COURAGEOUS Pete Moore is rowing the Atlantic Ocean in an epic race.

Pete, 27, who grew up in the Torpoint area, and his friend Scott Gilchrist, 30, are taking part in a 3,367-mile race which began in early October. They are currently in eighth position and said this week that things were going well.

The Ward-Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge conceived by Sir Chay Blyth's Challenge Business is taking place between Tenerife and Barbados and is expected to last between 50 and 100 days.

Thirty-six boats with two people in each from 15 countries are competing.

Pete and Scott, who are both leading rowers, are being personally backed by the England and Manchester United star, David Beckham.

The footballer launched their boat last May along with 'Challenge Yourself', a charity appeal which aims to raise £1million for Macmillan Cancer Relief.

Beckham, who has personally raised £15, 000 towards the appeal, said: "Victoria and I get asked to support charity events all the time, but this challenge really struck a chord with us. Rowing the Atlantic is a massive challenge, and more importantly it's in aid of a good cause."

Pete and Scott put in many months of training before the race. They worked with dieticians and sleep pattern experts to reach peak fitness and hone their tactics.

They have already provided the inspiration for many others to get involved in the bid to raise £1 million for Macmillan Cancer Relief by undertaking their own challenges as part of The Carphone Warehouse's charity initiative Challenge Yourself.

They were hit with bad weather at the start of the race and suffered with seasickness, both feeling "pretty ill". They have encountered 25ft waves which made progress very difficult and at times have just had to drift.

A lack of wind has slowed them down and also meant that they felt hotter.

Pete suffered from dehydration on one occasion but the weather was more overcast during the following day and he started to stomach the Lucozade drinks again.

Pete and Scott take it in turns to row for one or two hours at a time and keep the boat clocking up the miles whenever possible through the day and night. As well as rowing, they try to surf on the waves with the boat. On a good day they travel around 50 nautical miles.

Their small boat has been crammed with essential items. One of the most important is a water maker which turns seawater into drinking water. This has proved troublesome and at one point was only producing seawater to drink after waves had been breaking over it. However, Pete and Scott calmly managed to get it working properly again after several hours.

They also have a little cooker that swings about countering the motion of the sea. The rations they have been eating have proved bland and they have been trying to imagine wonderful culinary delights instead of freeze dried cottage pie!

Pete and Scott had a Blue Marlon, a 6ft long fish, keeping them company earlier this month, trailing the boat, criss-crossing their path and generally keeping them entertained. They were also being visited by a strange looking bird every day.

Fit

They are still physically fit apart from callouses, sore hands and sore bottoms caused by all the rowing.

In Torpoint, the town's library has set up a display about Pete and Scott.

Library manager Kate Wilton said: "A lot of people know Pete here and it has provoked quite a bit of interest. People are saying 'I went to school with him' or 'I know him'.

"People can click on the website at http://www.challengeyourself.com">www.challengeyourself.com via the library computers to check on their progress."

Pete's mother, Ann Moore, who lives in Torpoint, has been in contact with the boat via a satellite phone.