Hamish Reid, left, and Nick Dennison celebrate their world record.
A BRITISH Army doctor from Yarmouth has become part of the first duo ever to row non-stop and unsupported around Great Britain.
Capt Hamish Reid, 29, returned to dry land last Thursday after 50 days battling the seas with his colleague, Capt Nick Dennison, 28, from Bristol.
The former Yarmouth Primary School pupil said he was proud and relieved to have set a new world record.
"Many experienced seamen told us it would not be practical to complete the journey, so we are delighted to be able to prove them wrong," said Capt Reid.
The duo set off from The Needles on May 12 and were escorted back to land by a flotilla of family and friends at Lymington Yacht Haven, Hampshire, at 2.30pm last Thursday.
The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, graduates aim to raise £20,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund and Help for Heroes charities while contributing towards research into the nutritional demands of prolonged physical exertion.
High seas, fierce winds and strong tides could not stop the doctors, in their 24ft rowing boat, Komale, from conquering more than 2,100 miles of coastline.
"The first two weeks were really hard. I struggled with sea-sickness, the weather was grim and obviously you miss home and your family," said Capt Reid, regimental medical officer with the 22 Royal Engineer Regiment in Tidworth, Wiltshire. He pinpointed the rugged shores around the Scottish Highlands and in the Irish Sea as the trickiest part of the circuit.
"We were stuck near Ireland for four days, sheltering in Wexford Harbour with only seals for company. We always believed we would do it but at times like that you wonder.
"When it was sunny it seemed like the easiest thing in the world," he added.
The pair had minimal sleep, rowing on and off for two hours apiece up to 20 hours a day, and survived on rations.
"The ruggedness around the Irish Sea and the North Sea meant we had to travel well out from the coast, but near land you are controlled by tide cycles, you can only row at certain times and it needed both of us."
Capt Reid celebrated his 29th birthday at sea on May 22, when Capt Dennison presented him with a pipe and a wig to keep his spirits up.
Capt Reid, who swam the English Channel in 2008 and attempted a world crawling record, is now preparing for his marriage to fiancee Jess Lindsay, 25, from Pleasant Point, New Zealand, in February next year.
To sponsor the doctors, log on to www.rowforheroes.com