As we’ve already seen the Tasman Sea has a multitude of wind variabilities. 

The same can be said for the current.  It is littered with pockets of enormous circulating whirlpools.  

The latest message from the Team Gallagher crew on board Moana sent via their Skycom sat phone suggests they are currently in the grip of one such current: ‘Have broken axels on two seats. Trying to fix now so we can row west to get south current so we can head east to the cape.’ 

All sounds a bit cryptic doesn’t it. 

They are in a reasonably strong north/north westerly current and the thinking is - once the seats are repaired - to row in the opposite direction they really want to go in order to get out of it. 

Sadly, from the looks of the current maps, if they were a couple of degrees further east they would be in an easterly current.  I will contact our Sydney based meteorologist 'Clouds' to get suggestions and will report back.

- Rob Hamill