The dream of a B.C. Olympic gold medallist rower and his team to cross the Atlantic ended in near-tragedy when their 29-foot row boat capsized Saturday night.
Adam Kreek, of Victoria, Markus Pukonen of Tofino, and Jordan Hanssen and Pat Fleming of Seattle were rescued Saturday after their ocean rowboat capsized 640 kilometres north of Puerto Rico.
The Ocean Adventure Rowing and Education team were 73 days into a trans-Atlantic rowing expedition between Dakar, Senegal and Miami to study the health of the ocean and inspire kids to make their dreams a reality.
In a statement, spokesperson Greg Spooner said the boat suffered a catastrophic capsize and was unable to self-right as it’s designed to.
The four rowers safely deployed their life raft and waited to be rescued by a commercial vessel after sending a distress signal.
They are currently travelling to Puerto Rico to be reunited with their families.
“Many years of preparation and training went into the trans-Atlantic ocean row to mitigate the risks involved. Unfortunately careful planning cannot make an important expedition like this 100% safe,” the statement said.
One day before the capsize, the rowers posted about extreme weather conditions on the OAR Northwest Facebook page.
“Lightning storm passed over us yesterday. Jordan’s beard was rising to the sky and glowing, and both antennas were glowing at their tips. Lots of loud thunder and intense eye-shattering lightning. Wow. Crazy freaky,” the post said.
A day later, the group posted about the capsize.
“This morning a PLB distress beacon was activated on the ocean rowboat. A rescue operation took place between the US Coast Guard and passing commercial vessels. The four rowers are safe and in transit to Puerto Rico aboard the ship,” the post said.
Spooner thanked the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies for saving the four men.
Last year, the team successfully circumnavigated Vancouver Island by rowboat, while students interacted with the crew online.
OAR Northwest creates education programs to engage students in person, online and through social media.
Comments