Atlantic Ocean rowing duo now 'lifelong friends'

Two men who spent 60 days rowing across the Atlantic Ocean together for charity say they are now "lifelong friends".

Dan Bohin from Pill and Adrian Tyrrell from South Wales, set off from Lanzarote in the Canary Islands on 3 January and reached Antigua on 5 March.

They did not know each other well before the trip as Mr Bohin stepped in when My Tyrell's original rowing partner had to drop out.

"It was very intense but we made it, we are here," said Mr Bohin.

They made the trip as part of the Atlantic Dash 2023 and have raised nearly £9,500 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Mr Bohin told BBC Radio Bristol they had coped with all kinds of weather conditions and challenges through the journey.

"You are fighting for your life everyday," said the 45-year-old self-employed carpenter.

Mr Bohin rows for Bristol Gig Club and said while the men did not each other well before taking the trip on, the experience had forged a strong bond between them.

"I think I know him pretty well now," he said.

"We have talked about lots of different things, fallen out and made up 1,000 times," added Mr Bohin.

Mr Tyrrell, 60, from Fishguard, said he had got used to being on the boat every day and the amount of time spent at sea had reminded him of the film Waterworld.

"We were totally on our own we had encounters with seven or eight vessels, roughly one every 10 days," Mr Tyrrell said.

"I probably know Dan better than my brother because I have never spent 60 days continuously with my brother.

"I hope that we are lifelong friends now," he added.

The boat was 26 feet long with a cabin and two rowing stations which meant there was not a lot of room to move around.

"You are crawling on hands and knees every day, there is no standing up, it is really tight," Mr Bohin said.

"The thinking time you get out there is immense.

"I thought about my relationships, my family, my children - and I rebuilt my house in my head about 55 times," he added.

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