Tom’s Pacific Journey
By the time you read this I’ll be making my way west towards the setting sun, while watching the South American continent slowly sink behind Maiwar’s stern.
My time in Peru has been an adventure in itself, I will be sad to leave my newfound friends, however, trade winds and distant shores beckon. I’m filled with joy and excitement knowing that the real adventure has now begun.
Maiwar is fully loaded with enough food and water, spares and supplies to last me the five months I estimate it will take to reach French Polynesia. Her diminutive size means that for the first few weeks I’ll be sharing my bunk with a considerable portion of my onboard pantry, I’ll by eating my way into more comfortable accomodation. Otherwise, she is looking trim and proper, ready for some serious ocean miles; something I know we are both looking forward to.
For those wondering, the best way to follow me across the Pacific will be through the ‘tracker’ tab on my website. Here you will see an interactive satellite map with my location updated every 12 hours. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I will not be receiving general emails at sea, all submissions through the website will go back to my shore team. Thankfully, they will keep my blog updated with news from my adventures, so expect a few updates over the coming months.
I’d like to wholeheartedly thank each and every person who has contributed in some way to the position I now find myself in. From the sponsors to the donors to the supportive emails I receive from around the world, it’s heartwarming to know there are so many people out there who are following along and who have been so generous with their time, money and expertise.
So I hope you can, in some way, join me on this grand adventure; perhaps you are inspired, motivated or just happy to see a young person aiming high. Whatever the case, please do come along for the journey of a lifetime. I can’t wait to send you a postcard from Polynesia.
Tom Robinson
From Tom’s Shore Team in Brisbane,
Tom left La Punta at 11.30am local time on Saturday July 2nd to a large send off, serenaded by a Peruvian Navy brass band and accompanied by various pleasure craft and rowers. At 5pm Brisbane time on Thursday 7 July, Tom was approximately 130 nautical miles (240km) WNW of Lima. His average speed since leaving Lima is approximately 1 knot (2km per hour). Tom’s tracker is currently updating every hour which makes for a great insight into what he’s up to; when he’s probably sleeping, eating or racing with the wind.
