The Journey
Depart: San Sebastian, La Gomera, Canary Islands – January 2011
Arrive: English Harbour, Antigua from March 2011. 
Distance: 2535 miles.
Duration: Anywhere from 40-70 days this will be affected by weather conditions and Ocean currents which may help or hinder them on the row!
Self Sufficient
For the whole duration of the challenge Mathew and Chris will be self sufficient, they will carry enough food for 90 days which will be made up of dried expedition rations. In addition to this they will carry a water desalinator which turns salt water into fresh water.
There will be no support ships to help them out just the two of them and the big bad Ocean. Mathew and Chris will complete an in depth medical/first aid course before departing for the challenge.
Mathew and Chris will run a continuous routine of 2 hours on and 2 hours off. Once a day or more they will row together to boost morale and to increase the boats speed.
Only when the weather is bad and too unsafe to carry on rowing will they seek shelter in the very cramped but snug cabin.
They will take turns to cook meals and do other daily chores like cleaning of the boat and repairing any broken equipment.
There may even be time for a spot of fishing!
The History
In 1896, Norwegian immigrants George Harbo and Frank Samuelson left New York and set out on a harrowing 60 day journey across the Atlantic Ocean to the Scilly Isles, they succeeded in setting a record which stood unbroken for more than a century. Inspired by these men, in 1966 Chay Blyth and John Ridgeway took on the challenge to row from Cape Cod to Ireland in their twenty foot “English Rose III”. They took 92 days to cross and inspired the worlds toughest rowing race – The Atlantic Rowing Challenge.
Teams of pairs from all over the world turned up to set out from Los Gigantes, Tenerife in 24 foot marine plywood boats to compete in the 3000 mile race across the Atlantic Ocean to Barbados.
The race was won by a New Zealand pair – Rob Hamil and Phil Stubbs who set the new record for 41 days.
Ocean currents
Currents along the surface of the Atlantic move 
in enormous circular patterns called gyres.The trade winds and the westerlies drive the gyres, which center in the subtropics. The North Atlantic Gyre is north of the equator, and it circulates clockwise. The South Atlantic Gyre, south of the equator, circulates counterclockwise.
The movement of the trade winds and the westerlies determines the direction of currents in the Atlantic. The trades drive the North and South Equatorial currents from Africa westward. The South Equatorial Current splits at the eastern tip of South America. One portion travels southward, and the other flows to the Caribbean, where it joins the North Equatorial Current. Waters build up in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the Gulf Stream, a strong current that sweeps up the North American continent. The current then flows eastward, becoming the North Atlantic Current. This current splits into several routes carrying waters toward the United Kingdom, Iceland, the Norwegian Sea, and Portugal.
The southernmost branch continues southward off the coast of Africa as the Canary Current until it gradually turns West to become the North Equatorial current, which is pushed westward towards the Caribbean and to where the finish line is! It is this current which Mathew and Chris will be hitching a ride on when they set out from San Sebastian.