Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge: How are the military teams doing?
It has been a different Christmas for the teams competing in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge – the 'world's toughest row'.
Some of the rowers are representing the Armed Forces community – from serving personnel to veterans – taking on the journey from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Nelson's Dockyard English Harbour, in Antigua and Barbuda.
HMS Oardacious, a team made up of Royal Navy submariners, tweeted to say they are past the 1,000 nautical mile (nm) mark. They are currently rowing at 3.3 knots on a bearing of 247.28 degrees, with 1603nm still to go.
A record number of entrants are battling sleep deprivation, hallucinations and hunger, all with the same objective – to take on the unique experience of crossing an ocean in a rowing boat.
Team Atlantic Guardsmen, made up of officers and soldiers serving with the Scots Guards, are rowing at a speed of 2.8 knots on a bearing of 251.53 degrees, with 1687nm still to go as they battle the Atlantic conditions.
Ahead of departure, they said they were "relishing the challenge of pushing themselves physically and mentally".
However, they say they also have a "much greater purpose" – raising money for charity.
"Our passion to support serving and veteran soldiers is the primary motivator for entering the race, and at the very heart of our drive and determination to raise sponsorship and awareness for our service charity – the Scots Guards Charity," they said.
This year, there are more teams than ever before: 43 crews, 127 rowers from 17 countries with a huge proportion of them from the military.
The importance of mental mindfulness has been stressed by a lot of the crews as a way of getting them through the challenge.
Team Emotive, a team including a Royal Navy and Royal Artillery veteran, is 1807nm from the finish line, travelling at a speed of 2.2 knots on a current bearing of 235.29 degrees.
They entered the rowing challenge to raise funds for the charity Veterans At Ease which all the rowers are beneficiaries of, or have had their lives changed because of their involvement with the charity.
"We've come through a dark place of very poor mental health. We are actually rowing across the ocean with our therapist, who actually saved our lives," Royal Navy veteran Jason Watkin of Team Emotive told Forces News ahead of departure.
"It's an epic challenge in regards to the race, but we've all faced this epic challenge of very poor mental health, so going from suicidal thoughts, myself addiction and various other bits and pieces, this is to prove that you can do something absolutely incredible with your mind and body coming out of it.
"It will be brutal, it will be hard, there will be some incredible highs and some very incredible lows, but it will be life-changing," he added.
US veteran team 'Fight Oar Die' have 1903 nautical miles still to row before they touch the finish line, currently travelling at a speed of 0.9 knots on a bearing of 243.05 degrees.
They brought along a unique bit of kit, an underwater drone to examine underneath their boat, which they will take with them to hopefully assist in removing potentially race-hindering barnacles.
They are "proud" to be the first all-US Air Force team and their aim is to bring awareness to veteran suicide and veteran PTSD while inspiring others to go out and "row their own ocean".
Not only are all the teams battling the elements at sea but, with the challenge continuing through until the middle of January, it means Christmas festivities have had to be celebrated away from families.
The rowers are, however, hoping to have some fun along the way.
Before the teams set off, HMS Oardacious member Lieutenant Commander Callum Fraser told Forces News, as he showed off his bracelet made by his daughter, that he has been given quite an extensive list of sights to spot for the children before he gets to the finish line, including a shark and whales.
"Yeah, she wants me to bring home a shark, she wants me to swim with dolphins, make sure I see some videos of whales," he said.
Is he confident about completing his daughter's to-do list?
He said: "Not in the slightest. I will manage expectations as I go, I will tell them I've seen stuff but they were too quick."
You can check out all the teams' progress here.
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