{"id":33821,"date":"2023-03-03T00:26:21","date_gmt":"2023-03-03T07:26:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mission-accomplished-3000-mile-row-across-the-atlantic-ocean\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:13:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:13:50","slug":"mission-accomplished-3000-mile-row-across-the-atlantic-ocean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mission-accomplished-3000-mile-row-across-the-atlantic-ocean\/","title":{"rendered":"Mission accomplished: 3,000-mile row across the Atlantic Ocean"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=94860ede-a29f-555f-a1f4-ec3037b727d2&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" alt=\"Team Guardian completed the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge in 51 days. (Courtesy Mark Pfetzer)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Team Guardian completed the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge in 51 days. (Courtesy Mark Pfetzer)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>San Juan County Sheriff\u2019s Capt. Mark Pfetzer said there were \u201clots of lessons learned\u201d during Team Guardian\u2019s 51-day mission to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n<p>Pfetzer, 43, Lt. Jarrod Slindee, 35, and retired deputy Sgt. Mike Hogue, 58, were recently celebrated by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-journal.com\/articles\/team-guardian-welcomed-home-by-san-juan-county-officials\/\" id=\"link-e30650aa9431923a63edb6924c98a576\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Juan County officials <\/a>for successfully completing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com\/\" id=\"link-f35bfbf290642d7ab19cdfe718a3dde3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge<\/a> and raising money and support for first responders in the Four Corners region.<\/p>\n<p>Pfetzer\u2019s understanding of the challenges first responders face began with his own father.<\/p>\n<p>Pfetzer\u2019s father took medical retirement after 20 years as a police officer. He didn\u2019t sleep, Pfetzer said. \u201cI grew up with a dad who was unwell from the job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Providing resources for first responders was a goal for Team Guardian. Pfetzer and Slindee talked to professionals and researched training opportunities when organizing <a href=\"https:\/\/guardianinitiatives.org\/cause-1\" id=\"link-eb0e9c6b0457bb41ad937c41f608d81c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Team Guardian Initiatives<\/a>, and have introduced numerous trainings to support fire, police and dispatch operators.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video wp-block-embed-youtube naviga-video-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hyFs56bEVzM\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The team also honored a fallen deputy, Katie Becenti, by naming their boat Katie Ella. Becenti reportedly took her life in 2020 while on duty.<\/p>\n<p>Participating in the Talisker challenge not only allowed the team to raise awareness, it appealed to Pfetzer\u2019s athletic interests.<\/p>\n<p>A Rhode Island native, Pfetzer spent many hours fishing with his grandfather, an avid fisherman. He grew up about a mile from the ocean, which afforded him opportunities to become very comfortable in the water as he learned to scuba dive and to pursue nonwater-related sports.<\/p>\n<p>Pfetzer was the only member of his family to engage in mountain climbing. He attempted two Mount Everest assents with commercial expeditions at 15 and 16 years old. Those experiences taught him the importance of teamwork, communication, perseverance, and mental and physical toughness.<\/p>\n<p>The inspiration to participate in the Talisker challenge stemmed from several books and films.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDeep Water,\u201d a documentary about sailboat racing, and \u201cThe Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst,\u201d a book about Crowhurst\u2019s around-the-world solo sailing journey, sparked Pfetzer\u2019s initial interest in sailing about 15 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA Fighting Chance,\u201d a book about two men who were the first to row across the ocean, renewed his interest, and he said to his wife, Robyn, \u201cThis would be fun. I want to do this.\u201d Robyn said, \u201cAbsolutely not \u2026 no way. People die doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His wife\u2019s attitude softened after reading Crowhurst\u2019s story and watching the documentary \u201cLosing Sight of Shore,\u201d the story of a team of six women who rowed 9,000 miles from California to Australia.<\/p>\n<p>When Pfetzer told Robyn about the plan to join the Talisker challenge, her response was more positive than expected. He said he wondered if that was at least partly because she doubted the trip would actually happen.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image naviga-align-left alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=bd9a2414-ba22-5179-893d-b3ef9bfb7069&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" alt=\"Team members planned and trained for four years for the 3,000 mile race. (Courtesy Mark Pfetzer)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Team members planned and trained for four years for the 3,000 mile race. (Courtesy Mark Pfetzer)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Training and preparation began in the fall of 2018.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey say the hardest part of the race is getting to the start line. There\u2019s so much to do, so much prep,\u201d Pfetzer said.<\/p>\n<p>The official rules required proof of a specific number of training hours and performance of specific skills and drills, including deployment of a 12-foot para-anchor, a parachute-type anchor that helps steer a boat in the face of high winds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of the prep was learning all about ocean rowing, and we started a nonprofit at the same time. We said we\u2019re not going to do this if it\u2019s not benefiting this cause \u2026 so that\u2019s why we were very passionate \u2013 before we even rowed \u2013 bringing in training and putting money aside for treatment for first responders,\u201d Pfetzer said.<\/p>\n<p>The team trained on the water at Navajo Lake, learning how to move around on the boat, improving their rowing technique and practicing using the para-anchor.<\/p>\n<p>The para-anchor proved vital to staying on course in the face of strong northern winds during the final few weeks of the challenge.<\/p>\n<p>Their ocean training took place in May 2022. They completed a 36-hour row in the English Channel, then a 55-hour row and a 10-hour row along the Atlantic coast from Florida to South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>The team embarked on its trip Dec. 12 from La Gomera in the Spanish Canary Islands. They arrived Feb. 2 at English Harbor, Antigua, in the Guadelopue Passage of the Caribbean area.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=5928bceb-440e-5066-9749-25ab7da5ffc1&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" alt=\"The team trained in the English Channel and off the coast from Florida to South Carolina. (Courtesy Mark Pfetzer)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">The team trained in the English Channel and off the coast from Florida to South Carolina. (Courtesy Mark Pfetzer)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>They also completed required training in Atlantic Ocean rowing, navigation, first aid and sea survival, and became licensed to operate very high frequency radios. They became proficient at operating the chart plotter, the boat\u2019s electrical systems and automatic identification system, which alerts other boats in the area to its presence.<\/p>\n<p>Some lessons were only learned once out on the water, such as keeping the seat bearings oiled and packed with Vaseline every few days to ward off saltwater corrosion after they malfunctioned and had to be replaced early in the trip.<\/p>\n<p>Staying physically health during the trip required careful planning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy race rules, based on your weight, you have to carry a certain amount of calories per day per person,\u201d Pfetzer said.<\/p>\n<p>The team\u2019s menu included dehydrated packets of beef stroganoff and stew, chicken dumplings, eggs and biscuits and gravy, which they sampled before the race to pick out favorites. They had each had three meals a day, plus a snack bag, in order to consume the necessary calories.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI ate like a pig from Day One. If those guys didn\u2019t eat from their snack pack, I was eating it,\u201d Pfetzer said. He lost the least amount of weight, about 15 pounds. Slindee lost about 27 pounds, and Hogue lost over 20 pounds.<\/p>\n<p>The crew rowed 17 hours a day, two hours on and one hour off, and a four-hour sleeping break. The oars were always manned by a least one person. Hogue admirably kept pace with his younger mates, Pfetzer said, but \u201cwe all struggled at times.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The crew\u2019s supply of drinkable water came from use of a seawater desalination system, a supply 0f 40 liters of fresh water, 30 liters of reserve water in the bottom of the boat, which went untouched, and bags of water in their emergency supply bags.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=db521d53-1d7c-5ebc-8520-6f19d94db58d&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" alt=\"San Juan County Sheriff\u2019s Capt. Mark Pfetzer served as boat captain on the 3,000-mile journey. Pictured at Artifacts Gallery. (David Edward Albright\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">San Juan County Sheriff\u2019s Capt. Mark Pfetzer served as boat captain on the 3,000-mile journey. Pictured at Artifacts Gallery. (David Edward Albright\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>The team not only faced rough waters, high winds and 20- to 30-foot swells, but also mental fatigue and emotional stress.<\/p>\n<p>Keeping up morale when the journey got dark was a challenge. \u201cYou got a job to do \u2013 you gotta row. You talk and build each other up,\u201d Pfetzer said.<\/p>\n<p>He encouraged teammates by saying, \u201cListen, in two weeks this is all going to be over \u2026 and this is all going to be a memory. All you gotta worry about is the next oar stroke.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019d joke with each other \u2026 but sometimes you just gotta let each other work through it. Like for me, if I\u2019m going to be grumpy, I\u2019m just going to be grumpy for a little bit. More often than not, spirits were good on the boat,\u201d Pfetzer said.<\/p>\n<p>The team stayed in touch with family using satellite phones, and Pfetzer used a Garmin inReach device connected to his cellphone for texting, but the time away from their families wore on them.<\/p>\n<p>It was really hard when closing in on their destination, Pfetzer said, knowing that family and friends awaited their arrival. They basically seemed to hit a wall at one point.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe winds are coming out of the North, and we gotta turn the boat northwest and row to try to go west,\u201d Pfetzer said, but they worked extremely hard, rowing all day to finally get back on course.<\/p>\n<p>They finished the challenge in the early morning hours of Feb. 2. They were greeted by family, friends and San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari. \u201cI don\u2019t regret this ocean row at all, but I wouldn\u2019t do it again. It\u2019s a lot of time away from family, and our wives made a lot of sacrifices. The other members of the team agreed with that sentiment during their welcome home event. Pfetzer and his wife love to hike, fish, camp and mountain bike, so those pursuits will consume their leisure time once again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe best way I can describe the whole thing is humbling. The support from the community, the rowing with the team \u2026 the size of the ocean and the challenge it was. We\u2019re grateful to God, it\u2019s all his story \u2026 for allowing it to happen,\u201d Pfetzer said.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image naviga-align-left alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=3a043d3b-7f0a-5160-8915-8cf502cf565a&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"The once-in-a-lifetime experience was a community effort, with support and sacrifice from friends and family as well as the team members. (Courtesy Mark Pfetzer)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">The once-in-a-lifetime experience was a community effort, with support and sacrifice from friends and family as well as the team members. (Courtesy Mark Pfetzer)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p><em id=\"emphasis-84f4606dce5b4b400a1e30134c831814\">This article was republished March 6 to include information about where and when Team Guardian started and completed its journey.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Guardian raises funds to support first responders<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[2656],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-33821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-san-juan-county-sheriffs-office-new-mexico"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33821"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82360,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33821\/revisions\/82360"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33821"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=33821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}