#GGR2022 Poarta Cape Town a 5-a sosire – Abhilash Tomy (India)

43 thoughts on “#GGR2022 Poarta Cape Town a 5-a sosire – Abhilash Tomy (India)”

1. hope he can pull himself back together down south, don't give him too much of a hard time especially if you haven't sailed solo. previous vid he was talking about not eating and sleeping well.

2. I think he was having a bad day and might come to regret his attitude. Testosterone coming out…. might need a bit of sex. Sorry about that but it could be true, we are complicated creatures.

3. Attitude is everything! Good job Don.

4. Big dose of sour grapes there, hey!

5. Well done Abhilash!! Great to see Pat out there.

6. Sleep deprivation and exhaustion can do strange things to a person and I feel for him. The intent of the race is to recreate the original race when there was little to no information. The competitors knew this going in.

7. Wow what a cry baby. I like how he complains about not knowing where the other racers are located during the race but when Don offers to tell him the current standings he says he doesn’t want to know. It’s like he doesn’t understand the concept of trying to replicate the 1968 race.

8. Wow, Building on stereotypes, unfortunate.

9. I'm in favor of giving Abilash a little breathing room here. He's headed into the Southern Ocean now, where he dismasted in 2018 GGR in a bad storm around 78 degrees east (a storm that took out 2-3 boats), spent several days drifting and confined to bed with a broken back before getting rescued, had to have vertebrae fused and evidently had to learn how to walk again. He might be a little stressed right now.

10. Guys , he is sailing alone , he had a good head start but the detour to Cape Town slowed him down. May be sleep deprivation and depression. For viewers it’s entertainment but for skippers , its a distraction. Give him the space.

11. oh so sad to see such bitterness. almost calling his fellow racers cheats!! so unlike him

12. No selfie on that one!

13. He should remember, if you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything at all. I feel for his family and friends. They have to live with that for the next month or more. I was hoping to see that fun smile like at the last film drop. Either way I’m glad to see him even in poor spirits.

14. A sad and depressing moment but Don and crew handled it with compassion and professionalism. Perhaps Abhilash will heal during his sail to Hobart and find some peace. The sea can be a tonic for a troubled mind.

15. Abhilash came across badly, but it's psychologically tough alone at sea for so long. I hope things improve for him in the southern ocean.

16. I felt compelled to write a comment here. Abhilash was a contender in the first race in 2018. He had the only special built boat Suhaili. I don't buy that he did not understand the rules or objects to the gates, film drop etc. With all the work he had done to build the Suhaili replica, get dismasted , seriously injured and rescued by the Indian Navy in the Southern Ocean. Oh and a side note (He is an officer in the Indian Navy and for the race the Navy has allowed him time away to participate in the 2018 and the 2022 races). Abhilash knows what the GGR is and the rules probably better than any other contender. Something is wrong with him, maybe something at home. I suspect he talked to his wife threw the help of a ship. Or his mind is suffering after bouncing around in the South Atlantic high for days on end. I am a professional sailor with 20 years in submarines and 20 years as a merchant marine master of small tugs and boats. I will tell you from experience that when there is a personal problem at home and you are at sea and cannot do anything. And being a private mater, You have no one to talk to. All your heart wants to do is quit and go home. We all need to pray for him.

17. When Abilash sailed into the high, others turned south. I guess one could have figured it out by looking at the wind and the barometer. But of course this is hard to tell from a distance. To criticize the importance of media coverage is also strange, unless you can afford organizing a race as a pure hobby from the savings on your bank account.

    Anyway, we should acknowledge that it is easy to judge him sitting in an armchair at home. But sailing alone with a competitive mindset for many weeks and months is a different thing. So let’s be fair to Abilash and wish him the best for the remaining race!

18. So disappointed listening to his negative comments. If he doesn't like the conditions, rules etc he should go home.

19. I imagine Moitessier crying like Abhilash does. What a pity

20. I can imagine that it is very frustrating to sail 'in the blind' and experience calms while the leaders appear to be able to avoid these. All in all it is a combination of seamanship and luck. Alone, with none to evaluate your choices, your suspicions may grow and as soon as there is someone to talk with, it comes out… Don't blame him, if you compare his attitude with the sheer delight in 'being out there' that Kirsten showed, he is punished enough already. I hope he refinds his good mood passing the Indian Ocean.
    He complains about getting no weather info on the radio. I'am not familiar with the systems they have onboard, and what can be done with it, but I can imagine that a good practice on beforehand – so isolating yourself with that technology as your only source – is mandatory to perform well in this 'rally'.

21. It's a shame he is obviously upset. However, moist of his comments are 100% correct. The event is not "a race" and should not be called or marketed as that. It's structure cannot support reasonably fair competition. GGR2018 showed that already and these issues were not addressed for 2022.

    It could be an excellent event as a rally or challenge.

22. What doesn't make sense is he claims manufactured drama from the race organization. But he chose to vent this on a Livestream. Not a private call.

23. Very disapointed in his attitude. Nothing he complained about was a surprise. I'm embarrassed for his sponsors. I'm sure his opinion would have been completely different if he was in the lead. A huge part of of the GGR is knowing how to read weather systems, so don't come crying if you messed up or if you can't copy those ahead of you who did guess right. And finishing with "I hope you don't have to do as many rescues'" was just mean. Sad

24. Blimey how negative! And coming from someone who has already half done the race last time so clearly knows what it's all about.
    He is from what he said talking to the other boats and having a negative effect on them also, surely that has to be against some rules to disqualify him before he ruins this race.

25. I would have thought he would have understood the rules and requirements before he signed up! There is no point in blaming Don, it has nothing to do with Don. If Abhilash had perhaps gone further south he would have less difficulty. The other boats at the rear also have not gone far enough south.

26. Not everybody handles these challenges the same. But to complain about rules that you were well aware of beforehand, or worse, to accuse leaders of cheating, disappointed in Abhilash.

27. Tomy had a bad time last week, losing lots of time. He vented on the first person he met. Let's not judge him harshly. He's still showing courage to continue

28. Don and the team handled this interview very well. This is sailing like in the 1960s when the original race happened and no one complained that it was called a race then. I think he is suffering from loneliness and a bit of bad luck that saw him making little progress for a few days. This is all part of how the race is set up to begin with and nothing has changed. I hope Abhilash can come to terms with things and get himself sorted out. When looking back, I think he may feel a bit of regret about how he came across in this interview. Wishing him all the best going forward and a safe journey.

29. windpilot

30. Wow! Was that ever a surprise. Did the cheerful and happy Abhilash go through some metamorphosis in those 60 days at sea? Everything he complained about has been known to all for years…except the suggestion that there is cheating on getting weather. I thought Don handled it quite well by never loosing his cool. Most folks would have.

31. A childish Tommy. Sponsors need fans. Fans need footage. So stop throwing your toys. I could say many more things. In the begging he was my top three. Now please leave. Go back to the start and gather your modern instruments, now sail your own course. No one will care because no one will know. Don, I thought you where easy on him.

32. Wow what a change in tommy. Hope he’s ok. Pat looked really bad to

33. The Hobart gate interview will be interesting.

34. Bad show for Abhilash. It's not a modern race as he believes.
    His disappointment is obvious.

35. Abhilash appears to have become a little paranoid on his voyage south and it’s somewhat concerning that he is heading for into the roaring forties in a negative mindset. His performance at Cape Town does not bode well. Hopefully he will sort himself out in the next few days and start enjoying the GGR again.

36. Blaming everything and everyone. I wonder if his comments would be the same if he was ahead. Complains about drama and creates the drama. If he has problems with the rules he should not participate. Somehow even Cape Town is a problem for him. He has elevated his profile with this race and has been enjoying the benefits of its publicity. Luck plays a role in everything in life, and he is very lucky. His ego is in control. He thinks he is better than he is. Pat in contract has every reason to be upset with an equipment failure and was there to support Abhilash. He did not even say a word to Pat. Very rude, no consideration for his own followers and sponsors. He should just quit. If he needs technology he is no sailor

37. I love this sector of the GGR. Wondering who designed Abhilash Tomy boat?

38. Damn, this is a pitty. I actually liked Abhilash and rooted for him, especially after the Lanzarote gate.

    He came accross positive and up for the challenge, but after this interview in Cape Town it all fell away. I don't want to judge him as I am sure it is a serious mental challenge out there.

    Hats off to Don for handling the negative and bitter comments in such a professional manner.

    It's a pitty Pat is out as he was so positive and a pleasure to follow, same can not be said about Abhilash.

    I will not be rooting for Abhilash anymore but hope the Southern Ocean is kind to him considering his mental state.

39. As I said in 2018 everyone should get a daily grib file download the racing would be closer and more entertaining weather is everything . I know you are trying to replicate 1968 but you are not in every aspect, so just allow the grib. We all know what happened in 2018 lessons need to be learnt..

40. Geeze Abhilash…how embarrassing. You will surely regret this childish dummy spit. Putting down race organisers and your fellow competitors on live feed shows very poor character. Others in the comments here cut you slack because of the gruelling nature of the event, but you are not facing anything different than millions of other people who are living in hardship and life threatening situations. Except that many of these people have no choice. Well done Don for handling this so well.

41. Ironic, he's an Indian naval officer, on paid leave who's hit a ship in broad daylight before the race even started, failed in 2018 and is failing again, man up.

42. he may be having a bad day . From media reports, he had a hard time finding resources to sail and finally could find a sponsor only a month before the race even that is not 100%.. Think of spending on all your life savings on 2018 and 2022 races and losing it all . If there is any unfair advantage to anyone in terms of weather reports, ie pre arranged or by any means , then it has to be checked. If the land stations communicated back only with some contestants through HF radio and not with others, then it needs to checked or corrected. Then it is not just man/ woman and the sea scenario.From reading the excerpts from last race , it seemed that contestants communicated between themselves and stayed together as a group using allowed communication radio. May be this time, some might have not responded or acted differently. People are different in this age .I think the organizers should have allowed the contestants to sail on their course and should have went out to meet them in seas instead asking to come everyone to come to a common point. Tomy is a very experienced reconnaissance pilot and was a commander in a Navy with navigation experience so he is not a novice. Situations in sea could be way different with enormous challenges than from what we watch it from the shores . Robin Johnstons book tells it all. Lets give regards to all of the contestants. Hope they make it through mentally and physically through fine.

43. Franco English relations seem strained. Comme d ‘habitue.

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