On Jan. 20, Scott Wonenberg left his new
bride, his parents and his friends for a great adventure — rowing across
the Atlantic Ocean.
Nearly a year's passed since he embarked on the 2,900-mile voyage, which
took him and rowing partner Brett Sparrow from the Canary Islands to
Barbados.
Now he is just beginning to adjust to a new adventure: life in his
foothills home.Rowing the Atlantic,
he said, put his life into perspective. But he now cherishes even the most
routine moments spent with his wife, Marife Garcia de Wonenberg, at the
couple's cozy apartment. |
Living life to its fullest
Wonenberg, 35, started preparing for his Atlantic adventure about two
years ago, but it was a trip that was a lifetime in the making.
From the time he was a child, Wonenberg strived to live life to its
fullest.
An outdoors enthusiast, he spent much of his adolescence hiking, fishing
and backpacking with family and friends in the Sierra.
When he was 13, his father moved the family to Zimbabwe for missionary
work.
There, Wonenberg continued to seek outdoor adventure rafting and kayaking
on the Zambezi River near the African nation's northern border, watching
as elephants roamed nearby. |
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When his family returned to his native
Ceres several years later, he graduated from high school and spent a
semester in college. But he was in no way ready to settle down.
Wonenberg worked as a white-water rafting guide in the Sierra Nevada and
later took a job as a Budweiser Daredevil, touring the country while
performing acrobatic slam dunks at professional basketball games.
He met his wife in 2001 while working as an acrobat at a theme park in
Verona, Italy. She had moved from her native Spain to work as a flamenco
dancer at the same park.
They married two years later in Tenerife, an island off the Spanish coast.
Though he had found a companion, Wonenberg was still not ready for the
simple life.
His most outlandish adventure was still ahead.
Wanderlust
Just days after exchanging vows in April of 2003, Wonenberg became
"infected."
He was infected with the idea of competing in the Ocean Rowing Society's
Atlantic Rowing Regatta.
He and Sparrow, a childhood friend, spent much of the year preparing for
the race, plus searching for sponsors, supplies and a boat.
From the moment he and Sparrow got wind of the regatta, they could think
of little else, Wonenberg said.
That focus did strain his new marriage.
"We didn't have a honeymoon, nothing," said Marife, 28, who barely saw her
husband during that time.
"It was really hard for me in those days."
But she resigned herself to supporting her husband, even if not truly
understanding him.
His adventure, however, would eventually draw him closer to home.
Against all odds
Just days before the race, Wonenberg and Sparrow had still not raised
enough money for the entrance fee.
All their sponsors had backed out.
As a result, the two began the race two days late. They were unofficial
contestants — but no less determined.
Wonenberg and his friend set out to sea in a second-hand boat and
thousands of dollars in debt.
Wonenberg said his decision to leave his family weighed heavily upon him.
But his drive to win the race pushed him forward.
Physically, the competition was grueling.
Wonenberg and Sparrow alternated rowing and sleeping every two hours.
Their 21-foot boat, "Against All Odds," never paused for more than a few
moments and passed all but one of the seven other contestants.
Completing the race took less than two months.
But that was nearly two months for him to refocus his thoughts — back to
family, friends and a stable life.
He describes the experience as deeply personal and spiritual.
"You could see that there's a pattern to things or things happen for a
reason. It's a depth of knowledge that you wouldn't be able to get from
being in your normal routine life of going to work, going home," he said.
"You're out there rowing with nothing but time on your hands, your mind is
just thinking the whole time about people and places — things that really
mean something."
"When I came back, all I wanted to do was be around family," he added.
Home
At home in his Sonora apartment, Wonenberg said his true joys now are
taking part in life's simple moments — sitting down to breakfast with his
wife or falling asleep with her in his arms.
He's started working for a heating company in Sonora and hopes to
volunteer with the city's fire department.
He shares his reflections on the race with family and friends. But
Wonenberg said he also often blocks the experience from his mind, because
he is unable to express to co-workers and acquaintances the depth of
feeling he reached during the 47 days, three hours and 40 minutes he spent
at sea.
He hopes to one day write a book.
In the meantime, however, he said he wants to continue building a stable
life with his wife in Sonora — rock climbing and hiking in the Sierra on
weekends.
No great voyages are planned for now.
"Don't get me wrong. I'll always love to travel," he said. "But there's
also something fulfilling about having a family and having a home and
having things to go back to. Or somebody to travel with, that's always
nice."
Sierra Views is a weekly feature profiling various people and places of
the Sierra foothills; every one and every place has a story. Have a
profile suggestion? Call the editor at 588-4546 or 736-1234.
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