Quarterly Speaker Series - 9/20/2023

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At the Rotary Club’s quarterly speaker’s series, Charlie Layton thrilled the audience with the tale of his 3,300 mile rowing adventure across the vast, and very desolate, Atlantic Ocean. Charlie and his longtime friend, Ben Towill, set off last December in their 25-foot rowboat from the Canary Islands with the goal of reaching Antigua. Forty-two days later they made it. Charlie thrilled the audience with his discussion of the preparation for the trip, the size of the waves, the broken rudder, the morning breakfast routine, the karaoke to keep themselves entertained and, finally, the sheer joy of seeing land. While the bond of friendship between Charlie and Ben was already long and deep, this rowing adventure ensured that friendship would last a lifetime. All the while, the two friends were raising money for The Green Heart Project which is a local non-profit organization that provides garden-based learning for seventeen local schools. Their motto, “If You Can Dream It, You Can Do it” will perhaps inspire someone in the audience to live their own dream.