Welcome home Team Guardian!!
After 51 days, 17 hours and 18 minutes at sea, we crossed the finish line in Antigua in the Caribbean marking the end of our 3,000 mile trans-Atlantic crossing dubbed as the “World’s Toughest Row”.
Our preparation for the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge started in 2018 and culminated in the Canary Islands, the start of the race, just over 4 years later. After passing our mandatory inspections, our boat, Katie Ella, was put into the Atlantic Ocean ready to depart the island. It was weird to think the next time the boat or us would see dry land would be our arrival in the Caribbean (hopefully).
Every morning in the two weeks preceding the race start, 43 teams (127 rowers) from around the globe met with race organizers where we received safety instructions, pep talks, and overall support from Atlantic Campaigns. The morning of December 12, 2022 was our last morning race briefing and would be our last few hours on dry, solid ground.
At 12:25pm we pushed off from the dock with “always stay clipped in” as our last words of encouragement from the Race Director. While slowly seeing land disappear, we were alone with our thoughts wondering how this was going to play out. We knew our preparation was second to none, but there was still an uneasiness that crept in our minds as the Atlantic Ocean has its own plan for you.
The next 51 days we learned a lot about ourselves as well as important lessons on leadership, teamwork, perseverance, forgiveness and humility. The mental and physical exhaustion is hard to describe, but we learned the body is far more capable than what the mind will let you believe. We also found that having each other’s support during the hard times was invaluable. Throughout our many days at sea, we all took the roles of the encourager and the one who needed encouragement. Being on a small boat for that amount of time definitely strengthened our friendship!
We held a row schedule of 2 hours on the oars followed by a 1 hour break with a 4 hour break at night. Our shifts were staggered so the boat was moving 24 hours a day, every day until we arrived in Antigua.
Rowing across the Atlantic Ocean is the toughest thing we have done, and we were happy to have done it, but we cannot lose focus on why we chose to do it in the first place- to amplify our awareness campaign for first responder mental health and suicide prevention. Nationally, first responders are taking their lives in unbelievable numbers and our community is not immune to this tragedy.
Our organization, Guardian Initiatives is funded by our amazing community, and we have been able to raise a considerable amount of money that has directly impacted our local first responders. We have hosted numerous hours of classroom instruction reaching hundreds of first responders, clinicians and professional staff. We’ve partnered with First Responder Support Network where we have funding in place for Four Corners first responders should they need to attend their retreat. And lastly, we have made important connections with other resources throughout the US who have the same mission, one of which is FHE Health in Florida. All of this was made possible by our community. It’s very often said that we have a supportive community, but throughout the last 4 years we have seen it first-hand.
After rowing 25 days straight and being 1,500 miles away from the closest land in any direction, it was at times a struggle to keeping rowing while sitting on the oars at 3 o’clock in the morning with the cold swells crashing over the boat. However, we found comfort and motivation knowing San Juan County was behind us cheering us on. We couldn’t have done it without the backing of Sheriff Ferrari, County Manager Stark, the County Commission, co-workers, sponsors, ambassadors, friends and family.
We hope we’ve made you proud.
Mark, Mike & Jarrod
(Editors note: you can still contribute to the cause! click the button below for more.)
Important Dates
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March 7 @ 4:00pm- San Juan County Commission Meeting
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March 12- Time Change! Don't forget to set your clocks ahead!
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March 21 @ 4:00pm- San Juan County Commission Meeting
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