If they successfully row 2,100 miles across the North Atlantic in less than 55 days, they will secure a place in the record books. But five men have already died trying. Lindsay Jenings meets latter-day adventurers George Rock and Nigel Morris.

NIGEL Morris is peeking out of the opening of the six foot long cabin, which is to be home for up to eight weeks.

The "sleep den" onboard the boat Naturally Best spans five feet at its widest point and tapers down to about one foot. It is approximately three feet high - barely large enough to sit up in. But this spatially challenged area is where Nigel and his fellow crew members will attempt to get precious hours sleep and take shelter from raging storms as they try to break the world record for rowing across the north Atlantic Ocean.

Nigel, 41, and brother-in-law George, 42, both of Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, are part of the four-man Vivaldi Atlantic 4 crew who are hoping to row their way into the record books.

The crew, including Rob Munslow, 27, of Monmouth, Wales, and Steve Dawson, 43, of Boston, Lincolnshire will set off from St John's, Newfoundland, Canada, later this month and aim to be the first crew to cross the North Atlantic from west to east in less than 55 days. They are also hoping to be the first team to row direct to England, landing at Falmouth.

Amazingly, the record for the west to east crossing has not been beaten since Norwegians George Harbo and Frank Samuelson completed the voyage in an 18ft whaling boat in 1896, travelling from New York to the Scilly Isles in 55 days. It was equalled 18 years ago by Brit Tom McLean. Since then, there have been 34 attempts, including 22 failures and five deaths. The most recent death was Nenad Belic, a doctor from Chicago, who set off from Cape Cod in May 2001 and died 151 days later when his boat disappeared during a storm off the coast of Ireland.

Adverse weather conditions mean the west-east route is seen as the hard way to crosss the Atlantic.

For Nigel, a chargehand dock operator with PD Teesport, and George, a BT engineer, it is their second chance at re-writing history. The pair were part of a crew skippered by Mark Stubbs which attempted the crossing in June 2002. But the attempt ended in frustration after 1,200 miles and 21 days at sea when their rudder snapped following a battering by storms.

"We just overlooked the power of the waves," says Nigel. "We were going over these 50ft waves at 11 knots and we needed a more robust rudder."

"We were devastated at the time because we'd worked two years to get there," adds George. "We were at sea for a whole week thinking about it before the ship picked us up. But we knew we wanted to try again."

The preparation for their next bid has taken three years, and with a new boat their chances are better than ever. The 29-foot long Naturally Best, or "Natty B" as she is known, is four feet shorter than their previous vessel and is made from a prototype material, a cross between carbon and glass fibre. The boat has been fitted with a keel, a weighted fin at the bottom to give better direction and a central daggerboard to help stop her blowing off course. The rudder has also been strengthened.

The men have been in training for months, spending an hour a day at the gym, rowing 15,000 metres a time. They each lost two stone on their last attempt, and so have been tucking into fish and chips to bulk up.

Once the challenge begins, they will row two hours on, and two hours off in teams of two. Food will be a series of boil -in-the-bag Army rations and they will have fresh water from an onboard desalinater, which produces one litre of fresh water from every ten litres of sea water. The main power source will be a generator, backed up by a series of solar panels fixed to the cabin roofs.

But their mental endurance will be one of their most important tools. When they are at their lowest ebb, hitting wave after icy wave, it is their camaraderie and strength of mind which will keep them going.

"I would say you need probably 70 per cent mental and 30 per cent physical," says George. "Once you get out there it's just about survival. But we're all ex-Forces lads and we all share a similar humour and mental attitude."

They will certainly need their sense of humour when they go to the toilet - in front of one another. "We call it bucket and chuck it," laughs George, holding up the latrine. "You can't hang your arse over the side because it upsets the trim of the boat. You have to sit in the middle."

Their start is dependent upon the weather, but the earliest date is May 28. Spare crew member Garry Smith, 25, of Middlesbrough, will also fly out with them.

The North Atlantic is known for its cold seas and huge waves, with sharks, drifting containers and whales just some of the hazards in store. But by far the worst section is the 300-mile stretch known as the Grand Banks, where The Perfect Storm starring George Clooney was filmed, and which they will hit in their first week.

The treacherous conditions are a result of the way the sea bed plunges suddenly from 30 metres to 2,000 metres. It is here that the crew sought refuge in their cabins and were tossed around on 50ft waves during their last attempt. It was a "brutal place", says George.

"It was like being inside a washing machine and it was so noisy you couldn't hear each other without shouting. In situations like that, you suddenly become religious."

The Natty B is self-righting and if a storm hits, the men will go to their cabins and ride it out. Once passed the Grand Banks, the crew will follow the warmer Gulf Stream back to Europe until they reach the English coast, the point where the Gulf Stream splits in two. If they fail to get in the right position when it splits, it could mean a mighty battle against the currents to reach the mainland.

The Natty B is fitted with a GPS (Global Positioning System) which will run the auto tiller pilot to steer the boat and give position, course and speed, allowing the men to focus on rowing. The crew will also be able to communicate via email and satellite phone.

Technically, they will have broken Harbo and Samuelson's record if they reach the Scilly Isles before 55 days. But the crew also want to be the first to reach England in a North Atlantic bid.

It is a venture which has cost them £100,000, met largely thanks to sponsors, and they are aiming to finish in about 45 days.

But they are in no doubts as to the enormity of their challenge. Nigel, Steven and George are all married with two children apiece and their wives, albeit supportive, are understandably nervous about their "adventure" .

"We know the statistics and that we've got a 30 per cent chance of not coming back at all," says George seriously. "But we also know what to expect and that the boat is going to perform better. It would have to break in half for us to terminate this time."

Some may see their voyage as foolhardy; others that they are brave pioneers. George describes them as latter-day adventurers.

"We were all born 200 years too late really," he says. "We would have been sailing with Captain Cook if we could have, there's not many firsts left to conquer these days."

As they edge closer to their adventure, thoughts of what it would be like to break the record have been pushed to the back of their minds. It is something they have dreamed of for so long it is hard to imagine what it would be like, says George, before his face breaks into a grin.

"Actually it would be fantastic," he says. "Absolutely fantastic."

* The crew is raising funds for The Meningitis Trust. To donate money and find out more information on the crew, log onto www.atlanticfour.com or email George at george.rock@bt.com