From a young age, Tom Robinson’s passion for navigation and the sea became evident. The house where he grew up was on the banks of the Brisbane River in Queensland, and as soon as he could, his father built him a small wooden boat so he could explore the river at his leisure. What started as a hobby soon became an obsession for young Tom, who rowed to school every day and spent every moment he could either rowing or reading about adventurous people who inspired him and fuelled his greatest dreams. “That’s how one day, I woke up and decided I was going to build my boat and row across the entire Pacific.” That day marked the beginning of his adventure: to become the youngest person to row across the Pacific Ocean, a dream that would accompany him for the next eight years of his life.

In July 2022, Tom embarked on his journey from the port of Callao in Lima aboard Maiwar, his seven-meter-long rowing boat that he designed and built himself. However, the young Australian’s odyssey began long before he set foot on the sea. He faced bureaucratic obstacles, and other setbacks prolonged his stay in Lima, allowing him to immerse himself in the city as a local and enjoy its various facets. “I fondly remember the assistance from the Australian Embassy, delegates from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Yacht Club of Peru in Callao; they supported me a lot during my stay,” Tom shares with a smile. The Yacht Club served as his home and base camp while Tom prepared the boat for the journey through the world’s largest expanse of open ocean.

The young rower successfully completed the first leg by reaching Tongareva Island in the Cook Islands five months after departing from the port of Callao in Lima, Peru. And so, he stopped from island to island, some with fewer than 200 people. “I am infinitely grateful to the people I met during my journey; I know I now have friends I can return to. During this time, I was able to witness and experience a lifestyle completely different from what I was used to. It was incredible. But, in addition, I felt an enormous responsibility. Wherever I went, I was representing my country, Australia, and I tried to do it in the best possible way.”

When he was close to his destination, Brisbane, his boat capsized completely, leaving him stranded in open water. After what felt like the longest night of his life, he was rescued by a cruise ship in Vanuatu. And if you’re wondering what happened to his handmade wooden boat and faithful companion on this adventure, Tom has not ruled out reuniting with Maiwar on the shores of Queensland at some point. “The possibilities are endless; you never know.”

“The journey made sense once at sea,” Tom tells us. In those first 160 days aboard Maiwar, he reaffirmed the purpose that drove him: it wasn’t about breaking a record or reaching the destination. Fame and glory were never his goal. He ventured into the Pacific in pursuit of a genuine adventure, in the old-fashioned style, full of challenges and risks, but staying true to himself and that impulse to join the sea since he was fourteen. Tom’s adventure is undoubtedly part of the sea of stories that now connects Australia and Peru.