STORM ADVENTURES
Norways forgotten heroes
"At nine o'clock we heard a terrible big wave coming. We said among ourselves that its to big. With a bang it threw the boat around, as if the boat was a nutshell. We passed several feets under water, and when we finally got head above water again, we were both in the lee of the boat. And there we struggled in the raging sea and swam with full oil wear and rubber boots on ..."
The Atlantic Ocean 1896
In 1896 two Norwegians set out on one of history's most harrowing journeys. George Harbo and Gabriel (Frank) Samuelsen was about to undertake something that nobody had done before them. The two Norwegian American emigrants from Farsund and Sande, had settled in New Jersey, where they worked as shellfish fishermen along the coast. The idea originated at a bar in New York, Harbo and Samuelsen went partially unemployed, shell fishing was seasonal, and the hard times made it difficult to find work. Then the idea came up ... Let´s row to Europe!
When they, on the 6th of June 1896, rowed out from Battery Park in New York City, several thousand people turned up, among the crowd, one could also find some of the world's major newspapers like NY Times and The World present to cover the event. The boat, 18 feet made of cedarwood, which was called "Fox" was named after editor and millionaire Richard K. Fox. He had on behalf of the magazine The National Police Gazette (much like a cross between playboy Sports Illustrated) promised the two men gold medals and a great reception in Paris if they managed to row all the way to Le Havre in France. After 55 days on the high seas,
in storms and gales, they arrived at the British Scilly Isles. To days later they rowed the victory lap across the English Channel to Le Havre.
Samuelsen and Harbo never saw the big win. They were indeed a gold medal, but the reward of $ 10,000 was never delivered. In Norway, the story got some attention, but the heroic achievement was soon overshadowed by exploer Fridtjof Nansen's return from the Arctic.
On June 6, 2016, the Atlantic Rowers sets out from Battery Park in Manhattan, New York. This is to the day 120 years after Frank Harbo and Georg Samuelsen started their journey across the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the first to row across using only muscle power. When we set out next June, our journey towards achieving three great goals will begin;
The Story:
Harbo and Samuelsen’s feat is unknown to most. The two were the first to row across the Atlantic Ocean, from New York to the Scilly Isles south of Cornwall in England, in an open clinker-built rowboat made of cedar. The arduous journey nearly claimed their lives when the boat capsized under the force of a violent storm. They lost all their provisions and the outlook looked bleak. By pure chance, Harbo and Samuelsen came across the Norwegian schooner “Viking” which gave them new supplies, allowing them to continue their journey towards England.
Goal:
“To make the story and feat of Frank Harbo and Georg Samuelsen known to many more people through our expedition and TV documentary that we are making for NRK!”
The record:
The record from New York to Europe still belongs to Harbo and Samuelsen. On August 1, 1896, they arrived at St. Mary on the Isles of Scilly in England after 55 days at sea. Subsequently, several two-man rowing boats have attempted to break the record, but without success.
Goal:
“To break the record of Harbo and Samuelsen by rowing from New York to England in under 55 days!”
The distance:
New York - Oslo is a distance that has never been rowed before. The distance is approx. 7,300 km or approx. 3,950 nautical miles. First we will row from New York to England. After arriving at the Isles of Scilly in England, the journey continues through the English Channel, the North Sea, Skagerak and then the final leg into the Oslofjord with the finish at Aker Brygge. The goal is to cover the entire distance in about 70 days, which means we have to row just over 100 km or 54 nautical miles each day.
Goal:
“To be the first two to row the distance New York – Oslo using only muscle power!”