Dom Mee and his British Ocean Rowing Team are continuing their record-setting pace on their Atlantic record attempt.

The Atlantic Quest team comprising Mee, Ed James, Tom Rendell and Pete Bird set off – unsupported – on Sunday 14 January at 1000 from La Palma and nine days into their voyage are nearly halfway across.

As far as the record is concerned they are well ahead of schedule thanks to the weather that has so far has been extremely favourable. Shorebased tactical navigator Mike Broughton explains: “The weather has been close to perfect so far with tail winds pushing the team on. There was a possibility of them being caught up in the recent storms that have hit the UK and that is why the team have taken a more southerly course. The threat of headwinds is still there, especially over the next few days and the team is maintaining a southerly course.”

Crewmember Rendell(pictured)who has served for eight years in the Royal Marines seeing active service in Kosovo and Afghanistan chatted to Louay Habib this morning about how the team is pulling together: “Yes, we are on our own but if we are to successfully complete this task, our achievement is heavily reliant on all four of us hanging together as a team and we are all capable of doing that, teamwork is instilled into every Royal Marine, it is in our mind-set.

On a personal level I have wanted to row an ocean since I was about fourteen and when I heard about the Atlantic row I started to train for it straight away, I was very pleased to be selected for the team and I am looking forward to completing the task and arriving in Barbados, hopefully breaking the world record.”

The record to beat – east to west – set in 1992 by La Mondial (French 10-man team) is 35 days and 8 hours.