LIAM Steevenson, of Kingsbridge, has made it across the Atlantic in an epic 34- day row which saw his team smash the world record for the fastest eight to row across any ocean.

Liam and his team set out on the 3,000 miles from Gran Canaria to Barbados in February and after making it safely back on dry land he recalled the highs and lows of his time at sea.

'On Saturday evening we arrived in Port St Charles, Barbados after 34 days at sea, smashing the World Record for the fastest eight to row across any ocean, but unfortunately just missing out on the overall record for crossing the Atlantic.

'Since leaving Gran Canaria, it has been an epic adventure, with some lows, but plenty more highs, as we handed ourselves over to the mercy of the hugely impressive Atlantic Ocean.

'The team really bonded after three weeks in port, training and preparing the boat, and we set off with huge expectations, in the lightest, most advanced boat ever produced, and probably the strongest crew ever to take on the challenge.

'We tracked ourselves against the previous three fastest crossings, so we could have a virtual race, and by day seven we were almost a full day clear of the record.

'That had however been quite a week already, with winds over 25 knots, creating huge waves that we literally surfed, hour after hour, often half-conscious in the middle of the night on the tail end of a four hour shift on the oars.

'We settled into life on board quickly, the simple life of rowing, sleeping and eating.

'For the first 10 days almost not a word was spoken, such was the exhaustion when coming off the oars and the concentration required to maximise every stroke.

'There was not a team member on board that did not have a complete focus on breaking the world record, we knew we had the team and boat to do it.

'On day eight the wind stopped and with it the boat. The seas flattened and a current began to run against us, 'this was not normal' said Simon Chalk, our skipper, 'it won't last'.

'We dug deep and rowed until our skin broke and our bodies began to break, day after day as the current persisted and the wind refused to build.

'It was the longest 10 days of the trip, as the weather refused to follow its normal patterns and with it took away our record challenge.

'Mentally this was very hard for us to deal with, but 1,000 miles at sea, there is no turning back and starting again.

'On March 14 it was my birthday and also the day we hit the halfway point.

'Simon asked me what I wanted to do today to celebrate, apart from a firework display of flares at midnight.

'We agreed the crew needed a break for 10 minutes – until that point the boat had not stopped once.

'At midday, we all stripped and dived overboard, releasing the stress and reminding ourselves that this ocean was truly immense and that we needed to enjoy it.

'The boat was built for speed not comfort so we refocussed on the eight man record and hit the oars hard. They did not stop moving again until we hit Barbados. 'Words cannot describe the sunsets, the night skys, the presence of whales, dolphins, sharks and marlin.

'They cannot describe the energy of the sea, the feeling of sitting on top of a 40ft wave in a rowing boat, and racing down it, with four men screaming on the oars, and they cannot tell you what it feels like to be in a space so large that support from outside is completely impossible.

'But I can tell you it is the most incredible place I have ever been, and I will be doing it again.

'Last Saturday I came on shift at 4am to see the red glow of Barbados on the horizon.

'We rowed harder than ever and hour-by-hour it grew until we could see houses and beaches.

'At 6pm we rounded North Point and within an hour we could hear the screams, whistles and fireworks of our family and friends, plus hundreds of locals who had turned out to see us in.

'Stepping on land with our wobbly legs, was a feeling I will never forget, and the celebrations began as soon as Guinness had confirmed that the eight men record was ours.'