He's rowed the Charles - next, the Atlantic
Man puts himself to test after forced retirement as deputy US marshal
Most days before the sun rises, Leo Rosette dips the oars of his scull into the smooth surface of the Charles River and sets off on a 9-mile row, refusing to change his early-morning routine, even though he no longer has to rush off to his job as a deputy US marshal after finishing his workout.
Rosette, who was forced to end his 20-year career with the US Marshals Service in August when he turned 57 - the mandatory retirement age for deputy marshals - says he's determined to prove that he's not too old to achieve great things.
Putting himself to the ultimate test, one that people half his age have failed, Rosette is training to row across the Atlantic alone, a 3,200-mile odyssey from the Canary Islands to Antigua that he'll begin in December. If he succeeds, he will be the fifth and oldest American to accomplish a solo ocean-crossing.
"I'm hoping to draw all the men who are going through a midlife crisis," said Rosette, of Marshfield. "Guys my age, even women, who are being put out to pasture think this is it. This is to show people, hey, it's not over just because somebody says you can't do this job anymore or you have a few aches and pains. We're not done. We can still do this."
The mandatory retirement age, which applies to all federal police agencies, is "to maintain a fit and vigorous workforce capable of performing taxing duties inherent in law enforcement," said David Turner, a spokesman for the US Marshals Service. Still, he said it's undisputed that some 57-year-olds are more capable than those who are younger.
Raised in East Boston and Quincy, Rosette said he developed a love of rowing when he raced life boats and whale boats as a Massachusetts Maritime Academy student in the 1960s. He joined the US Marshals Service in 1986, where his job as a deputy marshal was tracking fugitives, protecting judges, and transporting prisoners. After retiring, Rosette said he obtained his license to captain vessels weighing up to 100 tons, and started thinking about his longtime dream of rowing across the ocean.
"I have a lot of nautical experience, and I have been rowing most of my life," Rosette said. "One of the reasons I'm doing this is I want to find out if I'm as good as I think I am. When you're out there, you have nobody to depend on but yourself."
His girlfriend of a dozen years has encouraged him to make the trip, and he's received strong support from the Riverside Boat Club in Cambridge, where he launches his boat at 4 a.m. most days. The Riverside has posted a page for Rosette, a longtime member, on its website and is trying to raise the $120,000 the trip will cost, including about $80,000 for a new boat.
Kate Sullivan, a Riverside trustee, said she believes Rosette is the first rower to train on the Charles River for a solo trip across the ocean, and he's drawing attention to what is really a "regular Joe's sport."
Kelly Schultz, an eighth-grade teacher at Dedham Middle School and fellow rower at Riverside, said she's helping Rosette plan a presentation about the trip that he could make to elementary or middle school students.
"Leo has to do a lot of planning for this," said Schultz, adding that he could stay in touch with students via laptop during his journey. "It's going to open up kids' eyes to all of these awesome possibilities for them in life."
To prepare for his trip, Rosette spoke to three rowers, two from Great Britain and one from Spain, who successfully crossed the Atlantic. They offered advice, including what type of boat to buy. Six weeks ago, Rosette placed an order for the "Halcyon," a 24-by-6-foot boat with a glass hull and wooden ribs and keel, weighing 750 pounds, that is being built in Great Britain by Woodvale.
The boat offers enough interior space for the 5-foot-10-inch Rosette to lie down and stand up. It has a toilet, navigation equipment, and a water-purifying system that will remove salt from seawater so he can use it for drinking and mixing with a 90-day supply of hydrated food he will pack. There is no refrigeration or shower.
The company will monitor Rosette via satellite, plotting his daily progress on its website, offer him weather alerts, and launch a rescue mission if he triggers an emergency alarm on the boat. He'll contact land via satellite phone, and a beacon on board will alert passing ships to his presence.
Rosette plans to begin his journey Christmas week and hopes to row about 30 miles a day, finishing the trip in 85 or 90 days.
Seventy-five people worldwide have successfully crossed an ocean alone, while seven have died trying, according to statistics posted on the Ocean Rowing Society's website. The oldest solo rower to cross an ocean was a 66-year-old Ukrainian man, and the oldest American was 57. Rosette will be 58 when he begins his trip.
"You'd have to be crazy to ignore the fact there is danger involved," said Rosette, but he said he's not worried about his safety. "What concerns me is not making it. Failure."
Rosette says he's making the journey even if he has to go into debt to pay for it. He has already assembled a collection of CDs that he'll listen to during his hours at sea.
He says he'll begin his journey playing music from "Pirates of the Caribbean." And if he succeeds, he'll arrive in Antigua blasting Beethoven's "Ode to Joy."
