Four men who embarked from Huntington on a non-stop row-boat trip more than 300 miles around Long Island for charity on Monday made it to the East River by dusk.
The Long Islanders set out at 9 a.m. from West Neck Beach in a 26-foot Whitehall Skiff to raise awareness for the nonprofit Wounded Warriors Project, which provides programs and services to severely injured service members during the time between active duty and transition to civilian life.
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The row-a-thon is in honor of Nathan Bruckenthal, a Smithtown-native who in 2004 became the first U.S. Coast Guard officer killed in combat since the Vietnam War. Bruckenthal lost his life intercepting a waterborne suicide bomber at an oil terminal off the Coast of Iraq.
Rich Shalvoy, a former lifeguard from Long Beach and organizer of Round the Island Row, estimates that the trip will take about 76 hours. Rowing with him is 56-year-old Chris Cuddihy, Chris Rizopoulou and Cuddihy’s son, Ryan. In 2008, Chris Cuddihy was on a team to row across the Atlantic Ocean.
“We believe very strongly in the Wounded Warriors Project,” said Nathan’s father, Northport Police Chief Eric Bruckenthal. “These four gentleman are out there rowing for a wonderful cause, and that they connected it with Nate’s name even makes it better.”
Chief Bruckenthal met the four men Sunday at a memorial service held at Eaton’s Neck Coast Guard Station in honor of his son.
This is not Shalvoy’s first row around the island. In 1997, he did the trip solo to fundraise for breast cancer research. This tour marks a comeback for his charitable efforts, which were put on the backburner when he was diagnosed with melanoma.
To donate or track the progress of the trip, log on to www.roundislandrow.com
By Christine Smith
