In a rowboat to Hawaii: the Lucerne conqueror of the Atlantic takes on the next adventure

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Months in a small rowboat in the middle of the ocean, with lack of sleep, huge waves, storms and blisters on hands, feet and buttocks. A nightmare for many people. Marina Hunziker (32), on the other hand, can hardly get enough of the toil in the rowing boat.

A year ago she rowed across the Atlantic Ocean in two and a half months. But now Hunziker has long been preparing for the next adventure: the Pacific Challenge. The Pacific madness begins Tuesday in Monterey, California and ends 4,500 miles away in Hawaii.

Hunziker: «I am a child of the sea. I really enjoyed being completely disconnected from the world at sea for weeks. You become completely one with nature.”

The thirst for adventure is unsatisfied

The Lucerne native, together with team partner Sonja Buck-Graf, arrived after 75 days and 5285 kilometers rowed at the crazy Atlantic Challenge, the toughest rowing competition in the world from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean. Second to last of the 36 boats that started the race.

While Buck-Graf gratefully foregoes a second rowing trip and appreciates solid ground under his feet, Hunziker’s thirst for adventure has long since gripped him again.

And that’s because a running gag in the Atlantic community is getting serious. Hunziker: “Many rowers kept joking at the start: ‘I’ll see you on the Pacific.'” Behind the Pacific Challenge, which will take place for the first time in 2023, are the same organizers as the Atlantic Madness.

A four-man boat with three nations

In a quartet, however, the passion is so great that together they form a colorful group. The woman from Lucerne now starts with the Dutchman Iris Noordzij, the Ami Paul Lore and the Swiss Ami Mat Steinlin. As a team «Ohana». You have all lived through the ordeal of the Atlantic. Now the four of them want to conquer the Pacific Ocean and row to Hawaii.

Hunziker is excited about her next project for a special reason. She lived in California for two years, worked as an au pair and went to college. “I never lost contact with my host family. Now everyone is on their way.”

Other Swiss are present at the premiere of Pacific. The team “Ocean’s 4” with Philipp Kessler, Astrid Schmid, Denise Lützelschwab and Maria-Theresa Zwyssig comes from the Bernese Oberland. Brothers Alexander and Lorenz Gammeter row in the four-man crew of «Kiwi-Fondue». And the international quartet of “Pacific Discovery” is registered as a Swiss boat because of the joint employer SwissRe.

Source : Blick