Shropshire rowers at halfway point on Atlantic challenge
Two Shropshire men who are rowing across the Atlantic for charity are set to hit the halfway mark of their marathon trip this weekend.
Just three weeks after setting off from Gran Canaria bound for Barbados, Harry Martin-Dreyer and Alex Bland, both 27, have almost 1,300 miles under their belts.
And despite sickness, illness and hardship, the duo's morale remains high.
Harry, from Lyneal near Ellesmere, said in his online blog: "Whilst not always ideal, the weather gods continue to be kind to us, in so much as the wind remains in our favour and we can continue to make decent progress in the right direction.
"During the day it is warm, although lately we have seen a lot of cloud and the occasional intense rain storm.The rain is often welcome as the boat gets a good wash down but it is of little benefit to our solar panels and on such days we have to be vigilant about our power consumption.
"Otherwise we both continue to suffer from various salt water induced ailments and a number of aches and pains are beginning to manifest themselves more permanently.
"These have come about not just from rowing 12 hours a day but simply from moving and being knocked around the boat. The unpredictable sea, the pain, tiredness, damp and cramp are all constantly frustrating features of life out here; a reality we are slowly getting used to.
"It is not all bad however. We are in the middle of a true wilderness."
The pair, who met at Shrewsbury School, have seen a wide variety of wildlife including storm petrels and frigate birds.
A large pod of dolphins spent half an hour playing in the waves of the boat. They have yet to spot a shark – something they are hoping not to spot. but it is hitting the halfway point which is motivating the boys the most.
Harry said: "This is a very exciting prospect but also somewhat unnerving given that when the time comes we will be at the furthest point away from land. Thereafter it will be nice to know at least that with every stroke we will be getting closer to land rather than further away."
They have already raised £129,874 for Cure Leukaemia, and JDRF, a type 1 diabetes research charity.
