Life lessons learned, and… a proposal: Rowers arrive on Maui after epic 3,100-mile journey from Washington
A four member crew arrived on Maui, Wednesday after 54 days on the open ocean. The Row West Pacific voyage from Washington State to Kahului Harbor marked the completion of a 3,100 mile trek using pure human strength.
The voyage has been challenging, with the crew navigating back-to-back storms, severe seasickness, and difficult winds.
“Initially, we thought we were going to get in on the 17th, but then a storm came out of the south from Mexico. That tropical storm basically blocked the trade winds and stopped our momentum. There was a week of just rowing through wet cement,” said Joshua Dukes, a former Maui firefighter who accepted the extreme challenge as part of a four-man crew that also included Greg Anderson, Johnny Martinez and Wilton Ngotel.
Family and friends greeted the men, celebrating what was described as a spiritual milestone for those onboard.
Dukes said he was able to regain focus, noting his purpose and mission in life are to help people heal—specifically fathers who have lost children and military and first responders with exposure to Post-Traumatic Stress.
Many on Maui remember the heartbreaking loss of Dukes’ three-year-old boy, Trucker, to childhood cancer in 2017. A beloved father and firefighter, Dukes spent 13 years with the department, but parted ways after the COVID pandemic. He has since started a small business and volunteers with Aerial Recovery, a nonprofit that carries out humanitarian special operations work around the globe.
The crew raised over $15,000 via a GoFundMe account to support their mission.
All crew members were greeted with flower lei, hugs and the warmth of the islands as they tried to get their sea legs and re-acclimate themselves to solid ground.
“I wasn’t expecting my legs to feel like this. They feel like spaghetti noodles,” said Anderson. “It took us 54 days. What it taught us out there is just, a level of appreciation and gratitude for everything that we have back home, and how important everything is that we left behind. And just coming back to this and having our families greet us—it’s a really surreal moment.”
“To be honest, it feels good. It feels different,” said Ngotel. “This is what I was looking forward to—feeling the mana (divine power) here in Maui… This journey for me was a spiritual journey… It was nothing short of miraculous, [with] good lessons and reflections out on the ocean—especially what brotherhood means to me and what community means.”
The experience had put life into perspective for all, notably for crew member Johnny Martinez, who dropped to one knee and proposed to his girlfriend on the pier before a crowd of well-wishers.
“Out here, I was able to ponder on all the relationships that I have right now in my life… I spent the first probably two weeks crying… After that, it was a really big kind of slap in the face of—this is something I want to do very badly,” said Martinez.
The seafaring voyage was a reminder for fellow crew-mate Ngotel to accept difficult challenges. He said the father figure in the Disney film Moana forbade his daughter from treading into dangerous waters, reminding her: “No one goes beyond the reef!”
“As a an islander growing up in our society, it’s almost metaphorical—like our grandparents telling us not to go do things because they’re dangerous. Often times we kind of hold ourselves back because we’re very respectful, and we lose out on chances like that. So with all due respect, go and do the things that light your soul on fire, and dream big and you can get it done,” said Ngotel.
After nearly eight weeks on the water, Dukes realized the journey was a test of endurance and willpower rather than just a physical challenge.
“You never really felt settled [out there],” said Dukes, ” …and then compound that with 54 days of sleep deprivation—It’s definitely challenging. [Itʻs] probably the most challenging thing I’ve done in my life.”
“What’s next for me?” Dukes pondered. “I think kind of a restructuring. I’ve realized that I’ve had a drift in my priorities. I’ve just been so busy with work that I want to put in some days where I’m connecting with family and doing some dreaming with my wife about, maybe what the next chapter is for business and for life and for how we can just help people.”
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD“I feel like really did some soul searching out there on what my purpose is and why I’m supposed to be here. And I know it’s supposed to help people heal, and I can’t do that working 70 hours a week. So I got to start scheduling some time,” said Dukes.
Find out more about the Row West Pacific journey at https://www.rowwestpacific.com.
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