Transatlantic mother-and-daughter edge to finish line

Two British women attempting to becoming the first mother-daughter team to row across the Atlantic Ocean were just hours away from the finish line tonight.

Sarah and Sally Kettle were expected to row into the Caribbean Sea at about shortly before midnight after spending 106 days at sea, said Kenneth Crutchlow, executive director of the Ocean Rowing Society.

The Kettles set off in a 23-foot plywood boat, the Calderdale, from the Canary Islands on January 20, along with 13 other boats racing in the Ocean Rowing Society’s Atlantic Rowing Regatta.

They were expected to arrive in Port St Charles, Barbados early Wednesday morning after a 2,907-mile journey, Crutchlow said.

Steve Kettle, who was waiting for his wife and daughter in Port St. Charles, said the women could already see Barbados.

“I feel very, very proud to have a daughter and a wife who are rowing an ocean,” he said. “It’s absolutely fantastic. It’s unbelievable.”

Sally, aged 27, and Sarah, aged 45, from Northampton, are raising cash for epilepsy research at King’s College in London.

They trained for more than a year.

The women, who rowed through storms and 50 foot waves, ate about 6000 calories a day for stamina, according to their website.