Brothers to row Atlantic 19 years after father following £5 bet
The siblings are taking on a gruelling 3,000 mile challenge
Three brothers from Lymington have bet their father £5 they can row across the Atlantic faster than he did almost 20 years ago.
Felix, Louis and Finn Ambrose will take on the 3,000 mile challenge aiming to reach the other side of the ocean in 40 days – 19 days quicker than dad Hugo did in 2003.
When he paddled the distance with a colleague their boat was made of wood and the crossing was still a novel thing to do.
His children will row 24 hours a day in their hi-tech boat Ambrosia, but the unpredictable nature of the sea means there is no guarantee they will beat their dad’s time
Their team – called Ambrose Buoys - will take part in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge in December.
It is believed to be the first time that children of a trans-Atlantic rower have embarked on the same challenge.
Mum Pauline is fully on board but natural a little apprehensive.
Louis, 27, Felix, 25, and Finn, 23, are raising money for the conservation charity Tusk.
Finn said: "We made the bet as a bit of a joke and it all got rather out of control and now we’re committed to row the Atlantic.
"It’s not something you do lightly and we’ve put in a lot of training and have secured a boat – but we’re still looking for sponsors.
"I’m not sure dad ever thought we’d do it but he has got behind us and given us lots of advice – but he’s hoping we take longer than he did.
"When dad did it he was only the 111th person to complete the crossing so it was pretty big news and a fairly big deal.
"We’ve been planning it for about two years but it only got real a year ago when we got the boat.
"Mum is behind us but naturally a little worried that she’ll be waving her three children off on the voyage.
"We decided between us that we’d support the conservation charity Tusk and we want to raise as much for that as we can."
Felix and Finn have just finished masters’ degrees and Louis works as a software consultant.
Dad Hugo, who used to own a building firm but now runs the seawater baths in Lymington, said: "The bet was a bit of a joke.
"I never dreamt they’d ever organise themselves into a proper crew, but they are surprisingly well organised and have trained a lot more than we did on our boat.
"When it seemed as if they were serious I got behind them and have given them all the advice I can.
"The race really will test them, both physically and mentally, but they’ll never forget it.”
The boat will leave from La Gomera in the Canary Island on December 12 to the final destination of Antigua in the Caribbean.