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5,000-mile trek across Atlantic stops in Point Pleasant Beach

amid cloud of skepticism, absence of traditional voyage log

FRIDAY 11.27.15

Rowing in sea
of controversy
Sharing a lot
with those who
have so little
ANDREW FORD @ANDREWFORDNEWS

h Arriving with him also was a tsunami of controversy doubts from some

Arturo Vargas said he was robbed the day before

Thanksgiving.
Through a social worker who translated for him, the
57-year-old from Mexico explained that he lives on the
streets of Lakewood and four men took his few possessions. But thanks to a group of volunteers working
with the Macedonia Baptist Church, he got a warm
holiday meal turkey, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes.
He said he was very hungry, so God bless us, said
Erika Rodriguez, the social worker.
She was one of more than 230 people who volunteered to give away meals, according to Anjelica Schirripa, another social worker who volunteered. They
served more than 1,400 people in 19 towns.
Schirripa and Rodriguez have been coming to the
event for about 14 years.
Its not a Thanksgiving without coming here,

international rowers that he is truly the first black man to cross the Atlantic

See SHARING, Page 6A

DAVID GARD/CORRESPONDENT

Victor Mooney on his 24-foot boat Spirit of Malabo at Kens Landing in Point Pleasant Beach earlier this month. He claims he
rowed across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa.

DAN RADEL @DANIELRADELAPP

n Nov. 13, Victor Mooney rowed into Kens Landing in his 24-foot wooden
double-hulled boat the Spirit of Malabo, bringing with him fantastic tales of
sinking crafts and rescues, swarming shark attacks and plundering pirates.

by himself in a row boat. h Mooney, a 50-year old native of Queens, claims he is on the final
leg of a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean, an epic journey he plans to conclude at the
Brooklyn Bridge in short order. h On Tuesday, he left Point Pleasant Beach and was in Atlantic Highlands Harbor Marina Wednesday, just across the harbor from his final destination.
He embarked on the 5,000-mile trek in February
2014 to raise awareness for AIDS, the disease he said
took his brothers life in 1983. Mooney would be the
first black rower to complete the route, which has another distinction: it was well-traveled when the Atlantic slave trade was active.
Estimates vary, but approximately 12 million Africans were placed on ships bound for the New World.
An estimated 4 million died on what became known as
the Middle Passage.
But for Mooney, who visited the House of Slaves
and Door of No Return museum on Goree Island, off
the west coast of Africa, even getting himself shackled in a photo opt, the distinction of being the first
black to row the route has been secondary to his message about a contemporary scourge.
I feel a cure is on the horizon. Its taken me four
boats to finally reach the shores of the United States. I
never gave up. I hope the people living with AIDS nevVictor Mooney plans to conclude his 5,000-mile voyage at
the Brooklyn Bridge.

See ROWING, Page 14A

When people hear of my survival they sometimes think I am a special or unique

person. Through this challenge my faith in the Father has been increased.
VICTORY MOONEY WHO HAS BEEN ON A 5,000-MILE TREK TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR AIDS SINCE FEBRUARY 2014

The stimulant linked to the perpetrators of the Paris terrorist attacks has a
murky history. Story, 1B

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ANDREW FORD/STAFF PHOTO

Arturo Vargas, 57, said via a translator that he lives on

the streets of Lakewood and was grateful for a
Thanksgiving meal.

INSIDE
Thanks to a big volunteer effort, some 350 Thanksgiving
meals were served at the soup kitchen in Red Bank.
Story, 3A