Ambrose brothers' bid to beat dad's trans-Atlantic rowing challenge in support of charity Tusk

THREE brave brothers from Lymington are counting down to the challenge of a lifetime after betting their dad £5 they could row across the Atlantic faster than he did 20 years ago.

In less than two weeks, Felix, Louis and Finn Ambrose will begin their bid to row 3,000 miles across the ocean in 40 days – 19 days quicker than their father Hugo in 2003.

The brothers – who have dubbed themsevles the Ambrose Buoys – will take on the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge on 12th December in their state-of-the-art vessel Ambrosia.

Unlike their father, who crossed the Atlantic in a wooden vessel with a colleague, the siblings will be rowing 24 hours a day in a bid to beat his time.

Louis (27), Felix (25), and Finn (23) will be raising money for conservation charity Tusk in what is believed to be the first time the children of a trans-Atlantic rower have embarked on the same challenge.

Finn, who has just completed a masters degree, said: “We made the bet as a bit of a joke and it all got rather out of control and now we’re committed to row the Atlantic.

“It’s not something you do lightly and we’ve put in a lot of training and have secured a boat – but we’re still looking for sponsors.

“I’m not sure dad ever thought we’d do it but he has got behind us and given us lots of advice. But he’s hoping we take longer than he did.

“When dad did it he was only the 111th person to complete the crossing so it was pretty big news and a fairly big deal.

“We’ve been planning it for about two years but it only got real a year ago when we got the boat.

“Our mum Pauline is behind us, but naturally a little worried that she’ll be waving her three children off on the voyage.

“We decided between us that we’d support the conservation charity Tusk and we want to raise as much for that as we can.”

Felix, software consultant Louis and Finn will set out from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on 12th December towards their final destination of Antigua in the Caribbean.

Dad Hugo, who used to own a building firm but now runs the sea water baths in Lymington, said: “The bet was a bit of a joke.

“I never dreamt they’d ever organise themselves into a proper crew, but they are surprisingly well organised and have trained a lot more than we did on our boat.

“When it seemed as if they were serious I got behind them and have given them all the advice I can.

“The race really will test them, both physically and mentally, but they’ll never forget it.”