Man saved from capsized homemade wooden boat by cruise ship

06 October 2023 , 19:58

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Tom Robinson pictured in his homemade boat (Image: Instagram)

A man has been rescued by a cruise ship after his homemade boat capsized during his bid to cross the Pacific Ocean.

Tom Robinson, 24, from Brisbane, Australia, said his wooden boat flipped over when it was hit by an “unexpected” large wave. He was on the final leg of his journey to Cairns, in Australia, after setting off from Peru in July last year.

He was found naked on top of the boat by the P&O Pacific Explorer early on Friday and was helped aboard by crew. Local media said he was treated for sunburn and dehydration but was otherwise in good health.

Tom had previously said how for him the final part of the trip was going to be “make or break leg” and he got into difficulties on Thursday evening about 100 nautical miles south of the South Pacific island of Vanuatu.He had had left Luganville on the island last Monday.

Tom was aiming to cross the Pacific (Instagram)

He was able to activate a distress beacon before the seven metre boat called Maiwar overturned. The call was picked up by the New Caledonia Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre, and a French plane spotted Tom standing on the top of the capsized boat. It led to the Pacific Explorer taking a detour of about 200 kilometres and Tom was rescued about 13 hours after he set off the distress call.

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He was rescued from on top his capsized boat (Instagram)

His blog read: "He was being checked in the sick bay, and sounded well after a precarious night. Tom explained that his demise was caused by an unexpectedly large wave that came through the main hatch and flooded the cabin. 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."

He began his journey in July last year (Instagram)

He is now travelling on the cruise liner to Auckland where the consulate has arranged for a flight home for him next week. “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,” Tom said in a statement. “Once aboard I was treated with the utmost courtesy and kindness by the medical staff. Many, many thanks to P&O for everything they have done for me.”

Tim Hanlon