On 15th December a crew of 14 people will set off from the Canary Islands attempting to set a new Guinness world record for the fastest Atlantic crossing by an ocean rowing boat.

The Atlantic Challenge rowing race is a speed challenge designed to capture the world record for the fastest man-powered crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

Peter Donaldson from Ringsend is one of this elite group of men who, with the help of Dublin Port, aims to break the record set by a French team in 1992 of 35 days, 8 hours and 30 minutes.

Peter has been rowing since he was six with clubs such as Stella Maris and St. Pat's and he sees this Atlantic crossing as his own personal World Cup, his own Olympics requiring complete dedication.

Peter is training seven days a week with a routine consisting of lifting light weights, a 10k jog and an hour on the rowing machine in the gym every day during the week. On the weekends he goes over to the East Coast of England where the boat is currently situated for more training there.

To get a place in the boat, Peter had to get ahead of 250 others and has had to pay €20,000 himself with great help from Dublin Port. The boat has all the latest navigational aids, satellite phones and a laptop from which he will be able to update us on his progress through his own blog.

All the food they bring will be freeze-dried (the kind astronauts use) and they will have two water makers and a small gas stove. The lads will be rowing two hours on and two hours off, when they will get a chance to have some food, sleep or attend to nature's call in the boat's toilet (their very own bucket!)

Providing all goes well, Peter hopes to cross the Indian Ocean in 2008 and he would like to thank Captain Enda Connellan from Dublin Port for all the financial support without which Peter's attempt would not have been possible. If you would like to keep updated on Peter and the lads' progress, they have a website www.oceanrowevents.com or if you would like to donate money to Peter's charity, the National Children's Hospital, you can lodge money in the A.I.B quoting Peter Donaldson, account no. 11501369, sort code 931047 or you can make donations on the website. The best of luck, lads!

Main picture: Peter Donaldson.