SALTASH rower Peter Chalkley and his crew, The Channel Four, battled through challenging weather conditions to row across the English Channel for Marie Curie Cancer Care – and have set a record for the fastest four-man crossing in a gig boat.

Rowing the same boat used by comedian John Bishop and his team during the 'Week of Hell' for Sport Relief earlier this year, and with the same cox, Mike Gilbert, Peter's team made the crossing from Dover in a little under six hours.

'Conditions were changeable the whole way across,' said Peter, 'with winds whipping up to force 6 on the approach to the French coast.

'The waves were much larger than those we'd trained in and on the limit of what we could go out in, reaching four foot at times.

'When you're sat in a boat that's a foot out of the water, that is big, and a few broke over into the boat, leading to some unexpectedly refreshing moments for the crew.'

Prior to beginning training for the event, three of the four crew members had never rowed before. Under the guidance of Mike Gilbert, they embarked upon an arduous six-month programme of training to ready themselves for the physical challenge of the row.

At the recent Sport Relief Ball, Peter was able to pick up some pointers when he met John Bishop and former cricketer Freddie Flintoff.

'John gave me some good advice on hydration,' said Pete, 'his tip was to put rehydration tablets in the water.'

The row was dedicated to Peter's friend Toby Atkinson, who was a supporter of Marie Curie Cancer Care. Toby was diagnosed with bone cancer and was greatly helped by Marie Curie nurses before he died.  

So far The Channel Four have raised nearly £6,000.