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After seven weeks at sea, four rowers from Jersey are battling tricky weather conditions as they bid to become the oldest female crew to cross the Atlantic.
The Intrepid 232 crew have rowed more than 2,500 nautical miles and are now within 170 of reaching Antigua, the finish of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.
Frustratingly, strong winds have pushed back the crew’s projected arrival time in Antigua, which now looks set to be on Sunday or Monday.
Julie Brady, Helene Monpetit, Rosemary Satchwell and Alison Smithurst set off from the Canary Island of La Gomera on 13 December.
A spokesperson for the crew said weather conditions in the past few days had been frustrating, but that spirits remained good.
"It's been a trying time, with winds blowing in different directions and then dropping so it felt like they were rowing through treacle," he said. "But they knew the change in the weather was coming and morale is high – they will just keep on going."
Listen: Ahead of setting off on their challenge, the Intrepid rowers spoke to Bailiwick Podcasts last year about how they were preparing.
Although the crew have been using two rowers at a time for the majority of the trip, they are likely to add a third pair of shoulders to the oars in a bid to keep ticking off the miles.
A contingent of family members and other supporters has arrived in Antigua and are anxiously awaiting the crew's arrival.
By yesterday afternoon, 25 of the 37 crews taking part in the race had reached the finish, with the first crew arriving in Antigua on 17 January. Of the 12 remaining crews, the back-markers still had just under 1,000 nautical miles to row and were projected to finish during the first week of March.
Team Intrepid are seeking support from islanders for their fundraising efforts around the challenge, with money collected to be split between the Grace Crocker Foundation and the Blue Marine Foundation.
The team’s fundraising page can be found here.
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