2023 Race Entrants

Aloha Kai means love of the sea in Hawaiian.  Owen and Jayme both share a love of the sea.  After completing the 2021 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, they each were seeking out their next adventures and came together to create Aloha Kai and participate in the inaugural Pacific Challenge.  Our goal is to become the first USA born mix pairs team to row the Mid-Pacific while raising money for our charity partners.

Owen is raising funds for Okizu, which supports families dealing with childhood cancer.  Children who are diagnosed with cancer miss a normal childhood.  Because many of the families Okizu serves are already financially stressed from the expenses associated with their child’s illness, Okizu does not charge a fee to attend Camp Okizu and families attend all programs free of charge.

Jayme is raising funds for Eating Disorder Awareness.  After suffering with an eating disorder for over 2/3 of her life, Jayme has dedicated her experience to helping others in hopes they do not suffer like she did which is why she is working to build a non-profit for long-term residency to help those in need. Eating disorders are one of the deadliest mental disorders that affect over 9% of the world’s population yet a very small fraction of funding goes towards eating disorder research and recovery programs. Therefore, raising money to help individuals receive care as well as offering education surrounding eating disorders to the public is vital for those who suffers’ survival.

By crossing the Pacific Ocean and more specifically, rowing past the garbage patch in the ocean, we wanted to bring awareness to the terrible amounts of rubbish. Combining this with our drive to push our bodies and minds to the limits, makes a perfect combo for this trip!

The Ocean Cleanup is the world’s leading charity fighting ocean rubbish pollution. We wanted to partner with a charity that would not only talk the talk but walk the walk.

As individuals we bring very different skills and abilities to the table to make our team extremely successful. As a team we have a huge amount of Ocean rowing and general maritime experience including literally thousands of on water hours in all kinds of vessels and several ocean crossings.

We want to show that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things and the power of teamwork.

As a team we have chosen to support an amazing charity called “Big Purple Pants” 5 years ago, Dawn’s friend Sara was sitting in an assessment ward waiting for her Oncologist to visit to confirm that her breast cancer had come back as secondary. In the terror of those hours, she concluded she couldn’t be unique and there must be others needing support. A Google search came up with nothing in the four south eastern counties of the UK, the nearest group being South London. There was nothing else for it – she had to start one herself.

Why the name ‘Big Purple Pants’? – Throughout her primary journey, whenever Sara was asked if she was okay, her standard answer was, “I have my big girl pants on and am fighting hard”. Sitting in that ward, she recalled that mantra. The purple part? Quite simply, it is her and her daughter’s favourite colour.

The team of OCEAN’S 4 is excited to participate in the big PACIFIC CHALLENGE 2023. We will be the first Swiss team to row the Pacific Ocean.

Astrid has rowed the ATLANTIC CHALLENGE 2019 as a member of the SwissOceanDancers. Her experience and stories of adventure have set off sparks amongst many friends and especially in the local rowing clubs. Denise and Philipp have become so inspired and encouraged to take on this extraordinary journey. Toni and Astrid met years ago during a military deployment abroad. As experienced sailor, he followed her journey across the Atlantic and was on fire when he heard about the possibility to join the crew.

So they teamed up in the ambition of rowing the PACIFIC CHALLENGE. Given this exceptional opportunity of sharing an unforgettable adventure, we are willing to trade land and mountains for the power of wind, waves and seemingly endless space.

OCEAN’S 4 very much enjoys each other’s company and trusts the team’s good sense of humor. As much as we anticipate mental and physical hardship, we are confident in taking on this unique experience. Our goal is to successfully manage the challenges based on combined forces, powered by the sum of our individual skills. As the team of OCEAN’S 4 we are very much looking forward to exploring the unique, unfiltered and powerful moods of nature and the hidden strengths within us.

We are a dedicated crew being put to the ultimate test, pushing our bodies and mind to the test. Preparation is key and we’re excited to be apart of this new Pacific campaign. We are raising funds and awareness for two great causes, Blue Marine Foundation and The Invictus Games Foundation. We’re here to make a real impact for these amazing organisations. Blue Marine Foundation (BLUE) is a charity dedicated to restoring the ocean to health by addressing overfishing, one of the world’s biggest environmental problems. Brothers ‘in Oars share BLUE’s vision for a healthy ocean forever, for everyone which is why we are embarking of this incredible challenge. The Invictus Games use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women. Our goal to raise £150K will make a huge difference to both these organisations.

The Pacific Discovery team is thrilled to be joining this inaugural Atlantic Campaigns Pacific Challenge 2023. We will be the first Reinsurance team to cross the Pacific Ocean.

Pacific Discovery is a team of ordinary people – some of whom have never rowed before – coming together to undertake this experience of a lifetime. We share an inner strength and determination, a playful outlook on life, and a conviction that anything is possible. We believe our superpower is the ability to bring magic and fun to everything we do and to always show up as a team.

As a team, we are committed to shining a light on mental health: one in four of us has mental health issues, and half of us are at risk of developing them. We would love to inspire people to be able to live their best lives, and follow their dreams, and this starts with a healthy mind. Our aim, as we prepare for this adventure, is to elevate awareness around mental health and to raise over £100,000 for Mind, a UK-based organization committed to ensuring respect and support for every person experiencing challenges to their mental well-being.

It is our sincere hope that in realizing our dreams we might encourage and inspire others to cross their own oceans: to trust in their abilities, to lean on each other and to reach beyond what they believe is possible.

We are Christal, Elvira, Kevinia and Samara; Team Antigua Island Girls—history- making rowers. We represented Antigua and Barbuda in the 2018 Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge. When we arrived home on Monday, January 28, 2019, we rowed into the history books, becoming, not just the first all-woman team from the Caribbean to compete in the TWAC, but also the first all-black team to row across any ocean.

We’re adventurers and competitors, who committed soon after our feat in 2018-19 to find another challenge. Our TWAC experience was transformative. We entered to test our mettle and expand our boundaries, and we gained so much more. The support of our country and people far and wide in the diaspora and beyond buoyed us. The impact that we had on women and girls especially, sparked a commitment to continue doing good for our community. Our first row paid homage to our forebears—taking us, as it did, across the Transatlantic slave route. This row in the Pacific will connect us to another island culture—one that is intimately intertwined with the ocean. We are excited to row in those waters and learn from the Hawai’ian community.

The unique challenge laid down to Officers and Soldiers in today’s Army is one of empowering people to take calculated risks and encourages boldness; this is us rising to that challenge.
The Army has provided plenty of challenges and excitement in our careers (some of it unwanted and unexpected) all coming with the ‘wrap’ that the Army provides to look after and support its people, until now.  This event sees 4 men in a 7m long rowing boat crossing 2800 miles of the Pacific Ocean, all beyond the relative safety net of the Army, where the only thing we can truly rely on is the other members of the crew.

We are team Ocean Warrior, and we will be the first Scandinavian boat to row the Pacific Ocean. Based in Copenhagen, we are a four-man band connected through our common gym, The WolfPack Gym, and our desire to raise awareness for our charities. Our squad consists of Andreas Dyrby; a former rower now turned police officer / ultramarathon-runner, who brings grit, an uncanny lust for adventure, and a lot of horsepower to the crew. JP (Jens Peter Leschly Neergaard) is a seasoned veteran, both in athletics and business, adding leadership, calmness, and a solid sense of humor to the enterprise. Our third squad member is Joachim Sutton; Olympic Medalist in rowing from Tokyo 2021, who looks to seek out new mental and physical challenges. Finally, our Skipper; Lasse Wulf Hansen is a veteran officer ind the Danish Army and brings much experience and resilience to the crew, as one of the most experienced ocean rowers in the world, having rowed the Atlantic Ocean three times.

Together we are excited to embark on this adventure, training and preparing together every week to strengthen our crew and gain confidence in one another. Our goal is to successfully manage the challenges we will face on this journey as a team and as friends. We shall be relying on thorough preparation, and combined skills and strengths, while we explore the unique modes of nature, hardship, and simply being. We row to inspire others to take charge of their lives, to be generous, and to have fun.

We are Team Ohana, a mixed team of four ocean rowers from the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States. Team Ohana started to form while preparing for the Atlantic Challenge December 2021.  Iris, Marina, Mat and Paul were immediately drawn by each other’s dedication to the sport of rowing, and their love for the ocean and others.

As an international family through the sport of ocean rowing, Team Ohana will empower and connect others to create a journey that will give a dog a new purpose, empower our Veterans to look forward to tomorrow, and drive medical researchers to discover innovated concepts to help find a cure to End NF.

We are rowing for The Children’s Tumor Foundation and K9s For Warriors.  K9s For Warriors provides highly trained Service Dogs to Military Veterans suffering from PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury and Military Sexual Trauma. While The Children Tumor Foundation is determined to find a cure for NF through innovated medical research.

We are excited to embark on this incredible mission, and to be participating in the inaugural Pacific Challenge 2023.  Iris a two-time transoceanic rower brings significant oceanic rowing experience to the team. Marina an avid Club Rower delivers significant technical row skills to the mission, and a true sense of Ohana energy. Mat the physical human, and technical wiz brings both an adventurist energy and the technical savviness needed on such a crossing.  And Paul, he brings an unwavering Waterman Spirit bound steadfast leadership and love for others.

Our Team along with K9s For Warriors, and The Children’s Tumor Foundation as well as our amazing Community of Supporters are all dedicated to the service of others.

We believe, in the healing power of our ocean and that what is within you, is stronger than what’s in your way.

Our team set out in 2017 with a mission to complete the World’s Toughest Row and raise money and awareness to help find a cure for ALS, also know as Motor Neuron Disease.  Our intrepid team suffered all the training, boat building, funding and team building projects needed to get to the starting line plus the super extraordinary challenge of having a teammate determined to be the only man with ALS to row an ocean!  Our incredible journey was made even more so by managing logistics and adaptability matters on top of life at sea in a rowboat.  We successfully completed our Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge by victoriously crossing the finish line in English Harbor on February 1st, 2019.

From the outset, our Row4ALS team planned to continue our rowing journey across the oceans in support of finding a cure for ALS.  We had plans to make an independent Pacific crossing in 2023, and are thrilled that Atlantic Campaigns has launched the Pacific Challenge.  The support and structure in a well organized event allows us to focus on our fundraising efforts and ultimately pass more donation dollars thru our organization to the University of Utah Clinical Neurosciences Clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah.  These critical monies are used to provide patient care, information and research to find a cure for ALS.  And so, we continue to row for a cure in the Pacific Challenge.