Adventure Magazine

Tom entering Penrhyn/Tongareva lagoon after 160 days at sea
Finishing touches
Tom anchored in Pago Pago Harbour, America Samoa; 11 months after departing Peru.
I thought warm thoughts, imagined a
bonfire on Maiwar’s bottom, and relished
the few times I was able to urinate on
myself. But mostly I kept my mind active to
distract my senses from the hardship that
surrounded me; really no different from
what I had been doing for the past year.
And then, before I knew it, a faint blue
appeared in the east. I couldn’t believe
it. Already, the night was over, and soon
enough, the sun would rise and warm my
body, the day would begin, and my lot
would improve. The longest night of my
life had been shorter than I had expected.
About an hour later, just as the sun
began to rise above the eastern
horizon, a black silhouette appeared
on the horizon. A Ship!. I cried out for
joy; safety was coming, and it was all
going to be alright. The giant Auckland
based cruise ship the Pacific Explorer,
responded to my call for help. The cruise
operator Carnival Australia diverted
the cruise liner north of its course from
New Caledonia to Vanuatu, and I was
rescued just before 7am.
Even after being rescued, the
strangeness of the whole situation has
not yet left me. The lens through which
I view the world is still slightly refracted,
but one thing has become very clear
indeed: It was all worth it, every last
minute, and to lament even a single
moment would be an equally fateful error.
Of the handful of people I have seen
since my return, they seem to meet me
with a melancholic smile, the corners of
their mouths turn down and their eyes
say sympathy very softly.
Sympathy! Sympathy? Sympathy be
damned! I made a mistake and I paid
the price. So what if the ending was not
how I expected?
When I departed Peru 14 months
ago perhaps it was not clear, even to
myself, why I was rowing across the
Pacific, but since then it has become
well and truly clear. It wasn’t about the
final destination; fame and glory can go
the way of sympathy. They can all be
damned.
I went out into the Pacific chasing
adventure, proper old-fashioned seatof-the-pants
adventure. I went out into
the Pacific to test myself, to challenge
myself, to come face to face with the
raw elements of man and nature; to
learn what I could endure, how strong I
was, how far mother nature could push
me – where the limit lay.
I went out into the Pacific to explore,
to taste a different way of life, to live
purposefully, traditionally and above all,
happily.
Success can be measured any way you
like, indeed it’s one of the true beauties
of life. Make it what you will, but above
all, take away from it what you will.
Before this journey of mine began I had
no idea just how adventurous it would
be, just how fulfilling, how beautiful, how
hard, how torturous and how exciting it
would all be.
Real adventure is not a thing of the past,
I discovered for myself that it’s still out
there, alive and well, the ripe fruit are
there for the picking.
So do not lament for what could have
been, for what went wrong and for what
was expected. Do not frown. Please,
rejoice with me.
If there is one thing I have heard over
and over again, it’s that those of you at
home have enjoyed living this adventure
vicariously through me, perhaps a rare
chance to follow me through the far
reaches of the earth and mind, where few
ever go. And now, I look back on what
has been, on every moment of despair
and joy, and everything in between, and
I cannot help but smile. I’m back home,
an immense weight has been lifted off
my shoulders, a weight I have carried for
many years, and I cannot help but rejoice.
Rejoice for what has been and for what is
yet to come in life.
In a short note I must, of course, thank
the thousands of people around the
world who have supported me
" BEFORE THIS
JOURNEY OF MINE
BEGAN I HAD NO
IDEA JUST HOW
ADVENTUROUS IT
WOULD BE, JUST
HOW FULFILLING,
HOW BEAUTIFUL,
HOW HARD, HOW
TORTUROUS AND
HOW EXCITING IT
WOULD ALL BE. "
on this journey. It is only through the
kindness, generosity and love of so
many individuals that my adventure was
successful.
I cannot thank enough my family who
supported me tirelessly from the very
beginning, and who had a bit of a scare
last week. .I would also like to apologise
to the passengers whose holiday was
interrupted by my situation.
To the Australian Maritime Safety
Authority, MRCC Noumea and all the staff
of P&O Pacific Explorer, without your help
I simply would not be writing this.
After returning for an expedition to
Papua New Guinea Tom Mahuta
Robinson is now back in Brisbane,
writing a book about his journey.
Follow Tom:
Instagram: tom_mahuta_robinson
Facebook: Tom Mahuta Robinson
Website: tomrobinsonboats.com
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