Rowers complete first trans Tasman row
After 31 days at sea, a team of four rowers have set foot on Australian soil after completing the first trans Tasman row. Steven Gates, Andrew Johnson, Kerry Tozer and surfboat champion Sally Macready set out on November 29 from Hokianga Harbour, north of Auckland to arrive to cheers from well wishers at Sydney’s Neutral Bay.
They officially arrived at 8.15am after being cleared by Australian customs at Watson Bay in Sydney Harbour. The team members appeared fit and healthy as they were reunited with family and friends.
Mr Gates said upon arrival… “We were beyond the point of exhaustion, we really were,”
“We pushed that envelope to its absolute limit and to hit the heads this morning at four o’clock and to know that this was all going to be over really soon was just the most powerful feeling.”
The crew received a congratulatory message from James Castrission & Justin Jones, two Australian kayakers who have been delayed by bad weather in their attempt to kayak from Australia to New Zealand.
“We’ve been in touch with them a bit and every day found out how they’re going and we went within 100km of them at one stage crossing paths,” Ms Macready said.
“It will be nice to hear that they’re safe and sound and have made it.”
Mr Gates said the four rowers battled severe weather, encountered sharks, whales and dolphins and narrowly avoided a collision with a ship.
“There were some really nasty storms and some really lucky incidents with ships where they hadn’t seen us,” he said.
“They were coming for us and if it wasn’t for Sal seeing them, identifying them coming towards us, grabbing the spotlight and sticking it in their eyes, we probably wouldn’t be here.”