Later this year, Victor Mooney, hopes to cross the Atlantic by rowboat from Senegal to New York before flying to Djibouti and tackling the Gulf of Aden to complete his odyssey in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. For now, Mooney trains six days week at the New York Sports Club as he awaits the completion of his new boat named "the Spirit of Zayed". Mooney also follows a traditional Asian diet to prepare him for this world-record attempt.
Mr. Mooney says his plywood boat will also raise awareness for AIDS and the environment. The oarsman says he plans to leave the Senegalese capital on December 1, World AIDS Day, before rowing about 16 hours each day towards the Caribbean and then up to New York by the middle of next summer. The second leg will see him leave Djibouti in August 2009.
The seven-metre plywood rowing boat, was designed by Naval Architect, Doug Frolich of Marshall Yacht Design Inc. and Composite Yachts, LLC. Martin Hardy is currently building the boat at his facility in Trappe, Maryland.
Mooney's boat is dedicated to the late United Arab Emirates President His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. "I believe the Spirit of Zayed is an oasis of humanity, which I hope to share with the world", said Victor Mooney from New York. For more on Victor Mooney's Goree Challenge II - The Spirit of Zayed, visit
www.goreechallenge.com.
