Rowers complete six-week 'battle' across Atlantic

A four-man crew has completed the "world's toughest row" across the Atlantic Ocean, from the Canary Islands to Antigua.

Jason Howard, from Sheffield, said there were times the group, called Lessons from a Boat, doubted how the 3,000-mile journey would end.

"Some points were quite touch-and-go, we had some serious conditions where we were really being battered," he said.

Steve Potter, Dan Dicker, Jon Wilburn and Mr Howard, all in their 50s and 60s, faced 40ft (12m) waves in the first 10 days of the trip.

Mr Howard said: "On quite a few occasions we were thinking, 'are we going to be able to get to Antigua?', so it's so nice to get here and have some lovely fresh food, finally.

"It was a really tough battle all the way through right to the very end."

On Monday, three days after reaching the finish line, they were suffering from "sea legs" after getting so used to life on the 28ft boat.

Mr Howard said: "You're so used to being in the boat and manoeuvring around, it's really difficult to stand upright and to balance. It's a really strange sensation."

Lessons from a Boat has raised £20,000 for Diabetes UK, Cancer Research, and Final Straw Foundation.

"For me it's just six weeks of a challenge, for Type 1 diabetes, they've got the challenge all the way through their life," Mr Howard said.

His middle son has Type 1 diabetes, which he manages "extremely well".

"I had another emotional additional element in that my father unfortunately passed away just before we started," he added.

"All these things help drive you on."

Two of the crew members are teachers and they streamed live lessons to more than 2,000 pupils during their journey.

"It's all about getting out of your comfort zone, encouraging kids to take on a challenge, showing what can be done if you put your mind to it," Mr Howard said.

Half the crews who took on the "world's toughest row" have arrived at the finish so far, and have been gathering together during the evenings.

"There is a definite bond between everybody who has done this event," he said.

"There is a look in the eye of everybody who has gone across the Atlantic. Everyone knows what we've been through."

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