Two sets of twins became the first group of four brothers to complete an epic 3,000 mile line across the Atlantic Ocean.
The British brothers have raised nearly £100,000 for various UK charities since launching their endurance challenge just over a month ago.
Siblings Jack and Hamish Friend, 26, and younger brothers Euan and Arthur Friend, 24, set out from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on December 12.
The team, which dubbed itself ‘The FriendShip’, came third out of 43 teams – despite having never rowed before.
Siblings Jack and Hamish Friend, 26, and younger brothers Euan and Arthur Friend, 24, have raised nearly £100,000 for various UK charities since leaving on December 12.
The quartet from Tiverton, Devon, finally arrived on the Caribbean island of Antigua at Nelson’s Dockyard on Saturday night.
All four boys have completed the grueling Talisker Atlantic Challenge, in which teams start in San Sebastian on La Gomera in the Canary Islands and complete the 3,000 mile stretch to the Caribbean.
The brothers not only rose to the challenge, but also became the first four brothers to row across one of the world’s oceans.
After spending just 50 hours at sea, the team took on the challenge – described as “the toughest row in the world” after being coached by three-time Guinness World Record holder rower Duncan Roy.
Hamish, who works in property surveying, said: ‘None of us had rowed so much before.
“It was one of those challenges that I saw on an Instagram video and I thought, ‘Wow, that looks amazing. Let’s try”.’
The brothers had to spin the oar, each performing two hours on the oars followed by two hours of rest and sleep – battling swollen hands, cuts and bruises, and the scorching heat inside and out. outside their cabins.
Along with rowing, they had to consume around 6,000 calories a day of freeze-dried food to stay fit and produce their own drinking water from an onboard solar-powered desalination unit.
The team of four brothers, who dubbed themselves ‘The FriendShip’, came third out of 43 teams – despite having never rowed before
They even spent Christmas and New Years on the boat – and shared one of their father’s brandy-soaked Christmas puddings.
Their 28ft boat had also completed the crossing and was being ‘recycled’ for another challenge – although they accidentally crashed it into a buoy on arriving in Antigua.
Speaking after completing the trip, Hamish told BBC Radio Devon: ‘We kind of all agreed that we don’t particularly like the phrase ‘life-changing experience’ – it’s more of a challenge and a moment that shape and enhance life rather than change.
“It was just amazing, and you think about the finish line so much in a challenge like this, so when you actually cross it, it’s such a weird experience.”
Speaking of the ups and downs of the experience, Hamish added: “I think it was the fifth day I was slapped by a flying fish.”
“It was pitch dark and probably around two in the morning. I was chatting with one of the other brothers I was rowing with and suddenly, out of nowhere, this fish pounces, slaps me, and falls the other side into the water and swims away.
The brothers have completed the grueling Talisker Atlantic Challenge
“So it was a bit of a weird experience – maybe it wasn’t really a low… Then new years was amazing, on new years eve our parents gave us gin to the sloe and drank some of it, and toasted the New Year Exit.
“There were times like that which were amazing, also the stars and the sunrises, sunsets. So a massive combination of ups and downs.
“I’m very happy to report that we managed to roughly hold on to third place and crossed the finish line in third.”
“The team behind us were incredibly competitive and really pushed us to our absolute limits, but we managed to stay right in front of them – and finished about 12 miles ahead.”
“So out of a total of about 3,000 miles it’s nothing, so it was a real race to the end – which is amazing.”
The brothers are taking up the challenge to benefit three local charities – and have so far raised £94,000 for the cause.
The charities are CHAT, a vital service for people struggling with housing issues in Mid Devon; the Drive Forward Foundation, which enables children and youth with foster or residential care experience to reach their full potential; and Friends of Kiwoko Hospital, a charity set up to support the work of Kiwoko Hospital in Uganda.
