Why are you doing this?

Because we can. We truly hope that our expedition is a great platform to raise awareness and funds for things we deeply care about, such as promoting the idea of eating real food and the fight against our silent killer, sugar.
Also, we both believe that our bodies weren't designed to only transport our heads into meetings. Physically challenging outdoor adventures make our human experience and life so much richer.

What inspired you to row?

We were initially inspired by the Pacific ocean survival story Unbroken and the heroic Atlantic crossing in the Fighting Chance. And since we've both carried bikes around Mt. Annapurna in Nepal, run trails around Mt. Everest and explored many other places and far distances by foot, bicycle and skis, the (il)logical next step was to face the Pacific Ocean.

Has anyone rowed the Pacific before?

Yes. According to our count, 12 people have rowed the Pacific before - the same number of people who have walked on the moon. Two heroic man-woman pairs have rowed the Pacific before us, John Fairfax & Sylvia Cook in the 1970s and Curt & Kathleen Saville across the Southern Pacific in the 1980s. To our knowledge we will be the first man-woman pair to row the Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii.

What are the records you’re trying to break?

Our primary goal is to complete the crossing safely and finish as a married couple. The records that might fall are:

• Speed world record for the fastest overall or mixed-pair Pacific Ocean crossing
• First CA-Hawaii Pacific crossing by a mixed pair
• First Finn to row an ocean

Isn't ocean rowing dangerous?

Yes. But we have done our best to eliminate risks, so that we can react to any outside factors, such as storms, ships and gear issues. We believe with proper preparation our risks are comparable to riding a bicycle on California roads.

Is this a race?

We will complete our expedition as part of the inaugural Great Pacific Rowing Race. So yes, our row will be officially timed and supervised. We will be the only California team in the event. However, given the size of the Pacific Ocean and only a handful of boats participating, after the first day it is very unlikely that we'll be seeing any other boats during our months of rowing.

What does 'unsupported' mean?

We will carry all our food, drinks and other gear from start to finish and can not accept any help from anyone during the expedition. We will, however, communicate with our land-based crew over phone or email.

Can you update your blog from the ocean?

We will have an Iridium satellite phone that allows us to open up a data connection using 1980's data speeds (2400bps). We hope to update our blog every few days.

What if s**t hits the fan, will someone rescue you?

Nobody is going to be following us close by, not a boat, not a helicopter, so we have to be prepared to solve any problems by ourselves and survive at least a few days in any situation. However, we have prepared for several challenges, including these:

• Accidents: We've gone through hours of first-aid and ocean survival training and have plenty of tools to fix electronic or mechanical issues with our rowing boat.
• Storms: Our boat has been built to self-right if it is capsized. If the weather gets really bad, we will deploy our sea anchor and lock ourselves into our tiny, but water-tight cabin.
• Large boats: Our rowing boat has an active radar reflector. One of us will also be rowing 24x7, so that we can communicate or try to steer away from a huge ship.
• Plan B: Our boat is equipped with a life raft, VHF radio, satellite phone, EPIRB emergency beacon and other more primitive ways of communication in case all else fails.

Where does the money go if I donate?

100% of the donations will go directly to the non-profit organization we support, not to cover our expedition costs. Your donation is 100% 501(c)(3) tax deductible.

What is the non-profit your support?

You can learn more about the organization here.

What’s the deal about sugar?

We finally have solid scientific evidence that we aren’t obese and diabetic because we've suddenly become lazy and lost our self-control. Especially sugar is changing the biochemistry in our bodies in a way that is making us sick. Sugar is now in almost all packaged foods, making it a real exposure problem. Learn more here.