Andrew McAuley

Andrew McAuley (born 7 August 1968; presumed dead 9–12 February 2007) was an Australian mountaineer and sea kayaker.

[5] In December 2006, McAuley's first attempt to cross the Tasman Sea in a standard one-man kayak was aborted after one night due to trouble keeping warm inside the cockpit.

[7] The sleeping arrangements at sea involved deploying a drift anchor,[8] squeezing his body down into the kayak, and sealing the hatch with a bulbous fibreglass capsule (dubbed "Casper") fitted with an air-only ventilator,[9] which, with its self-righting capabilities, made possible riding out the most severe storm conditions that are inevitable in that part of the ocean.

When the capsule was pivoted to its stowing position behind the cockpit, though, it made a kayak roll impossible due to being filled with water, like a bucket.

[12] Veteran sailor Jonathan Borgais, who was directing the expedition by providing weather predictions, said, "From the beginning, my biggest concern was the approach to New Zealand.

"[10] The documentary of McAuley's journey, Solo, incorporated video footage recovered from one surviving memory stick in his camera, as well as interviews with people on his team during the expedition.

[10] The song "Towards Infinity" was written about his final journey by Australian composers Paul Jarman and Phil Voysey.