Fight Oar Die vets back from crossing ocean

EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) - Fifty-four days is how long it took four veterans to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. On the team is an Evansville man.

You may have seen our exclusive interviews with Alex Evans before, but you may not recognize him now. Alex Evans before Fight Oar Die cast off the Canary Islands and after landing in the West Indies.

“The mirror. I hadn’t seen a mirror in quite a long time. I definitely didn’t know that my beard was getting that gray,” says Evans.

Eight weeks at sea rowing and sleeping in three hour shifts.

“You’re eating 4,500 calories a day or something like that and still losing weight,” says Evans.

Salt sores, blisters, and hallucinations.

“There are times where you feel like you’re rowing a boat through the Everglades or something where out of your peripherals you’ll see trees on either side. A lot of times it feels like you’re rowing underneath a bridge,” says Evans.

There was hardly a soul in sight.

“We saw a sailboat one night that all the lights were out. The sails were pretty loose, and we tried to call them on the radio. No one on the radio. It was all dark inside. It was like a ghost boat that just floated right by us,” says Evans.

The ocean was alive with Hammerhead sharks, dolphins, and Dorado fish.

“A whale and her calf that swam about 3 feet under the boat, and they hung out for like 6 hours,” says Evans.

With nothing but time, Evans drafted books in his head.

“You’ll never see that many stars in your life. There’s really no where on earth that’s more remote than that. It’s quiet, peaceful, beautiful. The ocean is constantly changing, so you literally have a different tapestry every 10 seconds,” says Evans.

Changes sometimes brought 50 foot waves.

“Completely vertical on this wave, and we start to watch the wave curl over the boat really slow,” says Evans.

He is still in awe that was not the end.

“We figured out we weren’t dead and just started laughing hysterically, totally uncalled for,” says Evans.

Four men started as friends and became brothers.

“You learn something about yourself. You lean something about them. You really gain an appreciation for one another. Also, you’re relying on one another so much. The guy next to you is the only thing that’s keeping you around. It’s the only thing that’s getting you back to see your family. The only thing you have are each other,” says Evans.

Fight Oar Die’s 2019 team is set. They will announce that soon, but for now the group is moving forward with training, scheduling, and fundraising.

Learn more about the rowing team and how to join their fight here.

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