DAY 83 UPDATE:

Australian rescue authorities lead multinational mission to rescue injured Indian GGR solo sailor from dismasted yacht deep in the South Indian Ocean
Media update 13:00 UTC 22.9.2018 Les Sables d’Olonne, France

Early today, Golden Globe Race HQ finally received a satellite text message from Abhilash Tomy, the injured Indian solo sailor dismasted in the South Indian Ocean some 1,900 miles SW of Perth, Australia on Friday. ACTIVATED EPIRB.CANT WALK.MIGHT NEED STRETCHER Position: 39′ 25.297 S 077′ 30.629 E at 22 Sep 02:28 UTC

From subsequent messages, rescue authorities in Australia and India now know that the 39 year old Naval Commander is safe onboard his disabled yacht Thuriya, but lying immobilised in his bunk. His latest message timed at 21:57 UTC READ: CAN MOVE TOES. FEEL NUMB. CAN’T EAT OR DRINK. TOUGH 2 REACH GRAB BAG

The MRCC in Canberra has subsequently picked up the yacht’s emergency signals and is now co-ordinating a multinational rescue mission.

An executive jet has been despatched from Perth, Western Australia to assess the situation and is expected to reach the area at around 02:30 UTC Sunday. The plane has sufficient fuel to remain on station for 3 hours, when her crew will assess the damage to the 36ft Indian yacht and attempt to make radio contact with Tomy. The aircraft will also overfly Gregor McGuckin’s Irish yacht Hanley Energy Endurance also dismasted during the same storm. McGuckin has since set up a jury rig and is attempting to motor sail the 90-mile distance to Tomy’s position.

The Australian authorities are also repositioning a search and rescue plane to Reunion Island to assist in the rescue mission together with the Anzac class frigate HMAS Ballerat which is preparing to leave Perth. She will take 4-5 days to reach the area but has a helicopter and full medical facilities onboard.

Much closer is the French fisheries patrol vessel Osiris, which expects to reach Thuriya some time Sunday PM UTC. She also has medical facilities onboard.

Independently, Indian authorities have despatched a military plane from Mauritius which could reach the area around 23:30 UTC today and also diverted the Indian Navy’s stealth frigate INS Satpura, and tanker INS Jyoti Mission from exercises off South Africa to assist in the rescue.

At 10:00 UTC today, Gregor McGuckin made a satellite phone call to Race HQ. The Irish yachtsman reported that he had utilised his spinnaker pole to rig a simple jury rig but found that the alloy tube was bending in heavy gusts. He is also having trouble with the engine, which keeps stopping. This may be caused by fuel contamination when the yacht was rolled and dismasted on Friday. He is also having to hand steer after his wind vane self-steering was smashed by the falling mast. Regardless, Gregor is making best time to Tomy under the circumstances and estimates that he could reach Thuriya’s position between 18:00 and 24:00 UTC on Sunday. Race organisers are providing him with regular range and bearing details.

Estonian GGR skipper Uku Randmaa, currently 400 miles west of the two distressed yachts will take 3 days to reach the area, and plans to assist Gregor.

Dutchman Mark Slats who is some 250 miles SW of the rescue area, has been excused from turning back to assist. He is still facing 40-knot winds and 15m seas and was washed overboard during one of several knockdowns early today, but saved by his safety tether. He reports that he has never seen conditions as bad. One wave crashed down on his boat Ophen Maverick, smashed through the companionway washboards and flooded the yacht’s electrics causing a small fire, which was quickly extinguished.

The rest of the GGR fleet have done well to make north to avoid a second viscous storm now approaching from the west, which should now pass south of them. There will still be big swells and strong winds, but nothing like the middle fleet experienced over the past 24 hours

Race organisers continue to work closely with The Australian Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre and are extremely grateful for the efforts being made by all involved.

The post GGR Day 83 Code Red Alert update appeared first on Golden Globe Race.

GGR UPDATE 05:30UTC. 22/9/18

The Australian Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre is working hard to asses and co-ordainate all possible options to Rescue Abhilas Tomy who is as far from help as you can possibly be.

Late last night we were excited to recieve the following messages from Tomy. Till then we had heard nothing but the first message and we were all very worried.

UNABLE 2 LEAVEBUNK.WILLTRY2CHECKPHONEANDMASTBYDAY Position: 39′ 26.323 S 077′ 29.848 E at 21 Sep 22:44 UTC

BACK IS EXTREMELY STIFF.DIFFICULT TO. EPIRB AND EXACT SITUATION Position: 39′ 26.298 S 077′ 29.862 E at 21 Sep 22:47 UTC

GGR received the following messages from TOMY at first light this morning:

“Activated EPIRB. Extremely difficult to walk, Might need stretcher, can’t walk, thanks safe inside the boat, Unable to reach 2nd YB3 or anything. Sat phone down.”

Tomy is incapacitated on his bunk inside the boat after being rolled and dismasted yesterday. He is using the portable Yellow Brick YB3 texting unit for messaging. Batteries on this unit may last days. His external YB3i tracking unit is still providing position data to the online GGR tracker but the power link to ships batteries is damaged so may go flat sometime. The hand held YB3 is a back up tracker also.

The primary sat phone is damaged. There is a second satphone and second YB3 texting unit in his Emergency GRAB BAG, but he cannot reach those units. He also has an AVIATION hand Held VHF radio in that bag. We have asked him to try to get that as there MAY BE? an aircraft flying down from Australia and later another Indian Air Force plane for a visual Over flight inspection. If these flights went ahead two way communication will be important. He is 2000 miles from Australia, so time for the aircraft on scene will be very short.

A French fisheries Vessel may be headed to the scene, but may not arrive for a few days. An Australian Navy vessel may be considered for assistance, but that may be 5 days or more away. Notice has been sent to any/all ships in the area to check if they can assist the Distress situation.

GGR Entrant UKU RANDMAA is 400 miles west and is heading to the area and will also meet with GREGOR who was also dismasted. He will take about three days to reach the site. On the sat phone today Gregor confirmed he is making repairs to his boat and hopes to be able to make way under power toward Tomy. His windvane was damaged when the mast fell down, so he must hand steer now. The Rudder is making strange noises but it seems OK. He is 100 miles to the South West of Tomy and it will take at least one day travelling IF the weather allows. He is not at this time sure when he may get underway.AT 0530 UTC we recieved the following message from GREGOR  ..JURY RIG SET.AIMING TO GET FURTHER NORTH

Mark Slats called the GGR office to confirm he is still in 15mtr seas and 40kts but it feels as if he is in a calm compared to what he went through. Conditions are now moderating. He was washed overboard at one point and flooded inside the boat when one wave smashed through his companionway door. He was Knocked down numerous times and has never seen conditions like it before. His HF radio is damaged and other electrical gear too. He is bruised and OK, but frustrated now that his position and the forecast winds do not make it possible for him to head toward Tomy, 230 miles to the west. GGR have advised him NOT to try, as it is too risky for him in strong headwinds.

GGR continue to work closely with The Australian Joint Rescue Co-ordination Center and is extremely grateful for the efforts being made by all involved.

It appears that the rest of the GGR fleet have done well to make NORTH over the past few days and the worst of the BIG storm approaching them may pass south below them. There will still be big swells and strong winds, but nothing like the middle fleet experienced over the past 24 hours.

The post GGR UPDATE AFTER STORM appeared first on Golden Globe Race.

DAY 82 UPDATE: CODE RED ALERT for Indian skipper Abhilash Tomy
MRCC Canberra lead rescue

Media update at 21:00 UTC

There has been no further communication with Abhilash Tomy, the 39-year old Indian Golden Globe Race skipper since his dramatic text message at 12:09 UTC today: ROLLED. DISMASTED. SEVERE BACK INJURY. CANNOT GET UP.

Race organisers are working closely with the Australian Rescue Co-ordination Center in Canberra, which has issued an all ships alert and is now co-ordinating rescue efforts led by Australian Defence Forces.

The Australians are also working with French Maritime Rescue Centre based on Reunion Island in the South Indian Ocean which is attempting to source a vessel that might assist, including a French Fisheries Protection ship thought to be in the area.

Commander Tomy is a serving Naval Flying Officer in the Indian Navy which has also been alerted and is standing by to assist in the rescue.

Don McIntyre, the Race Chairman based in Les Sables d’Olonne where the Golden Globe solo non-stop round the world Race began on July 1st, commented tonight: “We are very grateful to all these international organisations for mobilising their resources so quickly and for the lead role taken by MRCC in Canberra. 

The position of Tomy’s yacht Thuriya, a replica of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s yacht Suhail, winner of the first GGR 50 years ago, is some 1,900 miles south West of Perth, Western Australia at the extreme limit of immediate rescue range.

The fact that Abhilash has been unable to make contact via text or sat phone, nor set off his emergency beacon is unusual and suggests that he remains incapacitated. The only link is the tracking signal we are receiving from the yacht, but the batteries have a limited life.”

Other Golden Globe Race competitors have been alerted to the situation and offered to assist once this storm recedes. Gregor McGuckin, the subject of a CODE ORANGE alert himself following his yacht’s dismasting earlier today, is 100 miles SW of Tomy’s position, and has good communications onboard. He is reporting moderating conditions, and that all is ok and secure onboard his yacht Hanley Energy Endurance. The Irishman has also confirmed that the yacht’s engine remains operational following his 360° roll, and after he has made repairs, will inform Race HQ if and when he can head towards, Thuriya’s position.

Estonian skipper Uku Randmaa is another within range, some 450 miles to the west of Thuriya and is sailing at best speed towards her.

Dutchman Mark Slats currently 2nd overall sailing the Rustler 36 Ophen Maverick is still facing extreme conditions 230 miles to the South East of the Indian yacht, and having been knocked down several times during the day, is not in a safe position to turn back at this time.

The MRCC in Canberra will issue an update once they receive official confirmation of the air/sea rescue assets available.

Barry Pickthall
2018 Golden Globe Race Media Co-ordinator
PO Box 78, Hindhead, Surrey, GU27 9GA, England
www.goldengloberace.com Tel: +44 (0)7768 395719

The post Media update at 21:00 UTC appeared first on Golden Globe Race.

DAY 82 – BREAKING NEWS

CODE RED ALERT after GGR fleet hit by massive Southern Ocean storm
Abhilash Tomy and Gregor McGuckin rolled and dismasted
Mark Slats experiences two major knock-downs

Dateline 21.9.2018 – Les Sables d’Olonne, France
Solo sailors in the 2018 Golden Globe Race have been hit by a vicious storm mid way across the South Indian Ocean. The 70knot winds and 14m seas have left India’s Abhilash Tomy and Ireland’s Gregor McGuckin’s dismasted, and twice knocked down the yacht of 2nd placed Dutchman Mark Slats.

Both McGuchin and Slats report that they are OK, but 39-year old Tomy, a Commander in the Indian Navy making his second solo circumnavigation has been injured. A CODE RED ALERT was issued after Race HQ received his message at 12:09 UTC today: ROLLED. DISMASTED. SEVERE BACK INJURY. CANNOT GET UP

Maritime Rescue Authorities were also alerted:

Position: 39′ 38.420 S 077′ 22.565 E. Weather and sea is extreme
GGR Control has asked him to confirm if he can turn his sat phone on, if the mast is still alongside the boat and if he has tuned on his EPIRB?

awaiting response. WE have no further information at this time….

Have advised other entrants to make towards his position if possible.

The nearest yacht happens to be Gregor McGuchin‘s Biscay 36 Hanley Energy Endurance some 90 miles to the SW of Tomy‘s Thuriya, but she too was dismasted in the same storm and the Irishman is battened down waiting for the storm to recede. Gregor reported earlier that his yacht is a mess below, but providing his diesel supplies have not been contaminated, has sufficient fuel to motor towards Tomy‘s position if conditions allow.

McGuckin first alerted Race HQ at 05:40 today: ROUGH NIGHT. KNOCKED DOWN. MIZZEN MAST GONE. ALL ELSE GOOD. Then In a satellite call shortly before losing his main mast, the Irishman told Race HQ:
“Massive sea and wind from the SW. Now struggling to keep the boat facing downwind. We took a really bad knock when we lost the mizzen mast. It went off like a bomb and also hit the wind vane and the main backstay, I wanted to keep [the mizzen] but was forced to cut it free, Now sailing under bare poles and towing warps, and still making over 6kts. Getting knocked hard by waves. This sustained force 9 is incredible. The barometer dropped off the scale from 1015 in just a few hours.

There is no real water below since the hatch was shut but there is crap everywhere. My AIS went with the mast. I will need 36hrs to regroup and sort the boat properly in good weather after the blow.”

Then at 11:00 UTC McGuckin called the GGR Hotline to say: “Rolled and dismasted. Cut mast away…no hull damage…no water below…safety gear and sat comms secure…hatches and ports secure… towing warps.”

Don McIntyre, who took the call, says “Gregor has not asked for any assistance at this time. He plans to ride out the rest of the storm which is expected to recede around 19:00 UTC, then reassess his options. He now has only one spinnaker pole because the second one was carried away with the mast, so setting up a jury rig will be more challenging.”

Both Tomy and McGuckin are some 1,900 miles west of Cape Leeuwin, West Australia.

Danger remains even when the winds reduce. Dutchman Mark Slats in 2nd place, reported at 10:55 UTC: ‘WINDS DROPPED FROM 60KT TO 0 IN 15MIN. HORRIBLE SEA. 2 KNOCKDOWNS IN NO WIND’

There are concerns also for the tail-enders within the fleet now stretched 3,500 miles behind Race leader Jean-Luc Van Den Heede. A second storm has been building for several days and is forecast to overrun them within the next 24 hours, bringing the potential of 10-14m swells for 48 hours.

McIntyre adds “Race HQ has been advising the middle fleet to head south past two days and tail-enders to move north as fast as possible to minimise the impact of these two storms. The skippers succeeded in doing this but these weather systems still have an impact..

I and GGR team are living these storms with the entrants 24hrs a day. These are tough sailors; they are our family, and while we know they are well prepared to manage this, we also know the Southern Ocean is a powerful place.”

The only person unaffected by the storms is Jean-Luc Van Den Heede whose yacht Matmut is running towards the Cape Leeuwin longitude in a different weather system to the rest. This morning, the Frenchman reported: “QUIET SUNNY DAY. LUNCH ON THE TERRACE! WHAT A CHANGE!”

The post DAY 82 – BREAKING NEWS appeared first on Golden Globe Race.

SPACE RACE..WHAT’s it really like!

As an eight-year-old walking home from school, the anticipation of bursting through the front door to watch THE JETSONS cartoon on a Black & White TV was strong. A futuristic space age family with a DOG! 55 years on and that music still rings in my ears and most of those future gadgets are today Technology.

A few days ago, ELON MUSK went Live on Facebook to announce their Interplanetary SPACE X program with ZOZO Artistic tourists hitching a ride to Buzz the moon in 2022. I was spellbound. This is real. It is fun and exciting. It’s a test before heading to Mars or beyond! WOW! It is not just an idea it is on now! For 100 minutes I was glued to my seat. A classic ADVENTURE with dreams fueled by imagination and powered by passion, pushing through the everyday norm. Engineers ruled the day, but if it didn’t look cool and beautiful to ELON it didn’t cut it. Yes, his space ship had to look good too and it does! By the end ELON was my hero. I felt like an excited little school kid again! I am a dreamer and LOVE this stuff. It’s NOT a movie it’s inspiring Adventure at its best.

By the time 12 men had landed on the moon, only 11 solo circumnavigating sailors had made it around Cape Horn! Today only about 100 sailors have made it solo Non-stop around the Globe. Now we are headed to Mars!

During media Questions ELON told all involved it was a Risky mission. It was Dangerous and maybe they will not come back. He was then told BOEING had just announced that their JET ENGINE would be the first taking people to the moon and beyond. ELON lit up like an overpowered LED! Great! Bring it on! Competition is a good thing and Races are interesting. FLASH BACK 50 years!!

In 1968 nine sailors from different countries were about to set off on a risky mission. It was dangerous. No one knew if it was even possible, or if they would come back? Back then man had not set foot on the moon!

Today SPACE X and BOEING are racing away from the GLOBE and toward the moon. At the same time ten solo sailors deep in the Southern Ocean are racing toward Les Sables D’Olonne. They also volunteered to step back in time to 1968 as closely as possible. Think about that. Think about that tonight as you snuggle into clean sheets and a soft pillow to dream land. Think about that as your about to have a hot shower with waiting warm fluffy towel.

Our sailors are under pressure right now. They are facing a Southern Ocean challenge that will not go away for months. It is relentless, day after day, night after night, week after week. They cannot hide and they are in the way of constantly moving storms. They are at the bottom of the world, as alone as anyone can be and everything they do belongs to them. Yes they actually want to be there.

We are lucky voyeurs lost in the GGR tracker, their tweets, their weekly phone calls and opinions of others (including these) to imagine what it is like out there. But can we truly imagine what it’s like. I have been there before in 1990 and think I can. Yet I probably can’t. My boat was bigger with GPS and the BOC Challenge had stops. I know I think of them every night as I am trying to go to sleep and they wake me every morning. I am still trying to imagine what it is like for Susie, or UKU or Istvan and it goes on…I can see them and hear that wave charging down.

When I was listening to ELON’s presentation as any little kid would and honestly bursting with excitement imagining the world 50 years into the future, it sent me to 1968. YES back! I wondered how a 60-year old back then felt about nine solo sailors setting off into the unknown and around the world without stopping? Probably in AWE like me with SPACE X. They would be dead now. That is the one constant in our short lives and that is why some live theirs the way they do. GGR entrants grab life with enthusiasm as we all should.

The next 48 Hrs will see two amazing storms pass right over the GGR family. They know the’re coming. The’re as ready as they can be. They know these will not be the last and they know why they are there. These are NOT ordinary sailors. They are as brave and adventurous as any astronaut or sporting hero who has gone before.

I just received the following SATELLITE text messages as I am writing this.

ISTVAN… GOT KNOCKED DOWN – I AM OK PUMPEd OUT CABIN – RIG OK BUT NO WORKING PHONE or VHF ETC. – HOVE TO FOR THE TIME BEING-GOT FLOODED SSB and VHF GOT SHOT TOO PLS LET MY WIFE KNOW THAT I AM OK

I sent Text weather alerts to the fleet on the approaching storms. Shortly after UKU made an unscheduled safety phone call to confirm the latest position of the storm. An hour later, just now, he sent the following message.

IM SO LONELY HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

This Golden Globe is like going to the moon! THAT’S WHAT IT’S REALLY LIKE.

Don

The post SPACE RACE – WHAT’s it really like! appeared first on Golden Globe Race.