- Tom Robinson, 24, wanted to be the youngest person to row across the Pacific Ocean, the BBC reported.
- Robinson began his journey in Peru last July. He hoped to reach Australia by December.
Tom Robinson, 24, attempted to become the youngest person to row across the Pacific Ocean, but his dream was unfortunately deferred.
On Thursday, during the last leg of his 15-month journey across the globe, the BBC reported that Robinson was rescued by a cruise ship after his boat capsized.
According to Robinson's website, his distress beacon was triggered on Thursday, alerting his dad that something was wrong. The update on his site says the incident was caused by an "unexpectedly large wave" that crashed through the ship's main hatch and flooded the cabin.
On early Friday morning, a P&O cruise ship, the Pacific Explorer, came to pick up Robinson, who was waiting, naked, atop his vessel. Robinson was found 100 miles off the coast of Vanuatu, a country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, his website says. According to the BBC, he was treated for sunburn and dehydration but is otherwise healthy.
Robinson did not respond to a request for comment made outside regular working hours.
Robinson left Vanuatu on Monday and aimed to arrive in Cairns, Australia, by December. It was the final portion of a voyage that lasted 15 months — Robinson started his journey in July 2022 when he departed Peru.
The 24-year-old told ABC Australia that the final stretch between Vanuatu and Australia would be the "make-or-break leg."
"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," a post on Robinson's website reads.
According to his website, Robinson began building his ship in 2021, the first step toward his dream since age 14: to become the youngest person to row across the Pacific Ocean.
The boat, Maiwar, used solar power to power the lights but didn't have luxuries like autopilot or music.
Earlier this year, an Australian sailor and his dog survived two months in the Pacific Ocean before being rescued by a tuna trawler. Tim Shaddock and his dog, Bella, were sailing from Mexico to French Polynesia — a route similar to Robinson's — when they got caught in a storm that left them stranded.
The pair drank rainwater and ate raw fish to survive, Australian outlet 9News reported.
Shaddock wanted to keep traveling even after being stranded at sea and decided to give Bella up for adoption. One of the crewmembers who saved them, Genaro Rosales, adopted the dog.