Tacoma News Tribune Logo

OAR Northwest embarks on historic race | Tacoma News Tribune

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • About Us
    • Buy Photos and Pages
    • Contact Us
    • Plus
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Newsletters
    • Newspaper in Education
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Services
    • Archives

    • News
    • Crime
    • Databases
    • Education
    • Government & Politics
    • Local News
    • Nation & World
    • Military
    • Traffic
    • Watchdog
    • Weather
    • Blogs & Columns
    • Matt Driscoll
    • Sports
    • College
    • High School
    • Mariners
    • Preps Stats
    • Seahawks
    • Sounders
    • Tacoma Rainiers
    • UW Huskies
    • Blogs & Columns
    • Dave Boling
    • Huskies Insider Blog
    • John McGrath
    • Mariners Insider Blog
    • Seahawks Insider Blog
    • Sounders Insider Blog
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Consumers
    • People in Business
    • New Businesses
    • Port of Tacoma
    • Real Estate
    • Opinion
    • Cartoons
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Op-Ed
    • Opinion Columns
    • Submit a Letter
    • Living
    • Fitness
    • Food & Drink
    • Home & Garden
    • Religion
    • Entertainment
    • Arts & Culture
    • Comics
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Events Calendar
    • Horoscopes
    • Movies
    • TNT Diner
    • Outdoors
    • Fishing
  • Obituaries

    • The Olympian
    • The Peninsula Gateway
    • The Puyallup Herald
    • Northwest Guardian
    • NIE
    • KIRO7

  • Classifieds
  • Place An Ad
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Mobile & Apps

Special Reports

OAR Northwest embarks on historic race

Todd Milles; The News Tribune

    ORDER REPRINT →

June 10, 2006 01:30 PM

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Anchored by a great deal of national pride, a quartet's watery quest is underway.

Jordan Hanssen, Dylan LeValley, Greg Spooner and Brad Vickers, four former rowers from the University of Puget Sound, departed from the New York Harbor as one of four hulls competing in the first Ocean Fours Rowing Race on Saturday morning.

Representing OAR (Ocean Adventure Rowing) Northwest, the four local products will try and become the first Americans to row across the North Atlantic Ocean. The route they are taking to Falmouth, England spans 3,100 nautical miles.

They have also joined with the American Lung Association to raise money to fight asthma. Hanssen's father, James, died of it two decades ago and the boat is named in his memory.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The News Tribune

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

"The day is finally upon us, and we get to prove what a year-and-a-halfworth of work, and a 20-something's worth of vigor can do for America,"Spooner said.

Nearly 20 months after the four joined to begin planning for such a trek – raising nearly $300,000, enduring rigorous physical training, preparing a 29-foot fiberglass and foam rowboat – Saturday was race day.

High winds off the Hudson River caused a 45-minute delay Saturday morning.

The four hulls remained docked at Liberty Landing Marina until 10:45 a.m. A half-hour later, they rowed out to a starting-line buoy near the Statue of Liberty.

At 11:27 a.m. EDT, the gun went off, beginning the race.

A yacht full of family members and friends followed the racers for the first three miles, to the Verazzano Bridge, before the boats moved out of sight, and to the Atlantic Ocean for a trip that could take up to two months to complete.

"It's a bit surreal," said Vickers shortly before the race started. "It's overwhelming. I don't think it will hit us until three or four days out there when we're on the North Atlantic that we're heading to England."

The race teams arrived in New York earlier this week for final-daypreparations, to meet family and friends and to handle the blitz oftelevision media.

Oar Northwest not only had a crew of documentary filmmakers monitoring their every move, four cameras were fastened to the boat Saturday to tape hours and hours of continuous footage.

The racers spent their final night getting sleep in a local hotel. Vickers admitted he got four hours because of his constant need to "keep moving" and not think about the rigors of the race.

The racers met at the marina by 7 a.m., ate breakfast before making their way to the docks. Slowly, a group of 50 family members and friends came to support the Americans, posting for pictures and saying their goodbyes.

"Having the boat here, having the family here for the last week or so, it has given them a final opportunity to see what final preparation goes into this kind of adventure," Spooner said. "As much as people are nervous, or reluctant to see us off, they are just as excited to see us off."

OAR NORTHWEST TIMELINE

Former University of Puget Sound rowers Jordan Hanssen, Dylan LeValley, GregSpooner and Brad Vickers set off Saturday morning in the first Ocean FoursRowing Race, from New York Harbor to Falmouth, England. They are competingagainst three other boats, and are vying to become the first Americans torow across the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately a trip of 3,100 nauticalmiles

Here is how their Saturday unfolded:

6 to 6:30 a.m. EDT: The four awaken in their hotel rooms, shower and departfor Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, N.J.

7 to 8 a.m. EDT: They eat a final breakfast at the marina, just a fewhundred feet of where their boat is docked.

8:15 a.m. EDT: They arrive at the boat, mainly to chat with friends, dofinal media interviews, say goodbye to family as well as going through finalinventory of their equipment and food stock.

10:05 a.m. EDT: As family members board the Excalibur, a 150-foot yacht thatwill follow the rowboats the first three miles of the race, Vickers waves anAmerican flag in their direction as a final salute pro-American gathering ofabout 50 people.

10:07 a.m. EDT: Hanssen, LeValley, Spooner and Vickers huddle one final timeon the dock, and do a cheer. "We're going to kick their (butts)," they yell.

10:25 a.m. EDT: The oars are put into the Oar Northwest boat.

10:45 a.m. EDT: The first boat backs out of the dock.

11 a.m. EDT: Oar Northwest is the final boat to leave the dock.

11:15 a.m. EDT: The four boats collect at an open end of the Hudson River,and are escorted to the starting line, which is near the Statue of Liberty.

11:27 a.m. EDT: The gun goes off, signaling the start of the race.

Todd Milles: 253-597-8442;todd.milles@thenewstribune.com

  Comments  

Videos

In Memoriam: Famous people we lost in 2018

Carbon tax initiative would charge fee on polluters, spend money on clean energy

View More Video

Trending Stories

Gang member accused of whipping girlfriend for 14 hours arrested after weeks on the run

February 14, 2019 10:21 AM

This job lets you live in the woods for free — and the position is open

February 15, 2019 01:56 PM

This new Tacoma cafe’s residents will be furry and adoptable. Cat cafe is coming soon

February 14, 2019 11:00 AM

‘American Ninja Warrior’ plans its first indoor filming at the Tacoma Dome

February 15, 2019 01:22 PM

Will students make up snow days? Districts ask state for reprieve

February 14, 2019 03:19 PM
Local display advertising by PaperG

Read Next

Special Reports

Insane or mentally ill a powerful distinction in state’s judicial system

SEAN ROBINSON - Staff writer

    ORDER REPRINT →

December 29, 2013 12:05 AM

null

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The News Tribune

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE SPECIAL REPORTS

Special Reports

Review panel often disagrees with Western State releases

December 29, 2013 12:05 AM

Special Reports

Peninsula killer found not guilty due to insanity, will be committed to Western State

October 10, 2013 04:34 PM

Special Reports

Tacoma mother forced to sue for medical records of mentally ill son

September 28, 2013 07:09 PM

Special Reports

Push for treatment, not jail, for mentally ill

September 26, 2013 12:00 AM

Special Reports

The News Tribune Special Report: ‘Boarding’ the mentally ill

July 14, 2013 12:00 AM

Special Reports

Optum responds to ‘psychiatric boarding’ involvement

July 14, 2013 12:00 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Tacoma News Tribune App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Rewards
  • Pay Your Bill
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Photo Store
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Information
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • Place an Obituary
  • Today's Circulars
  • Special Sections
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story