Crew forced to abandon Atlantic crossing attempt

AN attempt by five Irishmen to row across the Atlantic, as part of a 14-man crew, has had to be abandoned after their craft was struck by a mystery object, thought to be a whale.

The five, Peter Williams and Breffny Morgan from Co Cork, Robert Byrne and Ryan Corcoran from Bray, Co Wicklow, and Dubliner Ian McKeever, were rescued by a bulk cargo ship shortly after 8pm on Thursday night.

They were part of the 14-man international crew of La Mondiale, which set off on January 4 from Gran Canaria to Barbados, hoping to beat the record of 33 days for the southern route of the ocean crossing. This record was set in January 2008 by a different crew rowing the same boat.