Cyclone Alfred wrecks man’s bid to row across Pacific Ocean after rowing over 10,000km

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The Australian Navy rescued a Lithuanian rower caught in tropical cyclone Alfred during his solo venture crossing the Pacific Ocean.

Aurimas Mockus, a 44-year-old adventurer, was 740km off the coast of Mackay in Central Queensland when he got caught in the path of the category one cyclone with winds gusting at 130kmph.

The vessel was attempting to row 12,000km from San Diego to Brisbane when it sent out distress signals after running into trouble on Friday night.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) immediately initiated a search and rescue operation after receiving the emergency distress signal, the navy said.

The AMSA tasked the Cairns-based Challenger search and rescue aircraft to find the adventurer in the troubled water but was initially unsuccessful, with the vessel reporting heavy seas and 80kmph winds.

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The weather conditions later eased but the Coral Sea was still within the category-two cyclone’s influence on Sunday, with winds up to 100kmph, Australian authorities said.

Mr Mockus was rescued by the Australian Navy ship HMAS Choules on Monday morning after two days, the AMSA spokesperson said. "The ship on its way back to Australian shores,” she added.

V Adm Justin Jones, chief of joint operations, in a statement said the sailor had been rescued and was “safely onboard HMAS Choules undergoing a medical assessment”.

Mr Mockus’s shore team on Sunday night confirmed the sailor was not injured. “According to the traveller, he has not suffered any serious injuries, is shovelling water from the boat and is asking for help as soon as possible," the team said in a statement.

“Direct communication with the rescuers is maintained at all times.”

Mr Mockus had set off on his journey in October 2024 and was days away from reaching his goal after rowing 70 nautical miles per day. He was bracing the "maximum power" of the cyclone on Thursday, while attempting to join a short list of ocean rowers to make the Pacific crossing solo nonstop.

In 1983, Brit Peter Bird became the first person to achieve the feat, followed by John Beeden in 2015 and Australian Michelle Lee in 2023, Australian Associated Press reported.