Two University of Puget Sound graduates were part of a four-man crew that shoved off from the African nation of Senegal Wednesday with plans to row to Miami.
Former UPS rowers Jordan Hanssen and Pat Fleming departed at 2:30 a.m., intending to row unassisted 3,569 miles across the Atlantic. Also on the crew are Canadians Adam Kreek, a 2008 Olympic rowing gold medalist, and Markus Pukonen.
Hanssen was part of an all-UPS crew that rowed across the North Atlantic in 2006.
This expedition, sponsored by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, initially was to start last month, but was delayed as the crew waited for the arrival of its boat. According to the OAR Northwest’s Facebook page, it took 78 days for the boat to get to Africa. Hurricane Sandy played a role in the delay.
The crew plans to conduct research during the exhibition while sharing information and stories on their website, oarnorthwest.com. The website also offers a map that updates the team’s location every 15 minutes.
craig.hill@thenewstribune.com
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.