Saturday, July 31, 2010
Four rowers have smashed a 114-year-old record by crossing the Atlantic in 43 days, 21 hours and 26 minutes.
Artemis Rowing team smashes transatlantic record
Team Artemis leaving New York The crew of the Artemis is on course to smash the record by more than a week
Four rowers have smashed a 114-year-old record by crossing the Atlantic in 43 days, 21 hours and 26 minutes.
The Artemis North Atlantic Rowing Challenge crew left New York on 17 June and touched the quayside at St Mary's just before 1500 BST.
The previous record, set in 1896 by Norwegians George Harbo and Frank Samuelson, stood at 55 days and 13 hours.
Skipper Leven Brown told BBC News it was a "pell-mell, helter-skelter" trip.
'Wobbly legs'
"It's been absolutely amazing and what a reception we've here in the Scillies," the 37-year-old from Edinburgh said.
"The funniest thing for me was walking up the quayside - after more than six weeks of not walking my legs felt more than a bit unsteady."
During the record attempt, the team survived 33ft-high (10m) waves, encountered whales and even rescued a man overboard.
Two years ago, an attempt by a team called The Scilly Boys nearly ended in disaster when their vessel capsized, 13 days after leaving New York.
George Harbo and Frank Samuelson Norwegian Americans George Harbo and Frank Samuelson set the previous record in 1896
It is the Artemis crew's second attempt after a broken rudder at the beginning of June forced them to retire.
Rowing with the skipper were Ray Carroll, 33, from Galway in Ireland, Don Lennox, 41, from Lanarkshire and 39-year-old Livar Nysted from the Faroe Islands.
As the team approached the final stretch, Mr Carroll said conditions were "testing" with tidal currents and squalls.
For the past two weeks the crew has been surviving on powdered supplements after running out of food, so all four said they were looking forward to "solid food".
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