{"id":45,"date":"2019-03-09T18:10:56","date_gmt":"2019-03-09T18:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mainemaritime.edu\/mariner\/shipmate-march-2019\/?p=45"},"modified":"2019-03-18T23:33:33","modified_gmt":"2019-03-18T23:33:33","slug":"mongolian-rally-adventure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mainemaritime.edu\/mariner\/shipmate-march-2019\/feature\/mongolian-rally-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"Mongolian Rally Adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two alumni complete 10,000-mile trek and relate it to experience at MMA.<\/h2>\n

In early summer 2018, John Parrinello \u201915 and Tanner Pidgeon \u201915 embarked on the adventure of a lifetime: a 10,000-mile trek across the steppe of Europe and Asia in a three-wheeled 1984 Reliant Rialto.<\/p>\n

Their trip, hosted by a UK-based group called The Adventurists, is an annual event called the Mongol Rally and is unlike any organized adventure on the planet. Every year, teams set off across Europe and arrive, weeks later, in\u00a0Ulan Ude,\u00a0Russia.<\/p>\n

There is no road support along the way and the route is undetermined by the organizers. Each team is in charge of planning, provisioning and problem-solving their way across the continent, and the rally\u2019s only rule is that participating vehicles are limited in engine size to 1.2 liter or less.<\/p>\n

After securing their car in Dover, England, Parinello and Pidgeon made their way to the Czech Republic and set off, fueled by the support of their friends and sponsors. Over the course of the next few months, the two traversed some of the world\u2019s most remote regions, overcame mechanical issues, befriended strangers in unlikely places, and endured almost every imaginable roadside challenge. By the time they made it across the finish line, the Rialto was on its last leg.<\/p>\n

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Watch news coverage.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In February, Parrinello and Pidgeon returned to Maine Maritime Academy for a slideshow presentation about their trip during Commandant\u2019s time. During their talk, \u201cDeckies Take a Drive,\u201d they regaled young cadets with stories from the rally and drew parallels between lessons they learned on the road and during their time at MMA.<\/p>\n

Persistence, patience, and resilience, all foundational to a cadet\u2019s success in the Regiment of Midshipmen, turned out to be just as valuable on land as at sea. While they joked about lacking the mechanical skills that some of their peers at MMA possess, Parrinello and Pidgeon credited their education with preparing them for the challenges of improvising solutions to unexpected problems and working as a team during stressful times. Even tight sleeping quarters and the logistical snafus associated with international travel were no match for their training and experience.<\/p>\n

With humor and insight, Parrinello and Pidgeon\u2019s presentation reminded students of the value of their experience at MMA and the diversity of opportunities that await them once they leave college. After the slideshow they opened up the conversation for questions but there was one that couldn\u2019t be answered: Who is next?<\/p>\n\n\t\t