A WINCHESTER rower has battened down the hatches in a storm in the Atlantic Ocean.

Will North, 28, and his friend Dan Howie also 28, are taking part in the The Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge which started last Wednesday.

Will’s father, Simon, from Compton, said: “There are very high winds and 20-foot waves. The whole fleet has battened down and put out a sea anchor to sit out the storm. You are bound to get worried but hopefully once they get to the 23rd parallel they should have a 15-knot tailwind to Antigua.”

In his blog, Dan Howie, said: “We tried to row through it but the winds were too strong, so we set out our para anchor and waited for it to pass. We tried rowing again twice on Monday but it seemed that every row we did sent us in the wrong direction. In the end, we had no choice but to set out our para anchor again.

“As I write this, we're both squeezed into the small cabin. We need to keep the door half open, just in case we capsize. If we do, we've got our lifejackets on. We have our chart-plotter pinned up in the cabin so we're looking at routes that will get us to Antigua the quickest. The storm is scary; the boat is rocking quite a lot!”

• Last week the Chronicle reported that the 3,000-mile race was starting in Antigua. In fact, it began in the Canary Islands and will finish in Antigua. Apologies for any confusion.