Colin Quincey (8 May 1945 – 9 July 2018) was the first person to row across the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...

Early life

Quincey was born in

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, England, in 1945. As a young man, he travelled frequently, and crewed on the German training ship ''Gorch Fock''. He spent several years in Hawaii teaching English and, in New Zealand, working for the Spirit of Adventure Trust which operated a

tall ship A tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigging, rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a r ...

, and undertaking house-painting.

Rowing the Tasman

The only previous attempt to row the Tasman had been made by

Anders Svedlund Anders Johan Svedlund (1926 in Mellösa, Sweden – 1979 in Auckland, New Zealand), was a Swedish born, naturalized New Zealand ocean rowing pioneer. Anders performed 2 of 14 Historic ocean rows listed by Ocean Rowing Society International, Ocean ...

in 1969, but he had suffered a capsize five days into the crossing. In 1976, after becoming dissatisfied with the cadets he was training on the tall ship, and their unwillingness to challenge themselves, Quincey began preparations to row across the Tasman Sea. He designed and built a dory-style rowboat, which he named the ''Tasman Trespasser.'' Quincey departed

Hokianga Harbour The Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as the Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. The original name, still used by local Māori, is ...

on 7 February 1977, and was escorted past the harbour bar by a helicopter and three crayfishing boats. He arrived at Marcus Beach, Queensland in the dark on 10 April 1977. The voyage took 63 days, with Quincey being down to his last day of rations. The crossing included an encounter with an orca that came within of his boat. Otherwise, Quincey later described the row as being "a grind of 'eat, sleep, row'". A first-person account of the preparation and crossing was published as ''Tasman Trespasser'' in late 1977. Quincey was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the

1978 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1978 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, to celebrate the year passed and mark the begin ...

, for "displaying a remarkable feat of endurance by becoming the first person to row the Tasman Sea single-handed from New Zealand to Australia".

Later life

Quincey joined the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; ) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of eight ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act 1913, and the subsequent acquisition of the cruiser , whi ...

, where he had the rank of

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

. His duties included running survival courses. After leaving the Navy, he spent time in Pacific Island and Asian countries working with disadvantaged children. In retirement, Quincey lived in

Paihia Paihia is a town in the Bay of Islands in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is 60 kilometres north of Whangārei, located close to the historic towns of Russell, New Zealand, Russell and Kerikeri. Missionary Henry Wi ...

in the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for ...

. A life-long smoker, he died of lung cancer in Kawakawa Hospital. Quincey married three times, and had three sons. In 2010, his son Shaun made the first solo row from Australia to New Zealand, in a dory called the ''Tasman Trespasser II''.

Publications

Non-fiction

References