Military teams continue to battle tricky weather on the World's Toughest Row
Earlier this month, four military teams officially began their race across the Atlantic Ocean in the World's Toughest Row, which got underway in the Canary Islands.
They were among the 38 teams comprised of 110 rowers from 19 nations taking on the journey that is expected to take approximately six weeks to complete.
The military teams TEAM V3NTURE, Force Atlantic, HMS Oardacious Valkyries and the Oarsome Army Educators are currently attempting the 3,000-nautical mile row across the Atlantic while also raising funds for their chosen causes.
BFBS Forces News have taken a look at how the teams are getting on.
TEAM V3NTURE
The trio of British Army soldiers, who met at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2019 and became firm friends, set their goals sky high to become the first military trio to successfully row across any ocean.
Taking on the World's Toughest Row as part of TEAM V3NTURE is Captain Rob Cross of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, Captain Charlie Newman of 7 Para Royal Horse Artillery and Captain Rob Treasure of Cyprus-based 1st Battalion the Rifles.
On Day 11, they have rowed 724 Nautical Miles, with 1997 remaining.
Capt Cross gave an emotional update via a voice note about how the team was getting on and made sure to thank everyone who has supported them so far, saying "you have made a big difference already".
Force Atlantic
Force Atlantic have already made history becoming the British Army's first all-female crew to embark on the 3,000-mile journey.
The four-woman team battled through their first week which "pushed their mental and physical limits" and have currently covered 644 Nm with 2,046 to go.
An update on their Instagram page said: "There's a long journey ahead, but they're proving they have what it takes to go the distance."
The team includes skipper and 22 Multi-Role Medical Regiment's Captain Imogen O'Brien, 1 Medical Regiment's Major Rebecca Glover, 6 Regiment RLC's Warrant Officer 1 Sheridan Lucas MBE and Corporal Emma Gibb, who is a nurse at DPHC in Tidworth.
HMS Oardacious Valkyries
Portsmouth-based HMS Oardacious Valkyries, who include Petty Officer Aaby Aldridge, Lieutenant Commander Ali Aindow, Lieutenant Commander Izzy Warlinson and Lieutenant Commander Nic Hall, are the Royal Navy's first all-female crew.
There was some slight concern after the team's Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacon (EPIRB) was set off.
The EPIRB went off because of the amount of water and waves hitting their boat, but it was a false alarm and the team continued on.
After more than a week at sea, they had rowed 628 nautical miles with another 2,040 to go.
In the week they detailed how their first week had been "pretty tough".
"They experienced pretty miserable weather conditions with crosswinds and waves coming from separate directions causing challenging rowing and exacerbating sea sickness.
"They did well to head south early and avoid the worst of it, many teams to the north ended up stuck on para-anchor not able to row anywhere," their support team said.
For all the teams, the first week is commonly seen as one of the hardest milestones of the crossing, with the bodies adjusting to the challenge.
Valkyries detailed the difficulties of seasickness while getting used to sleeping in a cabin that's rocking around with waves crashing against the boat combined with the blisters forming and general aches and pains that come from rowing more than 12 hours a day.
"BUT… the blisters are turning into callouses, hands are hardening, they have settled into the routine and working really well together, pushing really hard to be competitive in this exciting race," they said.
Oarsome Army Educators
The four officers from the Educational and Training Services (ETS) branch of the British Army came together to embrace the "unique opportunity" of the World's Toughest Row across the Atlantic, battled some tough winds and managed to fix a broken solar panel, which was "great news" for the team.
They have now been at sea for more than a week and have rowed 708 Nm with 1,997Nm to go.
In their latest update, the team of Major Dec Lynn (Ireland), Major Graham Doyle (Ireland), Lieutenant Jess Hunter (Australia) and Lieutenant Gian-Luc Angiolini (UK) shared some footage of their "hard slog on the water" as they hope for some good weather.
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