2,800 miles is a long way. Like any journey, it begins and ends in different places, but the consistent things are the same – teamwork, strength, endurance.
All of us at Sweet Projects are proud to be supporting the Pacific Discovery Rowing team, four brave and hardy individuals, including three who have never ocean rowed before, who are taking part in the World’s Toughest Row – Pacific.
The four rowers (Cameron Parker, Theresa Patricios, Andrei Celovschi and Stuart Thompson) are training hard now, before setting off on their mammoth journey – 2,800 miles of ocean rowing from California to Hawaii using their own strength and endurance.
That is four and a half times the length of Britain (from John O’Groats right down to Lands End), all under their own steam – no power, no sails, purely rowing.
“The fact that three of the team have never ocean-rowed before is hugely inspirational,” says Gareth Sweet, CEO of Sweet Projects, ahead of the team setting sail from the West coast of America later this month.
“It goes to show that if you put your mind to a task, have the right mindset and with a strong team around you, then incredible things can happen. The mental and physical resilience, and reliance on their colleagues for support and motivation, is something we can strongly relate to.”
The Pacific Discovery team are currently concluding their training, and will set off from the historic harbour of Monterey, California, in mid-June, alongside 20 other teams participating from around the world. The finish line is 2,800 miles away in Hanalei Bay on the stunning island of Kauai, Hawaii, which they expect to take around 40 days.
“We’re proud to support the team by helping raise money for a fantastic mental health charity, Mind – a cause close to our heart at Sweet, and one we are going to be speaking more about and supporting as the year progresses,” continues Gareth.
The Pacific Discovery team will row non-stop for 40 days – two hours rowing and two hours off – sleeping in cramped quarters, crossing two time zones, and experiencing all the weather and waves the Pacific throws at them.
As the Pacific Discovery team say: “We want to test ourselves under extreme endurance conditions: discover how we show up against adversity; challenge our inner strength; and build deep, lifelong connections.”
The Worlds Toughest Row – Pacific is a endurance ocean rowing race where teams of 2, 3, 4 and 5 rowers take on rowing thousands of miles, to test themselves against Mother Nature rowing across the Pacific Ocean. taking place between June and July each year.
To read more about the individuals behind the Pacific Discovery team, and to donate to Mind, visit their website: https://pacific-discovery.com/.
