West Africa-New York City Paddle Adventure Features Pirates, Sharks; Mission Aimed At Raising HIV/AIDS Awareness

OCEAN CITY — As the roaring engines of tens of thousands of motorcycles slept early last Saturday morning during Delmarva Bike Week, a lone row boat quietly crept through the channel that separates Ocean City from Assateague Island.

Its sole occupant was a tired and hungry 49-year-old African-American Brooklyn man named Victor Mooney, who docked his 24-foot Brazilian made vessel called the “Spirit of Malabo” next to towering charter boats at the White Marlin Marina in downtown Ocean City.

Mooney began paddling 15 months ago when he shoved off from the island of Masapalamo in the Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa.

He has survived a vicious shark attack, 10 days without food while marooned at sea in a lifeboat and he’s even lived to tell the story of how he was taken hostage by Haitian pirates at knifepoint.

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