… a shallow water boat crossing the Atlantic Ocean, captained by Ralph and Robert Brown, will set multiple Guinness Book World Records! A US Marine (Former), Ralph’s idea is to “Do More Than Just Say Thanks” for our wounded veterans.
This voyage keeps a 29 year old solemn promise Ralph made to honor fallen heroes from the ill fated 1980 EAGLE CLAW mission (pdf) to rescue the US Embassy hostages in Iran in 1980. Ralph, as a United States Marine, was on the original roster to go, but a different unit was called up, and Sgt. John Harvey, Cpl. George Holmes, and SSgt. Dewey Johnson lost their lives.
Setting out on June 27, 2009, the goals of this heroic adventure are to set new Guinness Book World records for a Transatlantic crossing and to raise money for Wounded Heroes from the USA, UK and Canada.
Two brothers, Ralph and Robert Brown (Author of the book “Bermuda Suicide Challenge in a Flats Boat”) are crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a Dreamboats Intruder 21′ Flats Boat – a small, open fishing boat (no cabin, no keel) that is able to operate in two inches of water. Their first World Record was an Atlantic Trip was from North Carolina to Bermuda and back to NYC in 2007. The Dreamboats Intruder-21, powered by ultra reliable Interstate Batteries and a single Suzuki outboard, will be the first Flats Boat (and the smallest power boat) to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
This voyage will take them from Tampa, Florida, up the US east coast, to Canada, Greenland, Iceland, London England and ending at the /Landstuhl Regional Medical Center/.near Frankfurt, Germany. The “I Am Second” voyage team is planning a reception with the wounded heroes being evacuated from our current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Notes from Mike: This is kind of a local story in the grand scheme of things. These two brothers are from Waltham, MA and as you can read from the above article they are attempting to go from Tampa Florida to Germany on a 21 foot open center console boat. As I’m sure some of you know, even being out at Stellwagon on this size boat can get pretty hairy if the weather comes in. I would say a journey of this magnitude, the odds are you won’t make it. But these boys are plugging along and safe so far. I am posting this story for a couple of reasons. One is to raise awareness for this mission. I believe it is a great cause. As a former Marine myself, there is truley a bond between all Marines serving this country. Secondly, as a boating community, Gloucester folks can relate to these types of adventures that raise money for a good cause. I hope to get a phone interview when they reach Scotland or the UK. They are currently at the Shetland Islands off of Scotland. The last week has been a tough one for the brothers. Please go to the website. You can read the blogs and track their progress. Please pass the word and buy a shirt to help fallen soldiers families in the USA, Canada, and the UK.
http://www.crosstheatlantic.com
Good Morning Gloucester 