A Helensburgh man is rowing the Atlantic in a gruelling race - which he has spent the last year training for.

John Higson and fellow rower Barny Mabbs are competing in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, organised by The Woodvale Challenge.

The rowers will endure treacherous conditions in the 2,933-mile race which could take the competitors up to 80 days to complete, finishing in Barbados.

The Advertiser told of John's mammoth race earlier this year. He had originally trained with university pal Ant Clifford but there has been a change in crew with Barny, a reservist in the Royal Logistic Corps, taking Ant's place. The rowers are raising money for Cancer Research UK.

The race was due to begin on Sunday December 4 but was delayed until the following day due to adverse weather.

The men flew out to the starting line at La Gomera in the Canary Islands two weeks earlier for preparations.

John, speaking to the Advertiser before he was due to fly out, said: "A huge amount of planning and preparation has gone into making this happen. I now appreciate what makes this challenge so difficult to even get involved in."

Anybody wanting to check out their website or donate to their cause should visit www.h2row.com