July 5, 1971

INDIAN OCEAN CROSSED BY LONE ROWER

A Swedish-born naturalised New Zealander, 43-year-old Mr Andres Svedlund, has arrived at Madagascar after a solo row of about 4400 miles across the Indian Ocean from Western Australia.

He said yesterday that he had landed to the north of Madagascar last week after leaving Kalbarri, 300 miles north from Perth, on April 21.
Mr Svedlund set out in his 21-foot fibreglass boat Roslagena with four pairs of oars, 50 gallons of drinking water, a desalination plant and a supply of food and fishing gear.
He said before he left that he expected to take four or five months to reach the African coast.
Mr Svedlund said yesterday he expected to stay a short time in Madagascar before returning to Australia and New Zealand.
His boat overturned in rough seas three days after his first attempt to cross the Indian Ocean last September, but he managed to right it and row back to the Australian coast.
 

Mr Svedlund attempted to row across the Tasman from New Zealand to Australia in February 1969. The boat capsized west of the Manukau Heads four days after his departure from Onehunga and he was washed ashore near Waikato Heads.