Injured lone sailor rescued 2,000 miles from land

A LONE round-the-world sailor left bed-bound and stranded 2,000 miles off the coast of Western Australia after a violent ocean storm has been rescued from his damaged yacht.

Authorities said the aid operation for Abhilash Tomy, an officer in the Indian Navy, will take several days and he will initially be transported about 60 miles to Ile Amsterdam, a tiny French island in the southern Indian Ocean which has a small hospital but no airport for a suitable aircraft.

He is likely to be taken to Perth by an Australian navy vessel due to arrive tomorrow.

Cdr Tomy, 39, was left with a serious back injury when the mast on his 36ft vessel Thuriya broke during a storm on Friday.

He was taking part in the 30,000mile Golden Globe race when his boat was hit by a vicious storm.

His satellite phone was broken but he was able to use a texting device to send a message to race organisers, saying: “Can’t walk. Might need stretcher … can move toes.” His call prompted an international rescue effort, including French, Australian and Indian vessels.

As his power supply dwindled, he was able to send further messages to assist searchers and to describe his condition.

Cdr Tomy, who was placed third in the race before the accident, reported pain and vomiting and feeling “cold” and “numb”.

“Lugged cans of ice tea. Having that. Vomitting continuingly. Chest burning,” he wrote in a text message.

A French fisheries patrol boat, the Orisis, was the first to reach Tomy. Its crew administered immediate first aid and removed Tomy on a stretcher.

Phil Gaden, from the Australian maritime authority, said of the area where the yacht was stranded: “It’s one of the most remote areas on the planet.”

“We believe that he’s very severely restricted in his ability to manoeuvre, his mobility is affected,” he added.

Authorities will separately rescue an Irish sailor whose yacht lost its mast. He was uninjured.

The solo race allows participants to use satellite communication but modern technology is otherwise barred. Seven boats have withdrawn since the race started in France on July 1. Eleven competitors remain in contention.