Kochi: Celebrity sailor Commander Abhilash Tomy, who was hailed for his bravery for surviving after being severely injured during the arduous Golden Globe navigation race in 2018, has retired from Indian Naval service.
Navy sources said he applied for premature retirement from service. He was posted in Goa. In 2019, President Ram Nath Kovind had conferred the Nao Sena Medal on Commander Tomy, who had participated in the Golden Globe navigation race in 2018, but was injured after his sailing vessel was battered by violent winds and waves in the high seas.
"I took the retirement as I reached the pensionable age. Besides, I will be able to focus more on the training for the 2022 Golden Globe Race", Tomy said. Tomy was stranded 3,200 km off the coast of Western Australia after his sailing vessel, INSV Thuriya, had its mast broken during a severe storm in the Indian Ocean. The injury had left him incapacitated on his bunk inside his boat, but he was rescued by a French fisheries patrol vessel. The Indian Navy had made all-out efforts to rescue the sailor and bring him back.
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