Irish rowers part of team in record Atlantic crossing

A TEAM of three Irish and 11 British rowers last night smashed the world record for the fastest journey in a boat across the Atlantic.

The 14 rowers arrived at Port St Charles, Barbados, at 8.40pm yesterday after leaving Gran Canaria, off the coast of Africa, on December 15.

They crossed the Atlantic in 33 days and seven hours — beating the previous record by two days and a hour. The 14 rowed the 2,596 nautical-mile journey in a French-built boat called La Mondiale, which 16 years ago set the world’s fastest Atlantic crossing time of 35 days, eight hours and 30 minutes.