Around the World and back-by hybrid car?

First appeared on July 29th, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

The next time your job seems impossible or painfully repetitive, take a moment to think of Oliver Hicks. This Englishman, who was first to row a boat solo across the Atlantic, is currently attempting to row solo “around the world”. Of course his definition of “around the world” is highly debatable as Hicks is rowing an extreme southern route around Antarctica. It still bears mentioning that, while his may not be a true “around the world” adventure, it is nonetheless impressive as the seas around Antarctica are notorious for being violent and unruly. In addition to this, rowing a boat can be quite taxing as anyone who has ever done so for any length of time knows, be it five minutes or the four months it took Hicks to cross the Atlantic.
Zac Sunderland knows something about high seas adventure as well. While most teenagers fret about passing Biology or fending off a bad case of acne, the 16 year old Sunderland had larger fish to fry in trying to survive 15 foot seas and pirates in the Indian Ocean. Last week this young American became the first sailor under the age of 18, and the youngest ever, to circumnavigate the world solo. And while circumnavigation may be a large word, it does not begin to describe how massive a challenge going around the world in anything actually is.
Beyond the sheer size of the planet, 24,000 miles around when she’s sporting form fitting jeans, there are so many unpredictable hazards involved with circling the globe that courage surely must prove a fickle companion to those attempting it solo. Whether it be by airplane (American Wiley Post 1933), sailboat (Englishman Robin Knox Johnston 1968) or hot air balloon (American Steve Fossett 2002), being the first to go around the world alone in anything is beyond brave; but to do it as a 16 year old kid is altogether inspiring. Rumor has it Al Gore has found Zac’s story so inspirational he’s going to try to be the first to go around the world in a hybrid car, good luck Al.
Sailing aboard the 36 foot Intrepid, it took Sunderland 13 months to go from Marina del Ray back to Marina del Ray. His most harrowing moments came when he was forced to sail with busted mast rigging and a shaky radar, unfortunate events that forced him to go 60 hours without sleep. Remember this is a kid who should be more worried about getting his learner’s permit so he can drive grandma to the pharmacy instead of searching the ocean in pitch black darkness for cargo ships so massive they could have sliced the Intrepid in two like a warm stick of butter.
With stories like the wreck of the Titanic and those highlighting the horrible fate of the U.S.S. Indianapolis crew, the ocean has long been a point of romanticism and fascination. And while Deadliest Catch may go a long way in reminding us the open ocean and Mother Nature are both formidable foes, with all man has done to conquer the world he lives in, it is far too easy to forget the ocean itself is a mass of deadly potential.
Forget Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, from rogue waves to shifting winds or the tectonic activity that spawn deadly episodes like the tsunami of 2004 (estimated to have killed over 300,000 people), the ocean should strike awe and wonder in our hearts while also commanding our respect. So here’s to young Zac Sunderland and the optimistic Oliver Hicks, may yours be a journey appreciated by all.