Derring do on the high seas

I challenge you to listen to this interview without thinking of the Tom Hanks movie Captain Phillips. Climbing up the side of container ships is very Hollywood these days and, it seems, a necessary part of surviving a mid-Atlantic rescue.

Nick Ress (right) and Ed Curtis 

In December last year Nick Rees and his friend Ed Curtis attempted to cross the Atlantic in a rowing boat. This sort of lunacy is now such a run-of-the-mill idea, it takes the form of an annual race.

During the race, just before Christmas, Nick and Ed got unlucky and decided to throw in the towel. When Nick dropped by the BBC Surrey studios to tell me about his adventure I was so gripped I thought it was worth stretching the interview beyond the allotted slot.

If you have 20 minutes and fancy listening to a good story well told, click on the button below. If you can't see the widget, try this link. It's well worth it.



Nick took on the challenge to raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer after his wife was diagnosed at the age of 33 (thankfully she has made a full recovery). Nick and Ed have so far raised £170,000. Not bad for two years' work. Their own website breakthroughatlantic.com has a lot more supporting information.

Thanks to Nick for being such a patient guest and compelling storyteller.