TASMAN TRESPASSER

Photographer Graeme Andrews OAM MA

Date1977

Object numberANMS1163[110]

NamePhotograph

MediumSilver gelatin print

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Graeme Andrews

Collections

Graeme Andrews

Terms

DescriptionA photograph of the interior of the TASMAN TRESPASSER that was used by Colin Quincy in 1977 to be the first successful rowing crossing of the Tasman Sea. Quincy took 63 days to row the six metre vessel from Hokianga, New Zealand to Marcus Beach in Noosa, Queensland.HistoryColin Quincy became the first person to complete a solo, unassisted trip across the Tasman. Quincy set off from Hokianga in his TASMAN TRESPASSER, a six-metre fibreglass dory, arriving on Australia's Sunshine Coast 63 days later. For 33 years he remained the only person to have accomplished the feat until a 25-year old named Shaun Quincey - his son - did it in 2010. In 1977 there was no GPS or iPod so Quincy navigated with a sextant, sang songs and did maths while rowing across the Tasman Sea for 63 days. In an interview with Explorers Web in 2010, Quincy recounts his journey across the Tasman: "ExplorersWeb: You were the first to row the Tasman back in 1977 and had nobody’s experience you could learn from. How did you prepare yourself for the row? Colin: I trained by towing tires behind a dingy in Auckland harbour combined with a lot of careful research and planning plus 10,000 nautical miles of sailing around the world. ExplorersWeb: How were things different then from now? Colin: The biggest difference would have to be the use of GPS and also satellite communication. I didn’t talk to anyone and all my navigation was by the stars using a sextant. ExplorersWeb: You had no communication / satellite phone / music players / audio books with you. How did you keep yourself going? Colin: I rowed for 63 Days and to entertain myself (apart from smoking) I would navigate constantly, sing songs, read books and do mathematical problems. ExplorersWeb: What bad experiences did you have during your row? Colin: Blisters, boils, salt sores. I pulled a muscle in my back which stopped me from rowing for 10 days. ExplorersWeb: What safety measures did you have? Colin: I carried an emergency radio beacon and I was constantly tied to my boat. ExplorersWeb: What great moments do you remember? Colin: I will always remember the first day I surfed my boat down a 20-foot wave. ExplorersWeb: What advice can you give to young rowers? Colin: Plan, Plan, Plan and then give it your best shot! ExplorersWeb: Would you like to do it again today with your life experience and all the tech? Colin: There is no point in doing it again for me, I would have preferred to have the tech gear but I wouldn’t do it again as I have no desire to do it twice." SignificanceColin Quincey, an England-born New Zealander, made the first successful human-powered trans-Tasman crossing. He took 63 days, seven hours to row his Yorkshire Dory row-boat from Hokianga, New Zealand to Marcus Beach on the Sunshine Coast of Australia.