When Brisbane man Tom Robinson was 14, he woke up early for rowing training with a big idea lodged in his brain: He was going to row across the Pacific Ocean.
Key points:
- Tom Robinson, 22, has built his own boat to row solo across the Pacific Ocean
- He will start from Chile, and wind his way home to Brisbane
- Some of the biggest potential dangers will be coral atolls and reefs
By the time he'd put the oars down that morning, his plan was already in motion.
Fast forward to today and the now 22-year-old — who has completed his apprenticeship in marine craft construction — is putting the final touches on the rowboat in which he plans to make the epic voyage.
Mr Robinson hopes to become the youngest person to row across the Pacific Ocean, and will embark on the solo journey from Chile, in South America, to Brisbane.
"Ever since I was a kid, I've always loved rowing and I suppose I'm a bit of an adventurer," he told ABC Radio Brisbane.
His boat is named Maiwar, the Indigenous name for the Brisbane River.
Once completed, his rowboat will be shipped to Chile in October.
Mr Robinson plans to reunite with his vessel in January, before making his way to Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Tonga and, finally, home to Brisbane.
"That's the plan, but when you're in a rowing boat, you can't always end up at the island you wish to end up at," Mr Robinson said.
"When you're in a rowing boat, you really are at the mercy of the wind and the waves.
"The boat that I've built, it's going to weigh close to a tonne by the time it's finished.
"So trying to row that into any head seas is nigh on impossible."
While he has worked hard to ensure his planning was watertight, Mr Robinson doesn't expect it to be smooth sailing all the time.
"I've timed my trip to avoid the cyclone season in different parts of the Pacific where I'll be rowing," he said.
"Most of the journey, I'll be in the trade winds and they tend to offer fairly consistent weather patterns and relatively benign weather.
"But of course … you can get any sort of weather system at any point along the trip.
Rowing it alone
Over the years, Mr Robinson's commitment to the trip has been buoyed by reading stories of other solo adventurers — perhaps he was even inspired by the grit and determination of the legendary Robinson Crusoe who overcame many challenges.
While freeze-dried meals and non-perishable foods will make up much of Tom Robinson's diet while onboard, he said he expected reading to play a big role in sustaining him.
"That's going to be a tricky thing, to condense my library into a few favourites."
Mr Robinson plans to take his time and estimates the entire journey will take around nine months.
"The time at sea that I have spent alone has been nothing but enjoyable and I'm really looking forward to spending more time on my own at sea," he said.
"It's somewhat hard to explain. It's a sort of deep knowledge that it's all possible."
Meet Maiwar
Mr Robinson's boat design, particularly its hull, was based on the whaling ships of the 19th and 20th centuries, with a few modern upgrades.
"I took inspiration from those boats and drew up a set of plans for myself," he said.
"The way that this boat will be more modern in that it is compartmentalised into lots of different, watertight sections.
"So, if one section of the boat was to get holed — [an] unlikely event — then the boat would never sink.
"The boat will be full self-righting, so that, if it does capsize, it will right itself, which is a really important safety feature on a boat like this."
Mr Robinson said a lot of thought had gone into engineering the timber, ensuring the specific types, thickness and sizes were used in the right places.
In another nod to traditional methods, Mr Robinson said he planned to navigate much of his journey by the stars.
"To do that, you use a sextant, which is an age-old navigation instrument that was commonplace up until the '60s," Mr Robinson said.
Just to be safe, Mr Robinson will have a second, back-up GPS as well as a satellite phone.
"That whole process is quite enjoyable for me and I think I've built myself a very strong and light boat for the journey."