Pair raise £14,000 for Great North Air Ambulance after Atlantic row
The rowed 3,000 miles from the Canary Islands to Antigua
Two friends have raised around £14,000 for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) after a 3,000 mile row across the Atlantic.
David Ferrier, from Westnewton, Cumbria, and Garry Hoyle, from North Shields, left the Canary Islands for Antigua on 12 December 2023.
They relied on dehydrated rations for food, and solar polar for electricity.
The pair arrived at English Harbor, Antigua, after 70 days, 20 hours and 18 mins.
The service have since revealed that £13,733 was raised.
Fundraising 'potentially going to save a life'
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, David Ferrier said completing the challenge took "sheer grit and determination", but that it was "absolutely astonishing."
"It was tough, it was hard, but the amount of wildlife that you see, whales, sharks, dolphins."
He said he was inspired to raise money for the air ambulance after seeing them fly regularly over his house in the Lake DIstrict.
"What they do is just amazing, and we knew that for every £5,000 that we raised for them, it was potentially going to save a life."
Garry Hoyle said he wanted to do "something memorable" for his 60th birthday, especially as his dad died at the age of 59.
He added the "changeable weather" made things tricky at times.
"The race took longer than we both anticipated, and we were challenged in different ways than we expected."