Hello to all our supporters and friends. Welcome to our first monthly newsletter!

Over the coming months, this newsletter is where you can find all the details on our training progress, upcoming events, and recent accomplishments as we trek towards the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

First, we would like to thank you for your support. We would like to start by sharing with you some of the exciting milestones achieved since the team came together.

1. First in-person crew meeting

December 18, 2019 — Andy, Jonathan, Isaac, Kramer, and Jon (behind the camera!), met at the Amazon Spheres when Isaac visited Seattle in December 2019. The crew went on an overnight trip aboard Kramer’s sailboat, aptly named “Hooligan”, to Blake Island for some team bonding, race planning, exquisite cooking, and ice-cold swimming in the Puget Sound.

2. Rowed Less Travelled completed the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge

Prior to their departure from La Gomera, the Australian team Rowed Less Travelled (RLT) was in touch with Pacific Boys to purchase their boat after completing TWAC 2019. They crossed the finish line in Antigua on January 15th with a time of 34 days 10 hours 46 minutes.

3. Purchase of boat and shipping

Isaac ventured to Antigua to witness RLT’s arrival. The atmosphere was electric, and the gentlemen of RLT were overjoyed to make landfall and reconnect with loved ones. Isaac received valuable insight, and most importantly, finalized the purchase of their Rannoch R45 ocean rowing boat.

Back home in Seattle, Jonathan coordinated shipping of the vessel with the gracious support of Tropical Shipping. Our newly acquired boat departed Antigua on the Tropic Carib in a 40ft shipping container on February 14, destination Florida.

4. Cross-country road trip from Florida to Washington

Isaac, Kramer, and Jonathan met in West Palm, Florida, to meet the container at Tropical Shipping’s distribution center. They came with a rented 26’ Penske truck, loaded the 28’ ocean rowing boat into the truck’s bed, strapped the boat down, and started driving northwest. After 59 hours of non-stop driving with four hour shifts, a whiteout blizzard in Nebraska, icy mountain passes in Oregon, and haphazard sleeping in the stern, the boat arrived safely in Seattle, Washington.

5. Launch and first row

The morning after the arrival in Seattle, with the expert travelift skills of Canal Boatyard, our boat touched down in the crystal calm waters of Seattle’s Lake Union. From there, we rowed to Ocean Alexander Marina, where the boat is safely moored today thank you to Affinity Ventures Northwest.

6. 14 hour practice row

Never satisfied with taking things easy, we decided we would give our new boat a test run. We circumnavigated Lake Washington, travelling 48 miles / 77 km in 13.5 hours, rotating through two-hour rowing shifts as expected in the race. Our two-hour breaks consisted of steering and “sleeping”. The row was rainy and cold, but successful, finishing at 4:30am on Sunday morning.

And then COVID-19 happened! Today we are all facing new, and more important challenges. This is why Pacific Boys Rowing has decided to pivot our focus toward our local community and finding ways to help those most impacted by this pandemic.

We are currently exploring ways to use our recently purchased boat (moored on Lake Union in Seattle) to organize events for the community. We invite you to let us know if you have any thoughts or suggestions.

The team feels strongly that, at least for now, this is the most socially correct course for our team. In addition, our team members are gladly offering their expertise, FREE of charge, to anyone who could benefit from our help during these challenging times. Please feel free to pass along this newsletter or our website at:

Our offerings include:

• Amazon Web Services Tutorials

• Change Strategy & Transformation

• Computer Science Tutoring

• Photography & Instagram

• Planning & Executing Sporting Events Or Projects

• Resume Workshop

• Yoga And Spanish Lessons

Finally, regarding the December 2020 Atlantic race we are in close contact with the race organizers and are committed to a safe and successful race. However, given the many unknowns, at this time, we are continuously assessing the situation before taking any final decision. What is certain is that, whatever consequences COVID-19 may cause Pacific Boys Rowing, we will be racing across the Atlantic in 2020 or 2021. More news on this in coming newsletters.

Adventure On,

Pacific Boys Rowing