Atlantic rowing pair crash into reef ONE MILE from finish after racing 2,500 miles

Daily Mail Reporter
9:05 AM on 23rd March 2010

Two British rowers who spent almost three months racing 2,500 miles across the Atlantic had to be rescued after hitting a reef less than a mile from the finish line.

Phil Pring and Ben Cummings, who had been at sea for 76 days, were disqualified from the Canaries to the West Indies race after they ran aground.

The pair, members of Zennor Gig Club, were picked up by authorities after the incident near the Caribbean island of Antigua on Sunday.

Scuppered: Phil Pring, left, and Ben Cummings were disqualified from the race after running aground

The men were taking part in the Atlantic Rowing Race in their boat Vision Of Cornwall and were in 15th place when they hit the reef.

Falmouth Coastguard said that the two friends, who were raising money for the Cornwall Blind Association, were safe and well. 

According to organisers Woodvale Challenge, although Mr Cummings, 36, and Mr Pring, 32, from Falmouth, Cornwall, did not complete the race, they did offcially complete a transatlantic crossing as they had passed the eastern tip of Antigua, the landmark used for such events.

A spokesman said: 'The boat passed over a first reef and narrowly avoided capsizing but despite the efforts of the guys to row clear the breaking surf rolled the vessel which became trapped on the reef.

'It's absolutely gutting - to be so close to the finish line must be very hard to take.

'But they did complete a transatlantic crossing and hopefully that achievement will be enough for them.'

Last month the men said there had been a lot of 'niggling problems' during the voyage in their boat, which was built in a barn near Helston, Cornwall. 

As well as having to cope with heat and weight-loss, just two weeks after setting off from the Canary Island of La Gomera on January 4, their drinking water maker failed when a charger from their solar panels broke - resulting in them having to be supplied from a support boat. 

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