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Jacksonville duo chasing ‘feat of a lifetime’ by being fastest to row across Pacific Ocean

logan macdonald
·2 min read

For Anna McClean and Jenna D’Anthony, the passion for rowing began back during their college days.

Now, the Jacksonville duo share a daring goal – to become the fastest pair to ever row across a giant swath of the Pacific Ocean, making the journey from California to Hawaii in just 62 days.

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Action News Jax had the chance to interview both on Wednesday ahead of their upcoming voyage.

“Feeling like you have the drive and the potential to conquer something so big and so beyond what you think you’re capable of … that’s the draw for me,” D’Anthony told Action News Jax. “It’s a challenge that’s really going to test our limits.”

The journey starts now on June 7, launching off from Monterey, California to Kauai, Hawaii, a 2,800-mile voyage.

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It’s a voyage the duo have been prepping and training for, for years.

“You can never be fully prepared for such a voyage like this,” McLean said. “We’ve had to be preparing honestly, for about two-and-a-half to three years just to get to the start line. And for us, that’s one of the hardest parts.”

Although McLean’s already completed a record-breaking voyage across the Atlantic Ocean with her brother, she said this new daunting voyage will present its own new and unique challenges.

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With the nearest boat support expected to be four to five days away throughout the entire journey, it will leave the pair all alone through much of their attempt to make history.

“There are times out there in the pitch black when we’re getting knocked out of our seat in 40-foot waves and 27-knot winds and you’re questioning why on earth are we here,” McClean said. “It is the feat of a lifetime.”

Those wanting to follow along on the journey can do so through the duo’s website on unitedrow.org.

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