A married doctor couple who spent 51 days together rowing across the Atlantic say they only had two arguments - which were both the husband's fault.
Charlie Fleury, 32, and Adam Baker, 31, rowed continuously in two-hour shifts for more than 3,000 miles (4,828km).
They had only rowed for five days previously as practice before setting off on a perilous journey that would take over 10 times that.
They set off from the Canary Islands on December 12 and arrived in Antigua last Tuesday (1st) afternoon aboard their boat called Persistence.
Now settled in back on dry land, the pair have discovered they can't do ordinary tasks like brush their teeth due to the damage done to their hands by weeks of endless rowing.
Despite the extraordinary journey and lack of sleep, the couple say they only fell out twice - both times due to Adam accidentally changing the boat's direction.
They accredited their lack of arguments to being married and their stressful jobs at home as A&E doctors meaning they could handle the situation better.
Adam, from Northampton, said: "You have an 'autotiller' which is a little arm that helps set your direction so you can program your course.
"There's a little screen in the cabin that lets you control that. So one time my personal locator beacon hit the controls when I got in the cabin.
"The steering was basically turned off while Charlie was rowing, because it was dark it took us a while to figure out what had happened.
"The second time I only wanted to adjust our course by a degree. I ended up pressing +10 instead of -1, Charlie realised what I'd done, and then instead of pressing -10 I pressed +10 again.
"Then in a panic I pressed it a third time, so instead of adjusting -1 degree, we went +30, so we went wildly off course.
"You get hit by the wind quite easily so that mistake for only a few seconds ended up costing us like 20 minutes".
Adam added though: "We know what pushes each other's buttons, and we knew each other's strengths.
"Some of the teams that go together might have frustrations build up over time - but we tended to just air stuff out straight away so we could move on.''
The couple are aiming to raise £100,000 for frontline charities as part of their journey, and so far have raised around £20,000.
Supported by the University of Exeter where the pair both studied a Masters in 'Extreme Medicine', the pair used their own bodies as science experiments for both human psychology and biology.
They both lost over 10 kilos in body mass during the journey, and both lost around 10% body fat.
Documenting their journey, the pair said they had seen all kinds of animals like sharks and killer whales - and even had a pair of birds hitchhike with them to the Americas.
Charlie, from Bristol, said: "This has been such a tough challenge with so many highs and lows.
"There aren’t many ultra-events that last longer than 7 weeks and have such a variety of weather conditions to tackle.
"The highlight of the journey was definitely seeing a pod of orcas. Three from the pod came alongside the boat and it was truly magical.
"Ironically as well, every time Adam went to clean the debris off the bottom of the boat - which you have to do weekly - I'd always spot a shark too, so that was quite scary!"
Sleeping in a small cabin that could reach 40-degree heats, the pair battled both mental and physical exhaustion, particularly as they began the race exhausted from a year of fighting COVID in A&E wards.
Adam explained: "One of our biggest worries was going into the row already really burned out and exhausted from COVID.
"It was tough - but we were able to utilise lessons we learned from working in A&E. It really helped when we hit those lows on the oceans to push through them.
“We’re so delighted that we’ve made it through this adventure, with all its highs and lows.
"It’s an experience we’ll never forget.
Professor Ian Fussell, Associate Dean of Education at the University of Exeter’s College of Medicine and Health, said: “We’re delighted that Charlie and Adam made it to the Caribbean safely
"We're so proud they finished their adventure so successfully.
"It’s an incredible feat, and a great experience for them, and we look forward to seeing what insights they gain from their research.”
Although other married couples have rowed the Atlantic before, they are the first married couple to have ever raced in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge that was first organised by Atlantic Campaigns in 2013.
They are still supporting frontline medical charities who encompass saving lives by air, land and sea; DAAT, RNLI, RD&E charity and Mind.
You can help them reach their fundraising target of £100,000 by donating on their website: https://www.emergenseaduo.com/
