Creating record. Abhilash Tomy conquers the high seas with a titanium spine and a gritty heart

From near death and heartbreak to overcoming the toughest of odds to taste incredible success, Commander (Retired) Abhilash Tomy’s voyage over the high seas on a tiny sailboat is the stuff of edge-of-the-seat thrillers. On Saturday, he made India and the world proud by completing the grueling Golden Globe Race, described as the ‘Voyage of Madmen’, unassisted, solo, non-stop without using any modern navigation technology. Five years ago when Tomy was stranded in the middle of the stormy Indian Ocean in a broken boat, with a shattered spine and no GPS, as he attempted to circumnavigate the world in his boat, his chances of surviving were slim.