Atlantic Ocean, February 3, Helen Butters, aboard the rowing boat Rose: "Well I have now been at sea for 45 days sharing a small constantly rocking space with three other women. Our hands and bottoms are very sore and it feels like we are rowing on a bed of pins but ...we are all coping unbelievably well. Some of the highs so far are rowing at night with a full moon (and) amazing clear skies. We have seen whales, dolphins and have been hit in the face by flying fish. Lows are definitely the knock on the cabin door during the night shift after having two hours sleep and having to venture out of the warm sleeping bag to being thrown around and soaked to the skin by the waves that you can't see until they hit you..."
AS you read this - right now, at this very moment - four middle-aged Yorkshire mums are battling against the elements in a tiny rowing boat far out on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Janette Benaddi, Helen Butters, Niki Doeg and Frances Davies, who are all in their 40s and 50s, have been at sea for more than 50 days, rowing a gruelling two hours on, two hours off schedule. They've survived Hurricane Alex, been attacked by flying fish, and suffered equipment failures that left them without GPS and steering manually by compass. They're tired, smelly, rowing almost naked having long ago given up trying to keep their clothes clean - and they all miss home desperately.
The women at the oars of The Rose
But they've also experienced some remarkable things: schools of curious dolphin; a visit by a mother whale with a young calf; rowing at night under a full moon and blazing stars; a night-time ocean dancing with lights like fairy lights.
Now, they're about 400 nautical miles - perhaps another week's rowing - of their destination: Antigua.
When they make it, they'll become the oldest women's team to have rowed across the Atlantic. And more important, they hope to raise more than £100,000 for their chosen charities, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the proposed Maggie's Cancer Care Centre in Leeds.
The foursome, who call themselves the Yorkshire Rows, are one of 26 teams who set out on December 20 to row across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Antigua as part of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.
Several of the teams have already completed the 3,000 nautical-mile journey. Others, such as Janette, Helen, Niki and Frances, still have several days hard rowing to go.
Map showing the route taken by the women. They are now much nearer Antigua than shown and have only about 400 nautical miles to go...
But, for the Yorkshire Rows, this race was never about the winning. It's all about the challenge itself; and the fundraising; and demonstrating that good old Yorkshire grit is still alive and kicking.
Throughout their weeks at sea, the four women have somehow managed to post - on Twitter and Facebook - regular blogs providing updates on their progress.
Here, as the foursome head towards the finish line, we share a few extracts...
February 7, Janette: "Row, row, row your boat...The weather and the ocean are proving less than accommodating, with choppy and rough seas making progress difficult. We are steering by hand and continue to suffer equipment malfunction, but we now have just over 700 nautical miles to go with the end getting nearer with every stroke."
February 2, Niki Doeg: "Latest update from somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. We have got a few days of no wind and sluggish seas so our speed is frustratingly slow, but we are still heading in the right direction.
"The girls surprised me on my birthday with a rendition of Happy Birthday and some little treats and cards from loved ones at home. We all had one chocolate each and a sip of some special mango gin which lovely friends had sent with us.
"This week we have had a pod of dolphins join us and then a big mummy whale came by (boy, she was big!) with her baby and the baby came up close and personal for a little look at our boat. Mummy whale was not too bothered about it getting so close, she must have known the boat was full of Mums too.
"We are loving the nights, not only is it cool (it is sooooooo hot during the days now) but the sky is full of stars... I always look up at the moon at my kids' bed time and send huge hugs and bedtime wishes their way, knowing that same moon is looking down at them."
An Atlantic sunset from on board The Rose
January 31, Janette and crew: "Day 42 at sea, slow progress last night no wind and the sea was like treacle to row through. Every one is well (apart from sore bottoms).
"Last night a very very big whale came to visit us. He was enormous, he didn’t stay long and it was a bit dark so we couldn’t get a good picture this time. It's amazing to see the whales and other wildlife, there is always a bird flying around us during the day and at night a different one, not sure where they come from?
"Daily jobs on board include making hot water (Helen), cleaning solar panels and toilet (Frances), checking for water ingress and bilge duties (Niki) and rubbish monitor (Janette), amongst other numerous tasks that are necessary on a small “ship”. We still have not got used to clambering around the boat, don't think we will it is so rocky most of the time and we are not quite agile and quick enough! Many times we just end up crawling around and trying to hold on to each other, we all have lots of bruises! Helen is quite spectacular when she moves around the boat... Her face looks so determined to get from one end of the boat to another yet her body leaves her behind."
Aboard The Rose
January 25, skipper Janette: "Yesterday morning the sea was not our friend. It was pushing us in the wrong direction and broach (side) on with the waves, when a big wave hit we were literally knocked completely out of our seats and the boat came very close to capsizing a few times. Thankfully she didn't roll but we all have bruises everywhere.
"All is well today, the sea is with us, wind could be a bit stronger but we are thankful for what we have..."
January 18, Janette: "Today we have been on this big blue ocean for four weeks (and) things are starting to get a little smelly! We have no clean clothes to wear (so) alas we are naked. It's good for our skin and also when waves hit we dry quick. It's like a nudist camp on this boat...
"We saw a whale yesterday and today a very large pod of dolphins followed us for some time. The flying fish are still attacking: we found a dead one hidden in the boat. It had been there for some time and I had been blaming the smell on Helen's shoes."
January 5, skipper Janette: "It's been a hectic two weeks. We have been struggling with power management amongst other things. Why is it when things go wrong it's always at 3am in the morning when it's pitch black, windy and a very rough sea?
"When the power went down we lost our auto pilot and GPS and had to steer by hand using a compass, it was a bit of a challenge! For five days we could not turn on the water maker for fear of losing power so had to pump water by hand to get 10 litres, takes several hours. We have also had to use our para-anchor twice, once when the wind and sea was pushing us back East and once when we lost all power on the boat. Anyhow all going good now..."
THE WOMEN
The four women before they set off. L-r Frances Davies, Helen Butters, Niki Doeg and Janette Benaddi
Janette Benaddi, 51-year-old clinical researcher from Burn, near Selby. Mum to James, 18 and Safiya, 14. Special duty: Skipper
Helen Butters, 45-year-old communications expert in the NHS from Cawood, near Selby. Mum to Lucy, 16 and Henry, 12. Special duty: Making drinking water
Niki Doeg, 45-year-old business owner from Hessay, near York. Mum to Corby, 12 and Aiden, 9. Special duty: In charge of electronics on the boat
Frances Davies, 47-year-old solicitor from York. Mum to Jay, 13, and Jack, 12. Special duty: Chief navigator
The team took up rowing four years ago after meeting at the Guy Fawkes Boat Club, in York. They have spent the past two years preparing for the challenge and training six days a week.
For more information on how the team are getting on, visit www.yorkshirerows.com or follow their blogs on Twitter @yorkshirerows or on facebook at Yorkshire Rows
THE BOAT
In training aboard The Rose before setting off on the challenge
Named Rose, the team's small ocean rowing boat is 8 metres long and 1.7 metres wide. She is built out of carbon fibre and Kevlar, and has two small cabins which are the only protection the team has against the ocean and the sun.
The boat is fitted with the latest technology, including GPS, satellite phones, solar panels, specially designed laptops and a special 'watermaker' to produce drinking water from sea water.
THE CHARITIES
Janette, Helen, Niki and Frances hope to raise more than £100,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Maggie’s cancer centre.
To donate visit www.justgiving.com/yorkshirerowsYAA or www.justgiving.com/yorkshirerowsMaggies
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