Seattle Maritime Academy to Train Local Rowers for Ocean Trek
WHO: Instructors from the Seattle Maritime Academy will conduct training for four local men and one French woman (who is competing with a French team).
WHEN: Training will take place Feb. 27 – March 1. Media are invited to attend a training session on Wednesday, March 1 at 1 p.m.
WHERE: Seattle Maritime Academy, 4455 Shilshole Avenue, NW.
VISUALS: On March 1, the team will undergo survival training using survival suits. While on their boat they will learn how to don survival suits, safely exit their craft and survive in the water. Media can board an adjacent ship and watch the exercise from there. After the exercise, the participants will receive a certificate of completion from Seattle Central President Dr. Mildred Ollee.
BACKGROUND: The crew of Jordan Hanssen (23), Greg Spooner (26), Brad Vickers (23) and Dylan LeValley (23) will depart New York June 10 and travel 3,100 nautical miles (3,567 miles) to Falmouth, England. The men row 24-hours a day, in teams of two. The duration of the trip will be between 40 to 70 days; the 3,500 lb. boat sleeps two and will carry a 100 day supply of food and water. The crew will race to raise funds for the American Lung Association.
The Seattle Maritime Academy is donating the cost of its instruction, valued at about $1,200 per person. Race rules require each team to receive training from a facility that has been approved by the U.S. Coast Guard. The team will receive instruction in CPR and first aid training, navigation, survival tactics and communications. The Seattle Maritime Academy is a division of Seattle Central Community College.