KEY POINTS:
Later in the year in a bid to draw the earth's attention to climate change, I plan to cross the Tasman in a council-approved wheelie bin.
This has been at the planning stage for more than 10 years, however it was only when the council issued the slightly
larger recycling bin that my dream could finally become a reality.
I was surprised to learn that this sort of crossing had never be attempted before and, if successful, it will pave the way for other, more ambitious expeditions, such as a Trans Atlantic crossing, or even an around-the-world expedition, something that Richard Branson, thankfully, has expressed very little interest in as I doubt that I could match his budget.
I plan to set sail in late November to take advantage of the unique currents that come into play around that time.
These super currents are crucial and I have to plan my run just right because if I come in too early, or late, I may be swept too far south and end up in the frigid waters around Antarctica, a very dangerous scenario and, besides, that was an expedition I wasn't planning until around 2010.
The wheelie bin is customised for the job, and it needs to be as it will be my home for six weeks.
The success or failure of the expedition will be determined by how watertight it is and how it handles in big seas.
The bin is fitted with a shortwave radio, fishing equipment, a small barbie for cooking and heating, the GPS from my father's car and a machine that looks a little like a Soda Stream for making my urine drinkable and fizzy.
Ironically, although I am trying to draw the world's attention to climate change and recycling, I won't be able to do that while on this expedition as there simply isn't enough room in the recycling bin.
All my trash will be tossed overboard into the sea.
We had considered towing a second recycling bin so we could recycle the rubbish from the first recycling bin but we thought, what's the point?
Logistically it was too difficult and not practical.
Our aim is to raise awareness about recycling. We are not claiming to be great recyclers ourselves.
The plan is simple.
On November 20 at 5am I leave through the surf at Piha then a mere six weeks after that, providing everything goes to schedule, I will sail into Sydney harbour just after 7pm.
Most of the time I will be simply drifting with the currents but occasionally if I need to make a correction to my course I will use a small electric motor.
The electricity is provided by a car battery. Once it has run flat it will be tossed into the ocean and the solar panels stuck on the outside of the bin's lid will kick in.
Course corrections can only be made during the day once we are running on solar.
Most of the fit-out was done with bits and pieces from Bunnings Warehouse, although they don't want to be an official sponsor.
This leaves the way open for other sponsors to jump on board, so to speak, and with at least five large flat surfaces visible, a wheelie bin is the perfect vessel for branding.
In bad weather it will be a case of battening down the hatches and riding out the storm from the safety of inside the bin, but when the weather is good I will be able to sail with it open, a more ideal scenario as it gives me 30-40 per cent more room.
Much of the time and money until this point has been spent on research and development.
We spent six months testing the bin in tanks just to work out which end of the bin would be the stern and which the bow. In the end we calculated that it didn't really matter.
After rigorous tank trials we considered doing a sea test.
On July 5 we sailed at night from Auckland to Devonport, and it was only after weathering the wake from the 10pm Fullers ferry that I felt confident enough to take on the Tasman.
Until this point my local rubbish truck was lending a hand by lifting us with its hydraulic arm and gently placing us in the water down by the Maritime Museum.
I am aware of how dangerous this expedition is, as is my wife, but as the saying goes: behind every great man stands a great woman and she was the one who unselfishly insisted I do it in the first place.
She says that this is just what our marriage needs and promised that every Tuesday morning at 6am she will be thinking of me.
That's when our rubbish gets collected.
