It’s been an eventful but rewarding first leg of the journey for Steve and the rest of the team as they battle rough seas and high winds on their Atlantic adventure.

With swells of up to 3 metres, waves crashing over the side of the boat and the rowers frequently being swept out of their seats, it has certainly not been an easy start to the voyage.

Steve himself has been thrown from his seat countless times, cutting a finger on one occasion. And to make matters worse that finger then got infected which has hampered his rowing considerably. But the team have medical supplies on board and are treating the injury well.

They have also had to spend long periods on sea anchor to cope with the weather conditions and that has slowed their progress.

In one of his updates to home, Steve said he hasn’t been eating much during this first stretch, making do with energy drinks and chocolate for the most part and forcing himself to eat proper food on just the odd occasion.

The reality is that things which are normally simple – sleeping, eating, cleaning your teeth – become so much more complicated in the confined, turbulent environment of the boat, so they just don’t happen, Steve explained.

In one particularly distressing update, he told how the red bucket which the team had designated as their toilet broke meaning the black bucket, which was originally intended to be used for showers, has now been promoted to toilet duties.

It’s fair to assume there isn’t going to be a lot of showering taking place over the coming weeks…

Despite everything, however, the team is still making healthy progress and is many hundreds of kilometres on their way towards South America. A long way to go but they are well on their way.

Steve is rowing across the Atlantic Ocean to raise funds for three great organizations. To find out more and to donate, go to www.crossrower.ch (de.crossrower.ch in German)