Aurimas Mockus: Lithuanian ocean rower in trouble off eastern Australia as navy heads to area

A tropical cyclone off the east coast of Australia has halted a Lithuanian rower’s solo quest to cross the Pacific Ocean.

Aurimas Mockus activated his emergency beacon late on Friday night about 740km east of Mackay, Queensland, and 90km west of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

He was battling winds of 80km/h and heavy seas aboard a solo ocean rowing boat travelling from San Diego to Brisbane when he called for help, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.

A Cairns-based Challenger jet didn’t spot the vessel on Saturday but managed to make contact with Mr Mockus, who said he was tired.

An aircraft was sent from Royal Australian Air Force Base Edinburgh near Adelaide and another will be dispatched on Sunday to maintain communications.

“Further information on the condition of the rower and his boat will be sought from him today,” an AMSA spokesperson said.

HMAS Choules, a 16,000-tonne navy landing ship, is en route from Brisbane into the Coral Sea to assist.

It was one of two naval vessels used to evacuate about 1000 residents and tourists stranded in the Victorian town of Mallacoota during the 2019-20 black summer bushfires.

Mockus set off on the 12,000km journey in October and was days away from reaching his final destination after rowing about 70 nautical miles a day.

He was bracing for the category two cyclone on Thursday, saying the next day would be crucial.

“About to get maximum power from a passing typhoon,” the long-distance ocean rower wrote on social media with a picture of him making a peace sign.

“You really don’t need to paddle, you just need to survive two days and it will be better.”

A subsequent video appeared to show one of his oar mount’s had sustained damage as the boat bobbed up and down in turbulent swell.

Weather conditions have since eased near the Coral Sea but it’s still within the influence of the cyclone, which was about 510km east of Rockhampton on Sunday morning.

The storm is forecast to move south, roughly parallel to the coastline, on Sunday before weakening slightly and moving to the southeast on Monday.

It is then expected to slow and turn west from Tuesday, travelling back towards the southern Queensland coast.

The Bureau of Meteorology says strong to gale-force winds may impact K’gari, also known as Fraser Island, on Sunday.

Few ocean rowers have crossed the Pacific solo without stopping.

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, spent 265 days at sea before he was rescued off Vanuatu in 2023.

American Paralympian Angela Madsen perished in 2020 when attempting a smaller journey from California to Hawaii.

Mockus’ crossing was partly inspired by Ukraine’s bloody conflict with Russia having previously provided support to Ukrainian soldiers and civilians from the first days of the war, according to his website.