Queens Man Makes 3rd Attempt To Row Across Atlantic
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- In an effort to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, a Queens man said he will make his third and final attempt to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Inspired by his brother, who died from AIDS in 1983, 45-year-old Victor Mooney will begin his journey from Cape Verde and row to the Caribbean and eventually aims to reach the Brooklyn Bridge.
Mooney told 1010 WINS that the journey -- which he hopes to begin the first week of February -- is expected to take "six to eight months."
"We're just hoping for every stroke that I make across the Atlantic Ocean that someone could get tested for HIV/AIDS," he said.
WCBS 880's Ginny Kosola spoke with Mooney on Monday as he prepared for his journey at the New York Sports Club in Rego Park.
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WCBS 880 Reporter Ginny Kosola talks with a man attempting to row across the Atlantic Ocean.
"At this day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, where it's...'I have a dream' and I have a dream that one day there will be a cure for HIV/AIDS," Mooney said.
The married father of four children said he has a state-of-the-art row boat this time that will give extra support to his efforts.
"This is a better boat. [The] navel architect was from France. It's a carbon fiber boat. We increased the solar panels and also added a wind turbine," Mooney said.
With that boat and seventy sponsors, Mooney said he is simply hoping for "calm seas in the Atlantic" and is staying focused on making it across this time around.
"This is I believe what I've been chosen to do. I've dedicated an enormous amount of time and if you start something, you should finish it," Mooney said.
