When married couple Debra and Andrew Veal entered the 3000 mile Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge they believed that their profound knowledge of each other would give them the edge over the other – mainly male – competitors. Yet during their first night in open waters they were confronted with a discovery that would leave their transatlantic bid in tatters: Andrew, an experienced rower, was suffering from an uncontrollable fear of the ocean. Try as they might to overcome this, by day eight Andrew’s distress had become unbearable for both of them. After a night of soul-searching, Andrew resolutely decided to give up.

          Debra could have bowed out of the race with her husband and team-mate, but she was relishing the journey and wanted to see how far she could go as a solo-rower…..