Pair set to spend 55 days rowing

The men will be rowing in two-hour shifts 24 hours a day

Two men are heading out to the Canary Islands in preparation for a challenge which will see them try to row across the Atlantic Ocean from east to west.

Chris Andrews, 44, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, and Clint Evans, 44, from East Molesey in Surrey, plan to take 55 days to row from La Gomera to Antigua.

They will be taking part in the Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race, which gets under way on 27 November.

The pair have said it will be a "voyage of self-discovery" for them both.

Non-stop rowing

Both men are accomplished rowers and will be rowing the 3,000 miles in aid of the Parkinson's Disease Society and the National Autistic Society.

They have been training for more than a year, but have not trained in the sea.

"The waves in the Atlantic are so much bigger and longer, that there is not really any realistic sea practice," Mr Andrews said.

They will be rowing in two-hour shifts in their 23ft plywood boat, non-stop day and night, to maintain constant progress.

It is estimated that each will burn about 6,000 calories every day.

All the crews taking part in the race, which is the fourth of its kind, will be self-sufficient for food and water, and will not receive any outside assistance for the duration of the race.

The double rowing Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell, from Woking in Surrey, will also be taking part in the race, pairing BBC presenter Ben Fogle.