Oceans of Purpose: How Jordan Hanssen Found Meaning Through Rowing
Like plenty of other college rowers who felt he had more to prove on the water after graduation, Jordan Hanssen committed to training with a goal of making the National Team. But when he spotted a flier in the boathouse inviting rowers to take on an ocean, the trajectory of his rowing career – and life – changed completely.
We sat down with Jordan to talk about his 2006 World Record-setting Atlantic row, and a second Atlantic crossing that ended with a capsized boat in the Bermuda Triangle. But the story of the boat – named for his late father and outfitted with scientific instruments and satellite communications – didn’t end there.
GUEST:
Jordan Hanssen
Founder and Former President, OARS Northwest
Author, Rowing Into the Son: Four Young Men Crossing the North Atlantic
www.jordanhanssen.com / www.tinyboatsession.com
Instagram: @Jordanhanssen / @tinyboatsession
Facebook: Jordan Eugene Hanssen / Tiny Boat Sessions
Substack: @Jordanhanssen
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode intro and banter
02:04 - Rowing Week
03:19 - The Huddle
03:51 - Hot Seat Q&A
08:39 - Oar the Rainbow de-brief
12:21 - Rowing Origin Story: learning to row in college and a very memorable first head race
15:07 - From National team dreams to pulling together a team for a race across the Atlantic, and creating OAR Northwest
19:31 - Setting a Guinness World Record; rowing the Atlantic a second time with a new purpose
23:31 - CWF Africa to the Americas Expedition: Dakar, Senegal bound for Miami, FL capsized 72 days in
25:56 - The “10 most cowboy days” of Jordan’s life searching for, finding, and retrieving, the boat
28:08 - The boat’s namesake, its last mission and “funeral,” and handling grief
37:36 - Seeking to make OAR Northwest: The Film
39:47 - Connect with Jordan
40:45 - Wrapping up his pandemic project Tiny Boat Sessions
43:04 - Steady State Network news and notes
45:50 - Outtake
Episode Mentions
BOOKS
Rowing Into the Son: Four Young Men Crossing the North Atlantic
BUSINESSES
Inflatable Film
CLUBS
Lake Washington Rowing Club
EQUIPMENT
Dory
Jersey skiff
EVENTS
Adventure Columbia River 2015
Adventure Mississippi River 2014 & 2016
CWF Africa to the Americas 2013
Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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