'Halfway, baby': Jacksonville-area rowing teams make it to second half of 3,000-mile journey
Two Jacksonville-area rowing teams have passed the halfway mark in a 3,000-mile charity race across the Atlantic Ocean.
They are among 37 teams competing in the 2021 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge that began Dec. 12 at La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands, and ends at Antigua.
The two teams are Fernandina Beach-based Foar from Home with A.M. "Hupp" Huppmann, Paul Lore, Billy Cimino and Cameron Hansen, and Row4Hope with Texan Ben Odom and Jacksonville colleague Mat Steinlin. They are participating in their first Talisker challenge.
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Both teams made it to the halfway mark Wednesday, according to their Facebook sites.
"Halfway, baby," the Foar from Home site reported.
Odom noted the "major milestone" in a Thursday video from the Row4Hope boat, pointing to a gauge tracking the team's mileage.
"Friends, we have an important announcement," Odom said. "That number, 1,500, is our distance to the finish. 1,500 miles and the crowd goes wild."
Steinlin, rowing, cheered.
Huppman from Foar from Home posted, "Doing our best. Everyone is tired but excited the numbers are getting smaller on this side of the hill."
Daunting measure of will and endurance
Billed as the "world's toughest row," the challenge takes place every December with teams from across the world racing specially designed rowboats — self-righting but with no motors or sails — to benefit a charity of their choice.
The four members of Foar from Home are veterans and the team is raising money for two veteran-focused nonprofits: Ponte Vedra Beach-based K9s for Warriors, which transforms shelter dogs into service dogs for military veterans, and Cross the Line Foundation of Fernandina Beach, a veteran-support organization.
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Row4Hope's charity is Make-A-Wish of Central and Northern Florida, which grants wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses in 45 counties.
The teams are among four from the United States. Teams can have up to five male and female members each. One team member must be rowing at all times, two hours on, two hours off.
Electronic support is available 24 hours a day, but support vessels may be as much as a week away.
The official Talisker Challenge Facebook feed describes how teams best handle the journey.
"It is important to focus on the immediate situation. Looking ahead can be demoralizing and unhelpful so short-term goals are key," one post said. "Simple goals like today I will eat all my food, today I will be quick at my changeovers. Time can feel very odd in such an environment and weeks can go past in a blink of an eye and a two-hour watch last an eternity."
Attitude is key, according to Talisker.
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"The main thing about the conditions and the impact on crews is often attitude. You can have two people in the same boat with exactly the same conditions who have a very different experience based on their view of events," the post said. "One could say 'this is a big sea, it is tough and scary, but we are out here doing this amazing thing, facing and overcoming challenges and having an incredible adventure' whilst the other could say 'this is a big sea, it is tough and scary and I wish it was flatter, this is an overwhelming situation, I wish it was different.' So much of the experience is attitude and accepting what is happening and making the most of it."
On a recent day, "Another crew … said they were too busy to be scared. That is a huge part of being at sea in an ocean rowing boat — you just have to get on with things without fuss or drama and we have crews excelling in that this year."
One heck of a experience
Row4Hope and Foar from Home have reported a range of experiences on their voyage, sometimes speaking to supporters directly in videos or through social media reports from their land-based support teams.
Row4Hope spotted a cargo ship in the distance and a "huge pod of dolphins" that swam around them. They recently rowed through 15- to 20-foot "high roller waves" and look forward to abandoning their bucket for a "private bathroom with a real toilet and running water," among other things.
In a video from the boat, Steinlin said overall "the experience is fantastic."
Foar from Home reported a "fly-by" visit from a Talisker support boat, 20-foot seas and a "temperamental network connection," among other things.
But they retained their collective sense of humor. In a Dec. 26 group video, they said they would be busy in the next week.
"We're going to row and then we're going to row," Huppman said. Hansen added, "and what are we going to do after? We're going to row."
They also planned to clean the underside of the boat.
"Can't thank you enough for the messages," Lore said to the team's supporters. "That just keeps us going."
bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109
2021 TALISKER WHISKY ATLANTIC CHALLENGE
To track rowing teams' progress, go to https://www.taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com.
To donate or learn more:
• Foar from Home: foarfromhome.com, facebook.com/FOARFROMHOME
• Row4Hope: row4hope.com, facebook.com/row4hope
• Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge: taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com, facebook.com/atlanticcampaigns
The race also can be followed via the YB Races app, available in the Apple and Android app stores.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville-area rowers are halfway through 3,000-mile journey
