A journey of survival and fortitude

TASMAN TRESPASSER II: The Shaun Quincey Story
by Shaun Quincey, Harper Collins, $42
Shaun Quincey is a doer. But lately he's become a talker.
The 25-year-old became the first person to row solo from Australia to New Zealand. The 54-day journey ended when his toes hit the sand on 90 Mile Beach on March 15 this year. Now the tenacious adventurer has achieved another milestone. He's written a book and is on the road speaking about his inspiring sea effort.
"I failed Sixth and Seventh Form English, so when I got 10 free copies of my book I sent one to my old English teacher," he says with a laugh.
It's a good example of his determination to achieve against the odds.
With the memories fresh in his mind and the experience still raw, he sat at a computer and began the task of telling his story.
For three months, every day he tapped away at the computer keyboard to produce a well-written and engrossing tale about his epic rowing mission.
You have to question the sanity of someone who has never been to sea before and embarks on such a journey.
But there was a burning desire for the Aucklander to emulate his father's achievement 40 years earlier when he became the first man to row the Tasman.
The only difference was Shaun started in Australia and rowed home.
He says rowing was such a mind game and writing affirmations and words of encouragement in the cabin of his small boat gave him encouragement to carry on every day. "You can, you will" were words he uttered every morning when he was faced with rowing 15 hours a day.
Sometimes his forward movement was thwarted and he found himself drifting back across the the ditch to Australia.
The book is an honest, heartfelt account.
Shaun reveals he cried a lot during the trip and there were times he just hated the journey.
"It was really hard and it wasn't fun. But basically if you stay positive you can achieve what you want and that's the key to life. Stay focused and positive."
And what's next on the list of things to do for this gutsy adventurer? "I'm not rushing into anything. I'm happy to just sit back and find something that means something to me."
What he has achieved is still sinking in.
"More people have walked on the moon than rowed the Tasman Sea. But I know how easily it could have gone wrong and I could have died."
Look out for Tasman Trespasser 2 and Shaun touring New Zealand in November. He will visit over 36 towns and schools from Whangarei to Invercargill before finally delivering TT2 to its final resting place the New Zealand Voyager Maritime Museum.
For details www.tasmantrespasser.com