A SAILOR has completed a mammoth rowing challenge of more than 3,000 miles across the Atlantic.

Jonny Bayley, from Seaford and his team-mates endured 42 days of blisters, seasickness, sunburn and sleep deprivation as they rowed from La Gomera, in Spain, to Antigua in the Caribbean.

The team of four, called Row Row Row Our Boat, also consisted of Andrew Burns, from Chichester, Nick Wright from Thorney Island, off Chichester, and Andy Williams from Bournemouth.

They were taking part in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.

Jonny, 32, has been a sailor for 11 years and is an engineer for a private 33 metre super yacht.

The Argus:

Although he is constantly at sea, he has never taken on such a challenge before.

Jonny said: “Before the trip, I had not experienced the fear but then 24 hours before the start line the fear did really kick in. It felt very surreal.

“I was lucky enough to have my father with me in La Gomera at the start line to ease these feelings of nervousness and fear.

“Day one of the trip was a great feeling. I felt good that I was out on the water and I was optimistic. At that stage we were unaware of how far we had to go, physically and mentally.

“My biggest fear was that an injury or strain would happen to me or a team-mate in an area of ocean where we were unable to receive help quickly. But fortunately, when such incidences happened we managed to resolve them and carry on.

“At the end of the trip, I felt overwhelmed by the crowds and the atmosphere because we had spent so long in such quiet and relative calm.

“Throughout the competition I also learnt to be more patient.

“I have known Andy, Andrew and Nick for several years and they are fantastic team-mates.”

The Argus:

Jonny and his friends survived mainly on freeze-dried food.

Despite suffering severe exhaustion, they were kept entertained by pods of whales, dolphins and the occasional shark and by being hit by flying fish.

The team set off on December 12 and landed in Antigua on January 23. They finished ninth out of 29 teams from around the world.

Jonny added: “Personally, I never suffered from a desire to give up, I loved the challenge and the environment and cherished every day out there.

“We had the chance to accomplish something memorable.”

Read more: Young Brighton doctor is on a mission to help struggling colleagues

Jonny and his friends also successfully raised more than £7,000 for their chosen charities.

He said: “We chose Over The Wall because it’s a fantastic charity that helps seriously ill children reach their potential and Royal Surrey County Hospital Charitable Trust as this particular charity helped treat Nick’s sister, who he sadly lost to cancer.”

To help Jonny and his team raise even more money for the charities, go to r3ob.com and otw.org.uk.