Courtney Farber loves being outside and going on adventures, but she’s never committed a feat like the one she’s aiming to embark on June 2025.
In fact, very few people have.
Farber and her rowing teammates, Taylan Stulting of Madison, Wisconsin, and Julie Warren of Springfield, Massachusetts, plan on rowing partway across the Pacific Ocean.
“If you wanna do stuff, go do it. And if you can’t do it when you’re 20 for whatever reason, well then do it when you’re 50,” Farber said. “I want to live that. I have a lot of things I want to do. This is one of them.”
The team – and the sport – is all about inclusivity and leveling the playing field, Farber said. Stulting will be the first openly transgender person to row across the Pacific Ocean, Julie is queer and Farber is a middle-aged woman.
The trio named their team Oar the Rainbow.
Farber said her teammates are intelligent, compassionate and open. Although she hasn’t spent much time with them yet, she trusts them.
“We’re just people who want to do something really hard and want to do it with some humor, some grace, some beauty,” she said. “I believe that these are people I could do that with.”
Farber knows it’s dangerous. She knows it’s brutal. She knows people think she’s “nuts.” But Farber also has a lot of positive support. Her husband, daughters and son are her strongest supporters.
Among the thrill of danger, Farber remains excited. The stars, sunsets, whales and once-in-a-lifetime experiences are just bonuses for her. She’s most excited to complete the challenge.
“A lot of fun. A lot of boredom. A lot of heat. A lot of cold,” she said. “But look how excited I am!”
Oar the Rainbow is raising awareness and money for Athlete Ally, a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating homophobia and transphobia in sports. The team is also supporting Doctors Without Borders, a global nonprofit providing independent and impartial medical humanitarian aid to all.
Those looking to support Oar the Rainbow and their charities can visit the Oar the Rainbow website, which offers various options to donate. Corporate sponsorship is also available, which offers companies an opportunity to brand the team’s boat or oars.
All of this started long ago. Growing up, Farber frequently visited Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York to visit her grandparents.
Farber moved to Massachusetts for a while where she enjoyed the Cape Cod coast. She lived on the Aegean Sea in Greece. She even lived in California for some time. Now, Farber lives in Silver Spring, Maryland — her home for the past 18 years.
Although she’s been by the ocean her whole life, she’s never been ocean rowing.
Farber learned about ocean rowing in 2016. Two weeks after her discovery, she signed up for a race in 2018. Unfortunately, Farber said life got in the way and she couldn’t compete. Ever since then, she said the idea has been sitting in the back of her mind.
Farber, 54, will be joined by her two teammates to compete in the World’s Toughest Row 2025 Pacific Challenge – a 2,800-mile rowing race from Monterey, California to Hanalei, Kaua’i.
And as daunting as it sounds, she said she’s looking forward to it.
“I love the ocean,” she said. “It’s a good place for me to be.”