A HELENSBURGH man is bidding to become a world record holder as part of the oldest team to ever row across an ocean.

Steve Hughes, from Shandon, is taking on the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge in December with his team The Ancient Mariners.

The quartet’s quest begins in La Gomera in Spain and will take them more than 3,000 miles west to Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua and Bermuda, with the team hoping to arrive at the finish point within 60 days.

Steve is the self-proclaimed youngster of the crew as he turns 61 on the race start date, with the ages of other members Guy, John and Mike ranging from 63 to 67.

Facing up to the “world’s toughest row” will not only bring personal fame for the father-of-two, as the team will also be raising money for the Blind Veterans charity and Open Arms Malawi.

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Steve said: “There are two of us in our crew who are ex-military and we wanted a charity that was both multi-generational and tri-service.

“They [Blind Veterans] give those who have served our country much needed support that ranges from rehabilitation and training to practical advice and vital emotional support.

“The other two crew members have collectively spent more than 40 years in Malawi and understand the problems that drought and AIDS have brought on the Malawian people.

“It is so good to see a small project that not only really benefits the orphaned children but ensures they are found a place in their own community to grow up just like any other child.”

Working on a two hours on, two hours off shift pattern, the group expect to take around 1.5 million oar strokes during the race and each rower is predicted to lose an average of 12kg crossing the Atlantic.

With no toilet on board their specially adapted boat and food and water in short supply, the challenge is certainly not one for the faint hearted.

“Whilst we are openly stating that we are in this to complete, not compete”, Steve added. “We are all individually very competitive.

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“The weather will clearly have a massive impact on our schedule; technical issues and wear and tear to the boats due to the extreme conditions are also deciding factors.

“Individually we will have to cope with salt sores, blisters, the impact on our bodies of trying to get a boat that weighs 1 and a half tons 3,000 miles across the Atlantic and massive sleep deprivation.

“If you see me up and down the Gareloch in my coastal rowing boat, which for some unknown reason my girls Lauren and Rachael have named ‘The Grumpy Old Man’, please give me a wave.”

If they complete the challenge, Steve and his team are set to smash the current record by around 33 years of age.

For more information on how to donate and support the team, visit ancientmariners.net.