A Royal Engineer team has won the world’s toughest rowing event after spending more than five weeks on the open sea.
The Salty Sappers posted on Instagram that the attempt had been “incredibly tough, with terrible weather and many difficult moments”, particularly towards the end.
But, they added, “Our hard work and constant striving for excellence has paid off with a win!”
“We are currently enjoying our time on land. We will return to you all after a good night’s sleep!”
“A huge thank you to all our supporters and sponsors, I hope we’ve made you all proud.”
The challenge will see teams paddle a total of 2,800 miles from Monterey, California to Hanalei Bay on the island of Kauai in Hawaii.
Maj. Adam Siggs, Capt. Joshua Warne, Corporal Richard Wilkinson and Corporal Adam Sedgwick completed the attempt in 36 days, 6 hours and 49 minutes.
This meant they won by more than a day, with second place going to fellow British team Wild Waves, who finished in 37 days, 11 hours and 43 minutes.
After their victory was confirmed, the Salty Suppers posted an official victory video on Instagram, saying they were “still in absolute awe” of what they had achieved.
They added that they will be “living on this high for the next few months.”
The Salty Sappers had already raised £4,500 and were also raising money for the Royal Engineers, with a target of £25,000.
The Engineers’ victory gave the British team a double victory in the world’s most powerful battle.
There are two versions of the race, an Atlantic and a Pacific, and the Salty Sappers chose the Pacific route.
In January, the Royal Navy team HMS Audacious won the Atlantic version of the race.