Tom gave an excellent presentation about his adventures at the 2025 Australian Wooden Boat Festival Symposium. The presentation was recorded, and the AWBF has posted it on YouTube. Enjoy!
October 30, 2025 – Solo Rowing Adventure Across The Pacific – Tom Mahuta Robinson – AWBF 2025 Symposium
Tom Mahuta Robinson is a young adventurer and wooden boatbuilder from Queensland. Growing up along the mangrove-lined banks of the Brisbane River, with a plywood rowing dinghy to get to and from school, it’s no wonder that Tom pursued a life in boats. At age 14, he made the decision that he was going to row solo across the Pacific Ocean, and build himself a wooden boat for the journey. This set in motion a series of events over the next nine years, including solo rowing trips on school holidays, a four-year apprenticeship at a traditional slipway, offshore sailing and racing, and ultimately the design and building of his 24-foot whaleboat, Maiwar, for what would be a 7,000 mile journey across the Pacific, departing Lima, Peru in July 2022.
During the 2025 Australian Wooden Boat Festival Symposium, Tom spoke to a filled room of curious listeners about this awe-inspiring adventure and now you can hear all about it too!
John Wujack says:
Tom, Every time I think of your adventure, I shake my head in amazement. I thought of you frequently during my rowing-exercise routine on the quiet water of Puget Sound and Liberty Bay, Washington. Occasionally, that routine was briefly interrupted by a passing boat wake. I’d get cranky if it happened more than a few times during an outing. Often, I’d think of what you must have experienced and I’d shake my head in disbelief of rowing open water for that length of time. I think it difficult for most to comprehend the difficulty of what you endured. Congratulations! I’m glad you survived and I tip my hat to your achievement. Thank you for sharing.
Best Regards, John Wujack Poulsbo, WA