Boaters from Port Everglades to Biscayne Bay have been puzzled since mid-June at the sight of two women rowing what appears to be a cruise ship lifeboat with its cabin cut in half. The 24-foot boat bears the logo, ''AmericanFire,'' and the women are seen rowing for hours at a time, covering as much as 20 miles per day.

The women in question -- Emily Kohl, 23, and Sarah Kessans, 22 -- are eager to end the mystery of who they are and what they are doing. The recent Purdue University graduates -- stars of the school's rowing team -- are taking the sport way beyond the next level. They are training for the Woodvale Events Atlantic Rowing Race in November -- 2,900 nautical miles across the mid-Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Antigua in the West Indies.

''It'll be two hours on, two hours off with no stopping,'' Kohl said. ''During the race, we get no help at all. We'll have iPods, books on tape. We'll learn Spanish, German -- anything to keep ourselves occupied.''

Kohl, of Plainfield, Ill. and Kessans, of Salem, Ind., comprise the only American team among 41 double-handed crews competing in the race, which will be its fourth running. The last event, held in 2003, was won by the New Zealand team of Kevin Biggar and James Fitzgerald in record time of 40 days 5 hours 31 minutes.

Teams will row identical boats, built of marine plywood from a kit designed by Britons Phil Morrison and Peter Roswell. The boats are 24 feet long and 6.3 feet wide, with two stern-facing rowing positions, and a six-foot-by-three-foot enclosed cabin in the stern that is big enough to stretch out in but not to stand up. The women bought their boat from a pair of American ocean rowers who competed in 2001.

AmericanFire will carry 500 pounds of freeze-dried food, a propane stove, safety and communications gear including an EPIRB (which enables planes to track them at sea); three GPS units; VHF radio; satellite phone; computer; life raft; first aid kit; and several buckets to function as kitchen sink and restrooms. The crew figures the boat will weigh about 1,600 pounds fully loaded.

''We'll play DVDs on our laptop -- Jaws, Open Water -- the works,'' Kohl said.

So far, their longest rowing race is 6,000 meters.

''We want to make 50 to 60 miles per day,'' Kessans said. ''It'll be like a marathon each day for each of us.''

The women ended up training here after taking several race-required courses at the Maritime Professional Training Center in Fort Lauderdale -- first aid, radio communication and sea survival. They plan to stay through Labor Day -- bunking with a friend from Purdue who lives in Broward, and seeking to defray the costs of AmericanFire's campaign, estimated at $200,000.

''Fire describes our personality,'' Kohl explained. ''We're both driven and intense with a desire to succeed. If we touch one person to go out there after their dream, that's what it's all about.''

Whatever the outcome, the women plan to write a book about their experience and go on speaking engagements, possibly including an appearance on Oprah.

Kessans, who earned a degree in plant biology this spring, plans to pursue a doctorate in genetic engineering. Kohl, a 2004 graduate with a degree in history, plans to coach the Michigan State rowing team in the spring of 2006.

But after that?

Said Kohl: ''We're thinking of doing a race in 2008 across the Indian Ocean.''