Australia's royal naval vessels are tied up towards the coral sea after a Lithuanian man gets into trouble trying to cross the Pacific Ocean from San Diego to Brisbane.
Aurimas Mockus activated the emergency beacon about 740km east of Mackay, Queensland and 90km west of the tropical Cyclone Alfred on Friday night.
He was traveling solo on a rowing boat from the California city to Brisbane, and when he sought help he was battling heavy sea winds of 80km/h, the Australian Maritime Safety Agency (AMSA) said.
The Cairns-based Challenger Jet did not find the ship on Saturday, but managed to get in contact with Mox.
The aircraft will be sent from Edinburgh, an Australian Air Force Base near Adelaide, with another aircraft dispatched on Sunday to maintain communications.
The HMAS Choules, a 16,000-ton naval landing vessel, is assisting it on its way from Brisbane to the Coral Sea.
“Details about the row handle and his boat's condition will be asked by him today,” an AMSA spokesman said on Sunday.
The weather was moderated near the coral sea, but it was still within the cyclone effect. This was about 510km east of Rockhampton on a Sunday morning.
Category 2 cyclones are expected to move south almost parallel to the coastline on Sunday, then slightly weakened and moved southeast on Monday.
It was then expected to turn west from Tuesday, then return to the southern Queensland coast and turn west.
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The Weather Service said strong winds could have an impact on K'gari, also known as Fraser Island, on Sunday.
If Mox arrives in Queensland, he will be the first to row into the Pacific Ocean. On this particular route, he said. If he arrives in Australia within 22 days of Sunday, he set a new Guinness record.
Small groups crossed one-handed Pacific Ocean, including the British Peter Bird in 1983, John Biden in 2015 and the Australian in 2015. Michelle Lee 2023.
2023, 24-year-old Tom Robinson He attempted a feat, but was rescued by a cruise ship after his boat capsizes. In 2020, Paralympic rowing star Angela Madsen passed away after attempting a solo trip from California to Hawaii.
