For nearly two decades, a rowing journey from Strathmere to the Statue of Liberty has remained part of Upper Township Beach Patrol lore.
In 2007, Chief Bill Hanley and fellow lifeguard Rod Tice completed the journey to raise money for several causes. This year, former Upper Township Beach Patrol lifeguards Ryan Fisher and Kyle Rumaker revived the challenge, setting out from Cape May Point and rowing north along the New Jersey coast to the Statue of Liberty.
Fisher, who served as a lifeguard for about nine years before his final summer with the patrol in 2021 and is Hanley’s son-in-law, said the history of Hanley and Tice’s row had long been familiar to him.
“It was just a long-term goal that we had, but we had never really decided on it until a couple years ago that we were going to do it,” Fisher said.
Fisher and Rumaker, both retired members of the patrol, had also spent years rowing together and wanted a reason to get back in the boat.
The pair committed to the idea about two years ago, but ultimately postponed their original plans from 2025 to 2026 as they worked through the logistics of fundraising and preparation.
The timing of this year’s expedition also carried added significance, Fisher said, as 2026 marked the 250th anniversary of the United States and the first year ocean lifeguards in New Jersey were recognized as first responders.
Hanley said his original 2007 row had a similar goal of combining a physical challenge with charitable giving. He and Tice called their expedition the O Liberty Row and raised money for the Ocean Foundation, ovarian cancer awareness and organ donation.
“My sister Sheila had a good friend who was suffering from ovarian cancer, and I learned from Sheila and her friend that ovarian cancer was a form of cancer where a lot of women didn’t know that it doesn’t come with a lot of symptoms,” Hanley said.
The 2026 row focused on coastal preservation and the Upper Township Beach Patrol. Proceeds benefited the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA), and a scholarship fund was established for members of the Upper Township Beach Patrol. Fisher and Rumaker surpassed their initial $10,000 fundraising goal and ultimately raised over $14,000.
The expedition began on Monday, Aug. 31 at Cape May Point, with the goal of covering roughly 25 to 30 miles each day. But the ocean had other plans.
“A big factor in the entire row was the weather, and unfortunately, the weather did not work out with us during the week,” Fisher said.
The first day included more than 28 miles of rowing into a headwind. The second day, from Strathmere to Brigantine, brought more favorable conditions and gave the rowers an opportunity to recover.
Then came a major storm.
A thunderstorm overnight in Brigantine broke the lock holding their boat and sent it rolling down the beach, cracking the side. The pair patched the boat and continued, eventually encountering six- to seven-foot swells offshore.
They had planned to reach Harvey Cedars that day but stopped in Holgate after covering 15 miles.
The next day, favorable conditions helped them make up ground. Fisher and Rumaker rowed 40 miles from Holgate to Mantoloking.
The support from fellow lifeguards became especially meaningful as they continued north. Fisher said patrols came out to meet and escort them along portions of the route.
On the last day, when the two reached Seabright, they rowed alongside Fisher’s wife Brooke and her dad, Hanley. Together, the four rowed from Seabright to the Statue of Liberty that day.
The training
Fisher said the preparation itself was difficult. He and Rumaker live in different areas and had conflicting schedules, leaving them with limited opportunities to train together. They used a boat at Hanley’s property to complete longer training rows on the river, including pieces of up to 10 miles.
The river training helped prepare their bodies for the distance, but it could not replicate the conditions of the Atlantic Ocean, Fisher said.
The journey came to a close on Saturday, Sept. 5, with the final distance coming to 155.1 miles over six days, requiring 62,211 strokes.
“I think we were just really excited to be done rowing,” Fisher said of reaching the Statue of Liberty.
The journey was also a family and community effort. Fisher credited both families for serving as boat crews and specifically thanked the Wildwood Beach Patrol for loaning the pair their boat, Old Glory, as well as Orehouse, which provided oars, clothing and assistance with repairs.
Fisher said finishing alongside his wife and father-in-law made the final day particularly memorable.
“We pulled the boat right up to the front of the Statue of Liberty, and we sat there for about 30-40, minutes, just taking it in, just the fact that we rowed a boat almost up into the Hudson River, and we were just sitting at the Manhattan skyline in a in a rowboat,” Fisher said. “It just felt surreal that we were able to do it.”
Julia graduated from Rider University in 2024 with a BA in multiplatform journalism and minor in social media strategies. In addition to reporting on local news for Shore Local, she is a social media strategist for small businesses. Connect with her: shorelocaljulia@gmail.com or @juliatrain on Instagram.
