Australian adventurer rescued by cruise ship after handmade boat capsizes

AUSTRALIA: In a daring attempt to become the youngest person to traverse the Pacific Ocean in a handmade boat, Tom Robinson, 24, from Brisbane, Australia, faced a dramatic rescue by a P&O cruise ship after his vessel, ‘Maiwar,’ capsized.

According to Sky News, Robinson initiated his ambitious 8,000-mile journey from the coast of Peru in July last year, with a planned arrival in Cairns by December.

However, on Thursday, an “unexpectedly large wave” inundated the cabin through the main hatch, prompting him to activate his distress alarm in the waters off the Pacific islands of Vanuatu.

Responding to the distress call, a French plane departed from Noumea in New Caledonia and successfully located Robinson approximately 100 nautical miles southwest of Luganville, Vanuatu. The plane identified him standing atop the overturned hull of ‘Maiwar’ in the dark.

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Subsequently, the Pacific Explorer, a P&O cruise ship, altered its course to rescue Robinson. Upon reaching him, they found the adventurer naked on the upside-down vessel, having climbed a rope ladder to safety.

Robinson received medical treatment aboard the cruise ship and, reassuringly, sounded well during a phone call to his family conducted 13 hours after the rescue.

The official statement on his website expressed gratitude to Australian, New Caledonian, and Vanuatuan authorities for their crucial roles in the rescue operation. Special acknowledgment was given to the captain and crew of the Pacific Explorer for their extraordinary efforts in deviating from their planned course to save Robinson.