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EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
The Story of 4 Friends Who Broke
the Transatlantic Rowing Record
Expect the Unexpected
The Story of 4 Friends
Who Broke the Transatlantic Rowing Record

OCEAN FOURS
GIJS GROEVEVELD, ROBERT HOEVE, MAARTEN STAARINK, JAAP KOOMEN
(Written by Donna Beech with Maarten Staarink & Gijs Groeneveld)

Do just once what others say you can't do,
and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.

James Cook

Who are the men who take themselves to the limit? What happens when four college friends set out  to break the transatlantic rowing record, when they're not super jocks or adrenalin junkies and they don't even know how to row?
These four dauntless young men wanted more out of life than adventure ... but wouldn't settle for less.
Few of us would dare to cross the ocean in a tiny boat with a couple of friends. But we all live our lives on the brink of possibilities we never explore. If we were to apply the skills these men learned on their astonishing adventure, we could accomplish wonders.
Most adventure stories focus on disaster. But 95% of disasters are caused by human error. To reduce the odds, these men, called Ocean Fours, devoted three years to rigorous preparation, studying what went wrong when other rowers failed or died, and working to avoid it with a thorough, well-executed plan.
Under extreme emotional and physical duress, many rowers turn on one another after 60 days at sea. Not willing to leave their friendships prey to chance (or human error) Ocean Fours hired experts to help them communicate. They set up bitch sessions at 5.00 o'clock and No Whining rules the rest of the day. They learned to demonstrate humor, kindness, generosity and respect, even under adversity.
Enduring 24-hour rowing shifts -- two hours rowing / two hours rest -- they grew strong and came ashore like brothers, with a kinship forged on the sea.
Leaving the historic record of the great Samuelsen and Harbo intact, they claimed the prize of the fastest modern unsupported crossing by rowers of the North Atlantic.

MORE ON OCEAN FOURS:  race.oceanfours.com

GIJS, ROBERT, MAARTEN, JAAP