Andrew McAuley
Encyclopedia
Andrew McAuley was an Australia
n adventurer. He is best known for his mountaineering and sea kayak
ing in remote parts of the world. He is presumed to have died following his disappearance at sea while attempting to kayak 1600 km across the Tasman Sea
in February 2007.
. In 2004, he kayaked across the Gulf of Carpentaria
. In 2006 he led an expedition in the Australian Antarctic Territory
where they paddled over 800 km within the Antarctic Circle.
Andrew's second attempt began on 11 January 2007 and ended on 12 February when the search for his missing body was called off following the recovery of his partly flooded kayak on 10 February just 30 nautical miles (55.6 km) short of his destination Milford Sound
.
The sleeping arrangements at sea involved deploying a sea anchor
, squeezing his body down into the kayak and sealing the hatch with a bulbous fibreglass capsule (dubbed "Casper") fitted with an air-only ventilator which, with its self-righting capabilities, made it possible to ride out the most severe storm conditions that are inevitable in that part of the ocean.
Unfortunately, when the capsule was pivoted to its stowing position behind the cockpit, it made it impossible to kayak roll
due to being filled with water like a bucket. Therefore, whenever he capsized, he had to swim out of the kayak, push it upright and perform full self-rescue.
When his kayak was recovered, only this capsule was missing. It was presumed to have been torn off by a freak wave. One of its pivot arms had already been damaged.
Veteran sailor Jonathan Borgais, who was directing the expedition by providing weather predictions, explained:
The documentary of Andrew's journey Solo: Lost at sea incorporated video footage recovered from one surviving memory stick in his camera as well as interviews with people on his team during the expedition. It begins with the distress call he made on 9 February:
Andrew's wife Vicki McAuley wrote a book, Solo, about Andrew and his final voyage.
In the same summer a specially constructed two person kayak crossed the Tasman Sea at a more northerly route (Crossing the Ditch
). The competitive spirit may have played a part in Andrew's determination to make the journey when he did. A song has recently been written about Andrew's final journey by Australian composers Paul Jarman and Phil Voysey, entitled 'Towards Infinity.'
and Patagonia
. He preferred to find new routes and make exploratory climbs.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n adventurer. He is best known for his mountaineering and sea kayak
Sea kayak
A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak developed for the sport of paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and the ocean. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spraydeck...
ing in remote parts of the world. He is presumed to have died following his disappearance at sea while attempting to kayak 1600 km across the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
in February 2007.
Personal
McAuley was born in Goulburn, NSW in 1968. He was awarded Adventurer of the Year in 2005 by the Australian Geographic Society.Sea kayaking
In 2003, he made the first non-stop kayak crossing of the Bass StraitBass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
. In 2004, he kayaked across the Gulf of Carpentaria
Gulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
. In 2006 he led an expedition in the Australian Antarctic Territory
Australian Antarctic Territory
The Australian Antarctic Territory is a part of Antarctica. It was claimed by the United Kingdom and placed under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1933. It is the largest territory of Antarctica claimed by any nation...
where they paddled over 800 km within the Antarctic Circle.
Crossing the Tasman Sea
In December 2006 Andrew's first attempt to cross the Tasman Sea in a standard one-man kayak was aborted after two days due to trouble keeping warm inside the cockpit.Andrew's second attempt began on 11 January 2007 and ended on 12 February when the search for his missing body was called off following the recovery of his partly flooded kayak on 10 February just 30 nautical miles (55.6 km) short of his destination Milford Sound
Milford Sound
Milford Sound is a fjord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island, within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site...
.
The sleeping arrangements at sea involved deploying a sea anchor
Sea anchor
A sea anchor, is a device external to the boat, attached to the bow used to stabilize a boat in heavy weather. It anchors not to the sea floor but to the water itself, as a kind of brake. Sea anchors are known by a number of names, such as drift anchor, drift sock, para-anchor, and boat brakes...
, squeezing his body down into the kayak and sealing the hatch with a bulbous fibreglass capsule (dubbed "Casper") fitted with an air-only ventilator which, with its self-righting capabilities, made it possible to ride out the most severe storm conditions that are inevitable in that part of the ocean.
Unfortunately, when the capsule was pivoted to its stowing position behind the cockpit, it made it impossible to kayak roll
Kayak roll
The Kayak Roll is the act of righting a capsized kayak by use of body motion and/or a paddle. Typically this is done by lifting the torso towards the surface, flicking the hips to right the kayak halfway up and applying a righting force by means of the paddle while tucking close to the front or...
due to being filled with water like a bucket. Therefore, whenever he capsized, he had to swim out of the kayak, push it upright and perform full self-rescue.
When his kayak was recovered, only this capsule was missing. It was presumed to have been torn off by a freak wave. One of its pivot arms had already been damaged.
Veteran sailor Jonathan Borgais, who was directing the expedition by providing weather predictions, explained:
From the beginning, my biggest concern was the approach to New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. And this part of New Zealand is notoriously dangerous. On a good day you can get rogue waves: a two or three metre set that can come out of nowhere. Not big, but powerful. That's very dangerous. I have no doubt that a wave got him.
The documentary of Andrew's journey Solo: Lost at sea incorporated video footage recovered from one surviving memory stick in his camera as well as interviews with people on his team during the expedition. It begins with the distress call he made on 9 February:
do you copy? this is kayak one. do you copy, over?
I've got an emergency situation
I'm in a kayak about 30 kilometres from Milford Sound
I need a rescue
my kayak's sinking
fell off into the sea
and I'm going down
Andrew's wife Vicki McAuley wrote a book, Solo, about Andrew and his final voyage.
In the same summer a specially constructed two person kayak crossed the Tasman Sea at a more northerly route (Crossing the Ditch
Crossing the Ditch
Crossing the Ditch was the effort of adventurers Justin Jones and James Castrission to become the first to cross the Tasman Sea and travel from Australia to New Zealand by sea kayak....
). The competitive spirit may have played a part in Andrew's determination to make the journey when he did. A song has recently been written about Andrew's final journey by Australian composers Paul Jarman and Phil Voysey, entitled 'Towards Infinity.'
Mountain climbing
McAuley climbed many peaks in Australia, New Zealand, PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
. He preferred to find new routes and make exploratory climbs.
External links
- Andrew McAuley's website (archived)
- News report on coroner's conclusions
- Review of documentary
- (http://www.sthildas.qld.edu.au/index/PAUL%20JARMAN%20BIO%202007.pdf)