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The Atlantic Ghost Rowers
17:06 p.m. EST Feb 20, 2004
Do you recall the Everest Ghost climber? How about the Atlantic Ghost Rowers!
Remember last year, when OLN had 50 contestants on Global Extremes competing for 5 spots on the Everest? Pavel was voted off the show, but decided to go anyway, climbing without gear or a permit from the South side do the North, over the Lho La pass.
Now a similar drama is going on in the Atlantic Ocean. The Ocean rowing society is arranging the Atlantic Rowing Regatta 2004, with thirteen official teams rowing from Spain to Barbados. The key word here is official.
Two rowers, Brett and Scott, living in the Canary Islands got the word of the regatta and decided it was the coolest thing. They would participate. For that, they needed a boat for 25 thousand sterling pounds and a permit from the regatta, another 8 thousand sterling pounds.
Well, for various reasons, they didn't have the money. But to their great delight they were granted a sponsorship from Zimbabwe. They applied to the regatta and ordered the boat. But now things changed over in Zimbabwe.
The President put a ban on foreign money. The government passed a law the other day saying that they could arrest a person even if they suspect that person of dealing in foreign currency. Only Zimbabwe dollars were to leave Zimbabwe. Yet outside of Zimbabwe, nobody wanted Zimbabwe dollars. Do you get it? Doesn't matter - the rowing sponsorship fell through, the country is struggling and the boys had no boat.
The regatta started without our guys. But just as they we contemplating the resent turn of events an unbelievable sight unfolded before their eyes. A truck came by the house and unloaded a brand new ocean rowing boat right at their front yard! By some mistake, the order had been delivered without proper payment.
Well, Brett and Scott didn't think twice. The regatta had already lasted for two days, but the guys ran to the shore, dropped the boat in the water, painted "save Zimbabwe" all over it and off they were. Their boat "against all odds" took off with the speed of light as her highly motivated crew rowed like hell.
Soon the poor Regatta organizers started to receive annoyed satellite phone calls from the "legal" rowers. Who were these guys, why didn't they have to pay the fee, and - worse - now they had the nerve to row past everyone else! Yes, they are in fact tailgating the official leading boat! Don't try to find them on the official tracking list, they are invisible there although the organizers do keep track on them for safety reasons. But our sources reveal the latest Argos report like this:
Queensgate, 050/1937, 3.45, 2309, 3.173, 3.45, 055/2155, 6.52, 024/0902.
Carpe Diem, 050/1801, 2.16, 1764, 2.429, 2.16, 070/1330, 9.80, 040/1736
Against All Odds, 050/1800, 2.39, 1540, 2.121, 2.19, 075/0014, 6.55, 030/1431
Stay tuned!
Scott Wonenberg
Age 33, grew up living in California and Zimbabwe, backpacking and mountain climbing.
At the age of 20, he flew a single engine Cessna from California to Zimbabwe. He travels the world performing acrobatic slam-dunk shows for crowds of up to 36,000 people, he has also worked with the Bud Light Daredevils as team captain and in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks where he built up the Mascot department and performed as a high flying, stunt type mascot. He enjoys various other outdoor sports, but his passion is in expeditions.
Brett Sparrow
Born in Africa. Age 29. Grew up on large game reserves in Zimbabwe often hand raising dangerous orphaned animals including elephant, rhino, buffalo and hyena. Became Whitewater rafting guide and videographer in the Zambezi River. He was also a member of the ‘Safety Team’ in the 2001 Camel White Water Challenge (world rafting championships), and has guided in numerous International white water races.
Scott and Brett: Together they successfully completed an expedition on Africa’s Lake Karibain in a ten-foot 4O year old dinghy, covering nearly 1000km in the circumnavigation, almost entirely by rowing. It took them 23 days through some of the worlds most crocodile populated waters and remote wilderness areas.
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