Two East Lancashire Royal Marines taking part in an arduous 4,000 mile row across the North Atlantic have passed the halfway mark and are edging ever closer to British waters.
Matt Mason, from Accrington, and Jordan Swift, from Chorley, are part of the four-man Ocean Revival team attempting to row across the treacherous North Atlantic from New York to London to raise money for two charities.
In what has been dubbed the 'world's most dangerous row' (following the same route as the doomed Titanic), the men have been joined by Ian Clinton from Darlington and Simon Chalk from Devon, and set off from Liberty Landing Marina on May 31, with the hope of making it to British shores within 70 days.
And after more than a month at sea, surviving on dehydrated ration packs and broken sleep, bedding-down in confined spaces, and overcoming variable weather patterns, the lads are on track to arrive in London by the beginning of August.
So far on their journey they've encountered dolphins, whales and jellyfish, as well as enjoying a dip in the ocean themselves when the weather has allowed...but thankfully, there have been no sharks as of yet.
The team, which originally included Dom Rogers from Haslingden, were due to complete the epic challenge last year, but when Covid hit, their attempts were put on hold, with Mr Rogers and another marine, Joel McGlynn subsequently being forced to pull out.
Mr Mason, who now lives in Devon with his wife and two children, said: "Covid has affected the team drastically, with two of the original members of Ocean Revival having to take a step back.
"This was a real shame but something that could not be helped.
"It does mean however we have welcomed two new chaps in the form of Jordan Swift, from Chorley, who is a Captain in the Royal Marines, and Simon Chalk, arguably the worlds most experienced ocean rower."
Over the last five weeks the boys have been updating their colleagues and friends back home via their Instagram account, where they post regular videos and photos, give a shout-out to their sponsors, and provide explanations and demonstrations of the kit they're using to help them on their journey..
The challenge has not come without adversity though, as the men have been missing their wives, and their children, which was especially noted on Father's Day last month, and over the last couple of weeks they were hit with a bout of bad weather which meant they had to drop anchor and take rest.
However, the team are determined to battle on, despite the blisters, the claw hands, and the affects of being so far out at sea, to reach English shores by August 7.
The men, who have so far raised a massive £57,187 for the Royal Marines Charity and Plastic Oceans UK, are rowing the 4,000 miles in a 25ft rowing boat, and are aiming to become the first team to ever row from New York to London.
The team are using a Yellow Brick tracker that updates their exact position every two hours.
To follow along visit the Ocean Rowing Societies website oceanrowing.com, or head to their Instagram account @oceanrevivaladventures
To donate, visit: justgiving or ocean revival.
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