INDIAN OCEAN ROWERS: And they're off...

It has now been more than a week since Jamie Facer-Childs and James Thysse started their challenge to row across the Indian Ocean.

Jamie, from Maidenhead and James, from Lower Earley are attempting to break all records by being the youngest pair to row across the ocean.

They have rowed 242 nautical miles since the race started on April 19, and still have 2912 to do. 

The Advertiser website has been following their progress throughout their training and we will bring you updates from their blog during the race.

Here is the start of a blog with their thoughts on the day the race began from Geraldton, Western Australia to Mauritius.

Blog:

"Here in Western Australia it is Sunday 19th April, RACE DAY.

In a couple of hours time an epic event starts; an historic moment; the first ever Indian Ocean Rowing Race commences.  This is deemed to be the ocean with the most difficult beginning and end of any crossing - statistically it has recorded  the most failed attempts. 
 
During the first two or three days we must struggle against the local southwards moving current and we will have to give it everything simply to get past the Abrolhos Islands - that mass of 122 islands and reefs which lie up to 60 kms between the start line and the open sea.  At least we will still be fresh and (hopefully) blister free but, once passed the islands two tired men will then hit the brunt of an ocean, as a continental shelf meets the oceanic plate and the choppy seas become the massive waves that continually build up to frighten us, even as we sleep.
 
The challenge will then continue as we try to avoid just following the Trade Winds taking us up to Somalia rather than Mauritius - an event which has its own excitements and dangers.  In our nightmares we have already seen the monstrous sea battering our little boat around; we have seen sharks circling the boat ready to their lunch if we fall overboard.  And then the finish - and the potential disaster of missing that tiny dot called the finishing line.  But we have prepared, we are ready, it has been done before and we are set to achieve it again.  Our dream is to rise to the challenge, face the waves, feel the joy of working with the sea with every stroke of our oars. 
 
We are finally doing what we feel is the main challenge - although when we started from scratch 9 months ago many said that making the starting line was our biggest challenge.  We have put every ounce of our energy towards raising the money so that we can be in this first ever race as the youngest competitors.  We have "worked our fingers to the bone," "broken our backs," and whatever other sayings (which certainly has involved a change in sleep patterns) in order to get Southern Cross prepared, equipped and funded for this expedition. 

We cannot begin to say how much we have been supported and helped by so many people and we would like to thank you all for getting us this far.  Now we are here, we have no choice but to succeed.  We will not let you down."