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Paraplegic Jonathan Martins has single-handedly sailed into Tauranga on October the 16th, after a total of 72 days sailing alone at sea, on a passage that took almost 4 months from Panama to New Zealand, across the Pacific Ocean.
The Tauranga man became a paraplegic after a skydiving accident on new year’s day 2012 and is alleged to be the first paraplegic in history to have completed the almost 15,000km solo journey. To his achievements, he also credits a solo crossing of the entire Carribean Sea in the summer of 2013.
His original plans were to make a documentary, along with three other friends, about simple philosophies of life that generate small amounts of waste, in order to help minimize the effect of the extinction of sea life in our oceans. Being self funded from the start, the whole attempt came to a halt still in the Caribbean, with dwindling funds with boat repairs and expensive crew costs. He then flew all of his friends home before he ran out of money and carried on alone, homeward bound to New Zealand after Panama.
Although he only experienced one gale of 40 knots around the Kermadec Islands during his voyage, prior events such as standing rigging issues, sickness, torn sails and loss of the auto pilot a week out of Panama had occurred, until he discovered by chance that the boat had been renamed "Rabalder" from it's original launch name "Pelican". As many sailors believe, it is bad luck to change the name of a boat, so almost miraculously, his problems came to an end as soon as he reverted its name to its original one.
Mr Martins now lives aboard his yacht Ramana, on a swing mooring by the Tauranga Causeway, where he is currently finishing writing the chronicles of his adventures as a paraplegic seaman and also refitting Pelican, which is for sale at Tauranga Bridge Marina. Mr Martins can be reached at 021-880013, for any queries.
