(BrightPress.org) – Tom Robinson, 24, attempted to become the youngest man ever to cross the Pacific Ocean using nothing but the power of his own arms. His dream was dashed, however, when his boat, the Maiwar, capsized 100 miles away from Vanuatu, an island chain off the coast of Australia, with an incredibly large wave to blame for the incident.
Robinson activated a distress beacon last Thursday, October 5th, indicating there was a severe problem. He was rescued by a cruise ship that found him naked sitting on his upside-down boat. Robinson reported that an unexpected large wave flooded his ship and flipped the boat over.
He suffered sunburn and dehydration but was thankfully rescued before either condition could become life-threatening. He had just left Vanuatu that Monday, with plans to land in Cairns, Australia, ending his 15-month cross-sea voyage. He had initially left Peru in July 2022.
He’d previously stated to the BBC that this last leg was the most difficult part of the journey, and it seems his prospective outlook was accurate.
Robinson and his family published their sincere gratitude to New Caledonian, Vanuatuan, and Australian authorities as well as the Pacific Explorer cruise ship for literally going out of its way to rescue him.
Robinson built the Maiwar starting in 2021 and it was a part of his dream to row across the Pacific, he’d originally conceived the trek as a 14-year-old. The boat had solar power for lights and emergency equipment, but there was no room for luxuries like music or autopilot.
An Australian sailor was rescued along with his dog after the two were adrift for 2 months in the Pacific. The pair were attempting to sail out of Mexico across the Pacific to French Polynesia when a storm disabled their vessel. They survived on rainwater and raw fish.
Robinson will fly home to Brisbane, Australia, from New Zealand after the cruise ship docks at its destination in Auckland.
Copyright 2023, BrightPress.org
