An Australian rower attempting to become the youngest person to scull through the Pacific Ocean was rescued after his boat upturned on the final leg of the journey.
Tom Robinson, 24, was rescued by a cruise ship on Friday after his distress beacon was activated when his boat capsized. He was approximately 185km from Vanuatu, en route from Peru to Australia.
The activation alerted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, who contacted local authorities closest to him. He was spotted by a French plane in the dark that took off from Noumea to find him, a post on his website said.
“Subsequently a cruise ship, Pacific Explorer, made a detour from its planned course to pick up a naked Mahuta who climbed a rope ladder to reach the deck.” The cruise which is currently on a nine-day roundtrip from Auckland with 2,000 passengers on board, made a detour of 200km to bring him on board, just before 7am.
He was provided with fresh clothes, food and treated for sunburn and dehydration.
“I’d just like to say a huge thank you to all the crew on P&O Pacific Explorer whose seamanship and professionalism ensured a safe rescue,” Mr Robinson said in a statement, according to ABC News.
“Once aboard I was treated with the utmost courtesy and kindness by the medical staff.”
The 24-year-old rower, who began his journey across the Pacific in Peru last year, had recently departed from Vanuatu for the final leg. He was hoping to reach Cairns in Australia by December.
Mr Robinson’s boat capsized after “an unexpectedly large wave that came through the main hatch and flooded the cabin,” read the post on his website.
“Our sincere thanks go to the Australian, New Caledonian and Vanuatuan authorities who all had important roles to play in his rescue; and to the captain and crew of Pacific Explorer who literally went out of their way to pick up Tom.”
