Editor’s note: This article was originally published on ExplorersWeb.
62-year-old Aussie Richard Barnes landed in New Zealand after 67 days at sea. He began his journey from Hobart on the Australian island of Tasmania. “There’s been a lot of quiet moments, [and] a lot of rough moments,” Barnes admitted when he arrived.
This was Barnes’s second attempt at the crossing. In 2021, he had to give up after 75 days because of Cyclone Seth.
This time, he took a slightly different route across The Ditch. Previously, he set off from mainland Australia bound for New Plymouth, on New Zealand’s North Island. This time, he took a more southerly route, from Hobart, Tasmania, to Riverton, on New Zealand’s South Island.

Overcoming Headwinds
As with most long sea kayak journeys, Barnes’s vessel was not your average shop-bought vessel. “Blue Moon” was custom-built and designed by Barnes. It contained three main compartments. The first was for drying clothes, sleeping, and using electronic devices. The second was for eating and changing, and the third was the cockpit. At 10m long, it weighed 600 kilograms when Barnes started the journey.
During the first few days of his journey, he constantly battled headwinds. “At times, my GPS couldn’t decide whether progress was zero or we were actually going backward,” he said.
As he paddled the Tasmanian coastline, a few sea kayakers and friends joined him for small sections. Then it was two months completely alone.

Birthday at Sea
