Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2025, 7-10th February 2025.
AWBF have announced that Australian adventurer Tom Robinson will be joining as a guest speaker at the Wooden Boat Symposium in 2025, to share his ambitious story of rowing across the Pacific Ocean in a wooden whaleboat.
AWBF recently had a chat with Tom about his journey and what his Hobart adventure might look like.
How did your upbringing, and experiences until your Pacific adventure motivate your journey?
I grew up on the banks of the Brisbane River; it became an oasis of tranquillity and adventure amongst the hustle and bustle of the city. I had a little plywood rowing dinghy that my father built – I would row that dinghy to and from school each day across the river, then would spend my weekends, Tom Sawyer style, rowing, sailing, fishing and exploring the river and her mangrove-lined banks. By the age of 14 boats and the sea had become my obsession, I was often reading stories of solo sailors and adventurers, especially those who explored the South Pacific, it was at this stage of my youth that I devised a plan to become the youngest person to row across the Pacific Ocean. This set the wheels in motion for a life of boatbuilding, rowing and a love affair of the Pacific Islands.
How is the Pacific different to any other part of the world you’ve experienced? (Or Australia if you like)
No other body of water can lay claim to the romance and mystique that the Pacific does. For over 200 years the tropical waters and paradisical islands have captured the hearts and minds of sailors, artists, writers and travellers the world over. I set out on the Pacific looking for a way of life that was different to the one I had known, I set out to learn something from the people and communities I encountered. What I discovered far exceeded my expectations. I found people who coexist harmoniously and happily with nature and with each other. I found a people who commit their lives to greater causes than I have known anyone to do. My newfound families and friends in the Pacific know better than many of us, what is really worth committing one’s time to in life, their unshakable devotion to their admirable values are worth emulating.
What do you look forward to about visiting Hobart, and the AWBF?
For anyone such as myself, harbouring a love of wooden boats and maritime culture, the AWBF is always eagerly anticipated. It’s an opportunity like no other to experience the breadth of Australian maritime culture and connect with boats owners and builders. AWBF 2025 will combine all this with a focus on the maritime culture of the Pacific – what an opportunity it will be to get a glimpse into these far-flung islands!
What did your journey teach you?
I learnt so much on my journey, not just about my myself, but about the world and the people around me. Spending a total of 265 days alone at sea gives one a rare insight into their own consciousness. I had time alone to ruminate on many of life’s questions, some of which became clear, some were left unanswered. My time in the villages taught me the most valuable lessons on life and community and peaceful simplicity. Toiling for months on end with the only escape being my fortitude taught me so much about the ability within we all harbour to overcome and endure in times of hardship. Living so simply for so long teaches one to differentiate between essentials and superfluities, to pare away one’s existence to the leanest and truest form.
Tom has recently spent time in France at the Brest and Douarnenez festivals, lucky bugger! He’s also been speaking at various events across the country since returning from his adventure.
The Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2025, will feature Tom Robinson in the Wooden Boat Symposium. Full program to be announced later in the year. Find out more about Tom’s adventures here.
