Two best friends from Wales have broken an unbelievable rowing record as part of the first ever three-man crew to cross the Atlantic from mainland to mainland. Former Newport Bassaleg school pupils Stefan Vine and Johnnie Ball completed the astonishing 65-day feat in an eight-metre-long boat with South African Dirk Von Delft.
Stefan, who said it was “without doubt” the hardest thing he had ever done, said he is still in a state of shock since they arrived back in Newport after finally making it to French Guiana following a gruelling non-stop rowing mission from Portimao in Portugal.
Johnnie said when they arrived in French Guiana they “couldn’t stop laughing”. “Stef kept falling over because we hadn’t walked in so long,” he said. “It was a completely surreal moment that we’d made it.”
