Tasman Sea Crossing Update: Shaun Carries On!

Yesterday I posted a story about Shaun Quincey, the New Zealander who is attempting to row solo across the Tasman Sea. At the time, we had heard that Shaun has activated his emergency rescue beacon following an especially rough night at sea that saw his little boat, the Tasman Trespasser II, roll over twice, causing equipment to be tossed overboard. Shaun was said to be safe, and mostly unharmed, inside the boats cabin, and he was waiting until dawn to determine the extent of his gear losses, and whether or not he could continue.

Today we have an update on his progress, with the word that he will indeed continue to attempt to row solo across the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, something only his father Colin has accomplished. It seems that after checking over his boat this morning, he discovered that he hadn't lost as much gear as he had feared. All of his emergency equipment is in good working order, and his communications gear is working fine too, which has given Shaun confidence in continuing the journey.

According to Shaun himself, the stormy night on the sea was extremely scary, as you can imagine. At one point, the boat capsized and was turned over for more than 20 minutes, with water rushing into the cabin. The 25-year old Kiwi was tethered to his boat however, and was never in danger of being swept away. He described the experience as "horrific", but he wants to continue on none the less.

Quincey set out from Australia on January 20th, and now has roughly 360 miles to go before he reaches the West Coast of New Zealand and the end of his journey. If everything goes according to schedule, in a few weeks time, he'll join his father as the only two men to successfully make a crossing of the Tasman in solo fashion and under their own power.

Rower Activates Emergency Rescue Beacon On The Tasman Sea

Long distance rower Shaun Quincey has been attempting to row across the wild and turbulent Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand for a little over a month now. The 25-year old was hoping to follow in his father's footsteps and become just the second person to successfully cross that body of water under his own power. But strong storms have been battering that area today, and earlier he activated his emergency rescue beacon, calling for help. At this time, it unknown whether or not he can continue the expedition, but he is said to be alive and well, huddled inside the cabin of his boat.

Back on January 20th, Shaun set out from Australia on his epic journey across the Tasman, a journey that his father Colin Quincey successfully made back in 1977. The elder Quincey remains the only person to complete that 1187 mile journey solo, but Shaun had hoped to duplicate the feat. He has been doing quite well in fact, and had recently passed the halfway point when the bad weather set in.

According to reports, Shaun's boat, the Tasman Trespasser II, was flipped over twice in the night, while the storms raged around him. His home team believes that he may have lost his oars, water ballasts, and possibly other gear as well. They have been in contact with the ocean rower however, and he is said to be safe inside the cabin, and waiting for morning to check out the condition of his boat and gear before deciding if he can continue or not.

Stay tuned for updates on this one. Any time the emergency beacon goes off, it's always a bit scary. It's good to know Shaun is alive and well, and lets keep our fingers crossed that he stays that way.