THE aches and pains are already in evidence for the intrepid crew aiming to set a new Atlantic rowing record.

Nigel Morris, 40, and George Rock, 41, both from Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton, and fellow crew members Steve Dawson, 43, from Boston, Lincolnshire and Rob Munslow, 26, from Monmouth, set off on their 2,100-mile trip from Canada to Falmouth, Cornwall, on Tuesday.

They posted this report yesterday:

'We are now 24 hours into our row and the aches and pains are here in abundance. Complaints include sore backs, sore bums, sore legs and blisters. Rob is leading the blister count with nine, almost one for each finger - must be a Welsh thing. Still, these complaints are talked about with a smile for it's a pleasure to be out here. This ocean and its environment are magical.

Progress has been good, despite rowing against the constant headwind ranging now from five to eight knots. We have worked hard for every mile but, hopefully, the wind will soon be on the stern. Plenty of birds have been seen but no one knows the types - they're not the sort of birds we're used to spotting!

Yours,

The Crew

* Keep up to date with the team's progress with regular updates in The Northern Echo.