesn’t exist. Life is actually easy compared to being at sea, I don’t know why people keep complaining,” he mulls. Yet climate change continues to be his clarion call. “We understand only five percent of the seas –we don’t realise that a small change in the seas can have a damaging effect on land – it is one of the biggest producers of oxygen, not just the rain forest. We’ve been indiscriminately killing wildlife by overfishing, throwing plastic everywhere, if the sea decided to teach us humans a lesson, it will be a very serious lesson,” says the irascibly-straight shooter sailor whose Navy mates fondly called him batheesi (32 teeth grin). Ask him why, and he reveals, “I used to keep laughing even if I land in trouble. Or I’ll laugh off punishments too. And people could see all my 32 teeth.” During the worst of storms, injured, in pain, dazed, and with nary a strength left, he showed his batheesi. That is his life lesson, surely. The author is a senior journalist. Views expressed are personal. Read all the  Latest News****,  Trending News****,  Cricket News****,  Bollywood News****,  India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook****,  Twitter and  Instagram****.