Margo stops for a rare photo op halfway through her 2000-mile huck. Photo: 2M

Q & A

"IT'S NOT ME, IT'S THE BOAT..."

...AND OTHER BULLSHIT LIES FROM THE MOUTH OF OCEAN ACTIVIST MARGO PELLEGRINO

By Matt Walker/ Surfing Magazine 

She picks up trash while she jogs. Her family only drives used cars, one of which runs on veggie oil. She even buys toothbrushes made from recycled plastic. Still, New Jersey's Margo Pellegrino felt like she wasn't doing enough for the planet. So, on May 7th, the 40-year-old mother of two pushed her 20-foot outrigger canoe off Miami, FL, and started paddling up the East Coast, as much as 50 miles a day, stopping regularly "to make a big stink about ocean quality." Untrained and mostly alone, some folks worried she'd never make it. But nearly 2000 miles later on July 20th, Pellegrino landed in Camden, ME -- one day ahead of schedule. And though she likes to give her boat the credit, the corresponding wake of media attention proves that one person can make more than a daily difference. They can have a national impact.  

ESM: What makes a 40-year-old, inland mom want to paddle up the East Coast?
MP: Well, people laugh, but it was something I was already thinking of doing. I just needed a cause. So, I'm thumbing through the Patagonia catalog one night in December '05, and it had an excerpt from Collapse by Jared Diamond. It freaked me out that our ocean is really on the verge of collapsing. I turned to my husband and said, "I have to do this!"  

ESM: Did you have much paddling experience?
MP: Just around our lake in an aluminum canoe. But I wanted to do this in an outrigger because that's how the Polynesians did it. I bought a 20-year-old handmade boat, but then Eric McNett of Outrigger Connection donated something much faster and very seaworthy. I paddled through some conditions that you'd never be able to make in a kayak. 

ESM: What happened next?
MP: Well, to make it big, I knew I had to reach out to a group. At first, Surfrider was nervous because I was going alone and I'd never done it before. But John Weber, the Northeast Regional Manager, really liked the idea and started pushing and prodding the chapters, who organized stops and gave me places to stay. It never would've happened without them; and it would never have happened without National Environmental Trust, who provided a GPS and phone, a press staff, and a chase car driver. At first, I was like, "I don't want any fossil fuels; I want to do this myself!" But I relented when they offered to buy carbon offset credits. [Laughs]  

ESM: Did you paddle mostly along the coast or through the Intracoastal Waterway?
MP: Until NYC, I was mostly on the ICW because it's more protected, and if there's ever a problem, it's a hell of a lot easier to find safe harbor. In the ocean, you're restricted by conditions a lot more; in the ICW, you just bite it and go. I'd say the wind was in my face 85% of the way to New York, but there were very few days I couldn't paddle. And once you're in the boat, that's half the battle. One factor was me eating a pint of Ben and Jerry's every night. Because it has the perfect mix of carbs and fats, and it's as much a liquid as a food. That was key to finding the power to keep going... [Laughs] 

ESM: How often did people paddle with you?
MP: Just a few times here and there. One guy in North Carolina paddled for two full days with me, which was nice.

ESM: What about once you left the ICW? Did it get rough around New England?
MP: Leaving Newport, RI, we had seven to 10-foot open ocean swells that were pretty frequent. That was pretty intimidating, because I'd never been out in swells that big. And when you're sitting in a boat, it's like looking up at a one-story building. And there was fog. That's bad because other boats couldn't see me and I wasn't coming up on their radar. Then I saw a couple sharks, which was freaky because that was my first shark sighting -- and because they were big sharks. I turned to my right, saw the profile of a fin as wide as your shoulders, and thought, "Sharks! Swells! Agh!"  

ESM: Was that the toughest run?
MP: That was definitely challenging because there was also a squall that blew me off course two and a half miles. But as far as the life-threatening, "almost panic" stage? That had to be in Georgia. The sound was four to six-foot, horrific chop, with the wind in my face. I'd only gone 15 miles and was supposed to do 40. I got behind St. Catherine's and said, "I have to stay here." Then these guys came up in their 40-foot catamaran going, "How did you get across that sound!?!" [Laughs]... They couldn't believe it.

ESM: Were you just as surprised you got through?
MP: Well, I always expect the worst and hope for the best, so there weren't that many surprises. The biggest surprise was me having such good luck to survive some of this shit [laughs]. One day in South Carolina, I started at 7:30 am and ended at 11:00 pm. Around 10:00 pm, I was at a bend in the ICW and heard a boat coming from behind -- really close and really fast. I was trying to get as far out of the channel as possible. Finally, I turned my head and my headlamp lit up their bow. They cut their engines. I screamed and they were less than 10 feet away. I mean, I could've been dead in a second. 

ESM: Did you do much night paddling?
MP: That was it. [Laughs]  

ESM: How did it feel to finally land in Maine?
MP: It was amazing. My next to last paddle, I wanted to get as close to Camden as possible because the weather was supposed to turn. I didn't care what happened, by then I could paddle five miles through anything. A bunch of people wanted to paddle with me and I think I pissed them off because I was like, "We have to slow down; I want to savor this." But it was just this beautiful harbor with awesome mountains behind it, people waving and cheering on the docks, cannon shots, news crews -- it was perfect. 

ESM: Did the press response grow with every stop?
MP: Not really. It was sort of place-to-place. When I left Miami there were a lot of news crews and it hit CNN -- all those chapters in Florida were really organized. NYC turned out to be a bomb, but I sort of expected that because the media market is hard to break into. Overall, I'd say the New Jersey event in Atlantic Highlands was the most impressive. And I also drove to D.C. to meet the congressional members of the Ocean Caucus, which was great.

ESM: Looking back, are you happy with the response?
MP: I was hoping for more cooperation from more local coastal groups. But I didn't allow enough time to network with them before leaving, so I don't come down on myself too hard. And I think the word got out. I made it as far as Hawaii and California. What's weird is I was in all the Jersey papers, The New York Times... But I never made the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

ESM: That's because people who don't live near the ocean don't see it as an issue -- even as they choke down a mercury-filled tuna steak.
MP: Exactly. And that's what I kept saying: we have to reach the people who live inland. Tell them that no matter where you live, you're on a watershed and what you do will affect the ocean. And the ocean will affect you. But to tell you the truth, even the coastal media wasn't perfect. I noticed when I gave too much info, they'd pick and choose what got printed. I got a call from NET one day saying, "You need to talk about overfishing." And I was like, "I've been talking about it." But it wasn't making the papers, especially in Florida because the sports fishing lobby is extremely strong. When you start to run into the big-moneyed interests, it gets scary. 

ESM: Does that just make you think you'll have to do this every year to keep people talking?
MP: No, because first of all, my husband would kill me [laughs]. But I am thinking of new ways to bring attention to the ocean. For example -- and first, I have to learn how to surf, which is a tall order -- but I want to get a standup paddleboard and do the whole New Jersey coast in one fell swoop. Even if it takes 36 hours. Of course, I'd need a chase boat and it would mean paddling into the night. I have a lot to figure out. But it's definitely doable.  

ESM: Well, most thought you'd never finish this paddle. Do you think you've inspired a few people, and do you think people would've cared as much if you were a 19-year-old Olympic swimmer instead of a 40-year-old mom?
MP: No way. I knew I had to pick something super challenging. And surprisingly enough, people said they were inspired. And I think that's fantastic. I just hoped to make a big stink to get people to think about the ocean. But it's also important for people to see that one person can try to make a change. You don't just sit on your butt and say "What can I do?" You can do something. Everyone can do something. 

Even when she was paddling solo, Margo was never alone. Miami2Maine wants to thank sponsors Surfrider Foundation, National Environmental Trust, Oceana, Blue Frontier Campaign, Outrigger Connection, Mordecai Land Trust, Organic Food Bars, Mike Samuel Graphics, as well as every single individual who supported her journey. For more info, go to www.miami2maine.com