# Ocean rower Aurimas Mockus stranded by cyclone off Australia’s east coast safely rescued



Ocean rower Aurimas Mockus stranded by cyclone off Australia’s east coast safely rescued
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Lithuanian rower’s two-day wait to be rescued off Queensland comes to an end

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A Lithuanian rower has been rescued off the  coast after he was caught in a tropical cyclone’s 130km/h winds and monster waves.

Aurimas Mockus ran into trouble about 740km east of Mackay while attempting a 12,000km Pacific Ocean crossing from San Diego to  in his solo rowing boat.

A rowing boat capsized, leaving him clinging naked to the hull for about 14 hours before he was rescued by a cruise ship that made a 200km detour.

  


In a statement, V Adm Justin Jones, chief of joint operations, said the solo sailor had been rescued and was “safely onboard HMAS Choules undergoing a medical assessment”.

Mockus was expected to return to Sydney’s Garden Island naval base with the ship.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which led the search-and-rescue effort, confirmed that Mockus was on his way back to Australian shores after a two-day wait in the turbulent ocean waters due to .

On Monday afternoon, an Amsa spokesperson said that, because of “highly unfavourable sea conditions,” Mockus’s rowing boat could not be recovered except for two oars and some personal items.

Mockus  late on Friday as Tropical Cyclone Alfred sent strong winds and heavy seas his way.

A search and rescue mission began with a Cairns-based Challenger jet sent to find the rower failing to spot Mockus on Saturday but it did make contact with the tired rower.

  


The Australian Maritime Safety Authority communicated with him via the rescue aircraft through an interpreter on Sunday.

A statement from Mockus’s shore team on Sunday night confirmed Mockus was not injured.

“According to the traveller, he has not suffered any serious injuries, is shovelling water from the boat and is asking for help as soon as possible.”

But the team said the situation was “stable and under control”. “Direct communication with the rescuers is maintained at all times.”

Mockus  and was days away from reaching his final destination after rowing about 70 nautical miles a day. He was bracing for the “maximum power” of the cyclone on Thursday, saying he just needed to survive the next two days.

Weather conditions later eased but the Coral Sea was still within the category-two cyclone’s influence on Sunday, with winds up to 100km/h and five- to seven-metre seas, Amsa reported.

  


Brit Peter Bird was the first in 1983, followed by countryman John Beeden in 2015 and Australian Michelle Lee in 2023.

Fellow Australian Tom Robinson, who was attempting to become the youngest to accomplish the feat, albeit with a break in the Cook Islands, spent 265 days at sea before he was rescued off Vanuatu in 2023.

The 24-year-old Queenslander’s rowboat capsized, leaving him clinging naked to the hull for about 14 hours before he was rescued by a cruise ship that made a 200km detour.
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