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Isle of Wight rowers conquer Atlantic Ocean crossing

@toughestrow Team Mermaid Atlantic standing on their boat@toughestrow
Team Mermaid Atlantic finished their crossing in 43 days, 17 hours and 58 minutes

Three friends have completed a transatlantic row to raise awareness of ocean pollution.

Xavier Baker, Paul Berry and Chris Mannion from the Isle of Wight arrived in Antigua after rowing 3,000-miles (4,800 km) from the Canary Islands.

The trio were the 16th team to finish out of 38 taking part in The World's Toughest Row - Atlantic.

They have been raising money to support organisations involved in marine conservation.

The annual race began in early December with solo, two, three, four and five-person crews from around the world taking on the challenge of rowing from the Canaries to the Caribbean.

The Mermaid Atlantic crew arrived into Nelson's Dockyard English Harbour, Antigua, at 02:45 GMT, completing their crossing in 43 days, 17 hours and 58 minutes.

The team finished third in the trio category and friends and family gathered at the dockside to watch them cross the finish line in their Rannoch 45 rowing boat

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The trio had to contend with their daggerboard being snapped by a large wave early on in the crossing, affecting the stability of their boat.

They also faced "waves like houses" and had a close encounter with a 300m (984ft) tanker.

Speaking after their arrival in Antigua, Mr Baker said: "We've experienced a lot out there - Mother Nature threw a fair bit at us. Between us, we all overcame it - the highs and the lows. But we loved it, and we're here."

He said the support the team had received from home had been "overwhelming".

"The Isle of Wight really got behind us. Although we've had satellite communication issues, the messages have been coming through and when we had those down days, those messages just brought us back up," he said.

"It's been so good - we just can't thank everyone enough."

@toughestrow Team Mermaid Atlantic holding a banner@toughestrow
The trio have raised more than £12,000

They undertook the challenge to raise awareness of pollution in the sea and the importance of seagrass in combatting climate change.

The team have raised more than £15,000 for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, The Seahorse Trust and Surfers Against Sewage.

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