Mission accomplished: Four men row 3,100 miles across Pacific Ocean

News admin June 25, 2026 0 Comments

Mission accomplished: Four men row 3,100 miles across Pacific Ocean

KAHULUI (HawaiiNewsNow) – Family and friends welcomed four men to Kahului Harbor on Wednesday morning after the crew completed a 53-day mission to row about 3,100 miles from Washington state to Maui.

The men arrived around 10 a.m. to cheers from the dock, followed by hugs, kisses and lei, as loved ones waited to reunite with them.

Greg Anderson of Row West Pacific said the arrival felt “surreal” after weeks at sea.

“We’ve been anticipating this day for 53 days now, and out there started to feel like Groundhog’s Day,” Anderson said. “It was a lot of the same seas, a lot of the same conditions, a lot of the same suffering.”

The four men, who met on social media, began their journey together May 2. The crew traveled without engines, sails or a follow boat, just relying on strength and faith to reach Maui.

Together, they wanted to show the world anyone can accomplish extraordinary things.

Joshua Dukes of Row West Pacific said the crossing was more difficult than he expected, citing the elements and sleep deprivation.

“Initially, we thought it was going to be physical, like a lot of exercise. We trained super hard and stuff for it. But I’d say the hardest thing was just a combination of the elements and sleep deprivation. I knew we were going to be cold, but I didn’t realize we were going to be that cold, and I didn’t realize that we were going to be laying on water for days on end,” Dukes said, adding that there was a stretch when he did not feel his feet because they were numb.

Along the way, the men raised money for Aerial Recovery, which the script describes as a nonprofit that uses veterans and first responders to combat sex trafficking around the world.

For crew member Johnny Martinez, a Marine Corps veteran and ultra marathon athlete who lives in Wisconsin, the end of the expedition marked a new beginning for his life.

After landfall in Kahului, he had one more mission to accomplish: getting down on one knee and proposing to his girlfriend.

“Newly engaged. I’m very excited about that,” Martinez said. “For me, this is an ancestral reconnection and coming back to the homeland… here to embrace it all. Very grateful for everyone for the experience. It’s been incredible.”

As the men went home with their loved ones, crew member Wilton Ngotel said there are just a few things left on his to-do list.

“Mochiko chicken… maybe you can point me in the right direction,” he said. “Fifty-three days without rice. That’s suffering as an island boy.”