An adventurer who tried to row throughout the Pacific Ocean from the USA to Australia has been rescued simply days earlier than he reached his last vacation spot.
Lithuanian rower Aurimas Mockus sounded a misery sign late on Friday after he was stranded by a cyclone, and surrounded by towering waves and robust winds packing as much as 100 km/h (62 mph), native media reported.
Authorities made radio contact with Mr Mockus the following day when he was about 740km east of Mackay, a metropolis on Australia’s east coast within the Coral Sea.
By the point he was rescued on Monday morning, the 44-year-old had spent almost 5 months alone at sea.
Mr Mockus is getting medical therapy on an Australian warship, which is able to take him to Sydney, the Australian navy mentioned.
He was trying to change into one among few rowers who’ve crossed the Pacific alone and with out stopping.
Amongst them are Britons Peter Hen and John Beeden, who achieved the feat in 1983 and 2015 respectively, and Australian Michelle Lee in 2023.
Mr Mockus began his 12,000km-long journey in October from San Diego in southern California. Brisbane was meant to be his vacation spot.
He rowed for a mean of 12 hours a day, in response to native experiences.
He recurrently up to date his progress on Instagram. Within the newest put up revealed a day earlier than he known as for assist, Mr Mockus reported that he had crossed the Chesterfield Islands, a cluster of French coral islands about 1,500km east of Australia.
“The spotlight is that I efficiently sailed the reefs of Chesterfield Islands. And additional as God permits… An important factor is to carry again the following few days,” he wrote.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which derailed Mr Mockus’s plan, is forecast to hit Australia’s japanese states of Queensland and New South Wales within the coming days.
