Preview: Tom Robinson’s Solo Row Across the Pacific – Update #3 from Tom’s Shore Team

September 4, 2022

Tom Mahuta Robinson Tom Mahuta Robinson

The following is a letter sent by Tom Robinson’s Shore Team to the followers on his website TomRobinsonBoats.com. You can sign up on his site to receive these updates directly, and we’ll carry them here on OCH as well.

“Muchas Gracias”

Dear Sponsors, Supporters, Family and Friends,

On Friday, 19 August, Maiwar made a significant change of course; for the first time since he left Peru nearly seven weeks earlier, Tom was travelling south rather than north – steering away from the equator rather than towards it. He was just 200 nautical miles south of the equator and 1,200 nautical miles west of the coast of Ecuador. More importantly, the beckoning Equatorial Current now had him in her bosom.

In the seven weeks since leaving Peru (on 2 July), Maiwar had averaged 230 nautical miles per week. With the help of the current, in the first week since changing course she was travelling at the rate of 250 nautical miles per week. In early August, Maiwar’s average speed since she left Lima was 1.15 knots. At the time of writing her average speed since leaving Lima had increased to 1.3 knots, with some daily averages of over 1.5 knots.

In the Marine Traffic map below, Maiwar is the identified pleasure craft. The Galapagos Islands surrounded by blue vessels are in north east corner while the brown squid fishing fleet to the south is still at work. The background is comprised of wind barbs which show direction and speed.

From Lima to The Marquesas is a distance of approximately 3,650 nautical miles, so half way is 1,825 nautical miles. Tom should pass this mark at the end of August, after two months at sea. His task now is to travel those remaining 1,825 nautical miles while, at the same time, steering Maiwar from 200 miles south of the equator to the latitude of The Marquesas which is a further 340 nauticl miles south. To do this he must harness the current as much as he can while ensuring that the south east winds do not push him too far north. In the recent tracker screen shot below, Tom’s first-leg destination, The Marquesas, can be seen as the chain of extinct volcanoes a little north of west of Lima and close to the left hand margin.

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