A DAY of close encounters with shipping and wildlife beckoned for the crew aiming to break the North Atlantic world rowing record yesterday.

The crew -Nigel Morris and George Rock, of Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, along with Steve Dawson, of Lincolnshire, and Rob Munslow, of Monmouth, were making good progress yesterday in their attempt to row from Canada to England in less than 55 days.

Here is yesterday's report:

"Day two saw two close encounters with ships -one merchant vessel and a patrolling coastguard ship. Both ships had picked us up on radar, proving our "see me" system works well.

Our other close encounter was our first sighting of whales firing huge water spouts. This was a welcome sight in the thick fog we were in at the time. Blisters continue to grow as we work for every mile in the headwinds, but spirits remain high as we wait patiently for the westerly winds."

Yours, The Crew

* Keep up to date with the team's progress with regular updates in The Northern Echo.