DEVIZES rower George Oliver and his four colleagues have been magnanimous in defeat after their hopes of setting a new record for rowing the Atlantic were dashed.
Another British crew aboard, La Mondiale, smashed the record by two days.
La Mondiale and its 14-strong crew arrived in the West Indies last Thursday in a new time of 33 days, seven hours and 30 minutes.
La Mondiale set the existing record of 35 days eight hours and 30 minutes, with a French crew in 1992.
In a spirit of gentlemanly sportsmanship, Mr Oliver and his colleagues aboard Oyster Shack Ocean Challenger, congratulated La Mondiale on their excellent achievement.
They recognised that it is now almost impossible for them to beat the new record but they remain determined to break the former record and at the same time set a new record for the fastest sculling boat, which stands at 36 days and 59 minutes and was set by a British crew in Queensgate in 2004.
Rowers in sculling boats row with two oars each as opposed to normal boats where each rower has just one oar.
Mr Oliver, 27, now lives in Bristol but his parents, Richard and Julia live in Easterton, near Devizes, and Mr Oliver used to work at Devizes Leisure Centre.
Oyster Shack Ocean Challenger needs to reach Antigua before 8.30pm on Sunday night to break the old record and set a new one for sculling boats.
The crew is also raising money for the charity WaterAid.
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