Waving farewellto rowing dream
By JOYCE SHELBY
Victor Mooney (above) is back home after his unsuccessful bid to be the first African-American to row solo across the Atlantic.
-->Victor Mooney did float his boat, but not for very long. He figures it was in the water for no more than three hours.
When his vessel sank in the Atlantic on May 7, Mooney said his dream of rowing alone from Africa to the Brooklyn Bridge went down, too.
"I won't have in my lifespan the time to do this a second time ... I think God has other plans for me - on land," Mooney, 41, said late last week just after returning to work.
A public affairs officer at the downtown Brooklyn campus of ASA Institute, Mooney lives in Woodhaven, Queens, with his wife and four children. In 2003, he started preparing to be the first African-American to row alone across the Atlantic Ocean, a journey he estimated would take eight months.
A native of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Mooney grew up in Freeport, L.I., where, "the ocean is your backyard," he said. He has been rowing since he was a kid.
His solo row wasn't planned just so he could be a "first." Mooney wanted to call attention to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa and raise money for medicines.
A devout Catholic, he wanted to encourage abstinence. And he wanted to remember the harsh voyages of African ancestors sold into slavery centuries ago.
Mooney built his rowboat in downtown Brooklyn. The 24-foot vessel was damaged when unloaded in Dakar, Senegal, he said. Repairs were made and the boat was thoroughly checked.
But once at sea, Mooney said the rowboat quickly started taking on water. He was rescued by the Senegalese Navy.
"When I saw the rowboat submerged, I thought about all the preparation," Mooney said. "But I kept feeling my ancestors were pleased because I was able to memorialize them . . .
"Even now, what I tried doesn't seem crazy," Mooney said. "Although the boat went down, the effort was well received."
What's next? Mooney isn't at all sure. But he's certain his next challenge, on land, will involve Africa. Meanwhile, he said he will encourage individuals and governments to contribute money and medicine to fight the AIDS pandemic there.
"I kept my promise as best I could," Mooney said. "I feel good with that. Now, somebody else must follow me."