Essex youngsters to attempt record-breaking 3,000 mile Atlantic row
The team from Burnham-on-Crouch are raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust
Three young people from Burnham-on-Crouch will be taking on a record-breaking attempt to become the youngest ever team to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.
Anna Dunk, Rowan Dally, and Harry Allen, will set off from the Canary Islands in December, in bid to reach Antigua 40-60 days later.
The team will celebrate Christmas and New Years at sea, alongside Harry's 20th birthday.
During the "World's Toughest Race", they will battle waves of up to 50 feet, extreme temperatures and sleep deprivation.
They are raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust, and are appealing for donations to the charity in the memory of one of Rowan's schoolfriends that died of cancer aged just 16.
In interview with Greatest Hits Radio Essex, the trio said they were "really excited" to attempt the world record.
Harry said: "They call it the 'World's Toughest Row' for many reasons. But I think the main reason is purely because preparation for something this big is merely impossible.
"We have done loads of days training in the River Crouch, we've done overnight rows up to five days out in the North Sea.
"We've done mandatory qualifications with the Royal Yachting Association, but we are currently in the best shape, the best mental mindset and pretty much we are as ready as we'll ever be something like this."
Anna said that their campaign has three aims.
"Our first aim is to inspire the youth of today. Just show kids these days that anything is possible, if you've got a dream and you put your mind to it.
"Our second aim is to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust.
"And our third aim is to break the world record for being the youngest team to ever cross the Atlantic Ocean.
"We want to be the role models for young people. In this day and age where everyone's on their their phones and their Playstations and everything, the youth today definitely do have a bad reputation, but we want to show that just because we're young doesn't mean we can't do anything.
Rowan said that they are "really excited", and that the potential world record has given them a "bigger and stronger drive."
The team will be taking on the row in shifts, as they do two hours on, and one hour off. In that hour, they will be able to get some sleep, eat, and keep up their hygiene.
Anna told us: "The boat itself isn't very big, it is just under 10 metres, about the width of a car or so.
"It is not massive at all, and obviously the majority of that is the row deck.
"Currently for us, I think the majority of our storage is taken up by food. There's sixty days worth for all three of us."
"The food, I think as a team we can say is edible," said Rowan. "It's freeze dried ration packs. So they've got about 1000 calories in each, and you boil hot water and then let it rehydrate the food.
"And then we also supplement that with very highly calorific snack packs as well. So stuff like nuts, protein bars, flapjacks.
"So Harry and I need to eat around 6000 calories a day.
"We are expected to lose quite a lot of weight on the row, so we've all been putting weight on to try and counteract that.
"The food is edible, but I wouldn't say it's gourmet or Michelin star."
Christmas, The New Year, and Birthday at sea
Harry will be celebrating his 20th birthday while on the row, and the team will miss Christmas and New Year's celebrations.
Harry told us: "I mean put it this way, Santa is not going to be flying over our boat on Christmas Day. However, that doesn't mean we won't be getting the presents when we get back.
"And I'm sure in Antigua, at the finish line, we will have a massive celebration and a massive Christmas dinner.
"We've got some pretty good milestones and I think that's actually really good for the team to have those.
"We'll get Mariah Carey on the speakers, and we'll be loving it."