Two Former Soldiers Aim To Break Record Rowing Across Atlantic Ocean

Two former soldiers are aiming to break a world record by becoming part of the oldest team to row across an ocean.

Former Royal Signaller Steve Hughes and former sapper Guy Mannoch make up half of the Ancient Mariners team, who will compete in the Talisker Challenge race across the Atlantic.

The team face a mammoth three-thousand-mile trip from the Canary Islands to Antigua.

Steve Hughes, Ancient Mariners said: “We’ve got everything from storms, we’ve got different waves, extreme wind, extreme rain. Arduous physically, we’re rowing 12 hours a day, seven days a week. So, it’s blistering of the hands, blistering of the other end, salt sores, sleep deprivation. It is an extremely difficult challenge.”

Training ahead of time hasn’t been easy as both team members are based hundreds of miles apart from each other.

Despite the distance, both men feel fully prepared to take on the epic row.

“We’ve been doing most of our training independently, but we’re all fairly focused. We recognise we’re old, we’re not built like rowers. Two of the guys have never until they’ve started this, ever been in a rowing boat at all. So, we have got some challenges ahead of us and we take it seriously.” Mr Hughes added.

The Ancient Mariners will take to the water alongside around 40 other teams for their epic journey on the 12th of December, as they hope to sail into the record books once they arrive at the finish line in Antigua.