Before Victor Mooney of Queens, New York makes his solo row from the Canary Islands to the British Virgin Islands, the intrepid rower has been invited to help promote the XIX International AIDS Conference 2012 with a six-hundred mile solo coastal row from New York City to Washington, D.C. in July.

Mooney will make ceremonial stops at the South Street Seaport (New York City), Frank Farley State Marina (Atlantic City, NJ), Philadelphia Marine Center (Philadelphia, PA), Delaware City Marina (Delaware), National Sailing Hall of Fame (Annapolis, MD), Baltimore Marine Centers (Baltimore, MD) and Washington Marina (Washington, D.C.). Local officials have been invited to mark each stop as “Rowing With The Tide Day“.

Mooney recently garnered international media attention at the Miami International Boat Show in Florida where he talked about his transatlantic journey. “Our team focus is to get me from Point A – Las Palmas, Canary Islands to Point B – Tortola, British Virgin Islands. My navigational charts have doubled as a blanket at night for me. For now, this test row will allow us to make sure the vessel is ready for the big one”, Mooney said at his home.

The theme of AIDS 2012, Turning the Tide Together, has been selected to emphasize how a global and decisive commitment is crucial to change the course of the epidemic now that science is presenting promising results in HIV treatment in HIV and biomedical prevention. Rowing with the Tide is an affiliated independent event for the XIX International AIDS Conference.