The guy on your left is Phil. Phil Carrington. I know he looks like some raging partier with a tattoo of a smoking wizard on his butt, but don't let that fool you. Eight years in the British Royal Marines. Entertained people in the Bahamas by feeding sharks underwater. Hell, he's from Liverpool. A real thrill seeker, this Phil.

The guy on your right is Jay. Jay McKinlay. To call him a sports enthusiast would be putting it mildly. The world's toughest Ironman in Lanzorote. The Mount Everest marathon in Nepal. The Marathon des Sables, recognized as the world's toughest foot race: five marathons in six days in Morocco's Sahara Desert. Jeezuz. And he's the only person in the world to have completed them all. Not to mention girls melt like candlewax when they hear his accent.

But that's not enough for these guys. Of course not. Why not see if they can not only cross the Atlantic, but win the Atlantic Rowing Challenge?

In October 2003, they will eat, sleep and row across the 2900 nautical miles from Tenerife to Barbados. That's two hours of rowing, two hours of sleep. Two hours on, two hours off. For at least 40 days. Maybe 112. There's a challenge.

Here's the skinny: The Atlantic Rowing Challenge was the inspiration of Sir Chay Blyth. In 1966, Sir Chay was part of a two-man team which rowed from Cape Cod to Ireland to become only the second crew in history to successfully row across an ocean, and the first in the 20th Century. Thirty years later, Sir Chay established the Atlantic Challenge to encourage other adventurers to take part in the world's first ever ocean rowing race. On October 12th 1997, thirty double-handed teams set off in identical boats to compete in the 2,900 mile race which was won in 41 days by the New Zealand team of Rob Hamill and Phil Stubbs. This record still stands.

Phil and Jay are convinced they can break this record.

And they need your help. Any and all proceeds from winning will go to cancer research. And they also get a 55 gallon drum of rum if they win as well. Hey, can't beat that. Check out their website at http://www.sport4charity.org and donate directly via PayPal. These guys rock and I know they can do it. And besides, ladies, I think one of them is single...

UPDATE 12.03: They made it! After 51 grueling days at sea, the boys pulled into Barbados, covered in facial hair and open sores. They ran out of food with only six days left to go, so they had to call a safety boat in for supplies - and therefore disqualification. "Challenges" included avoiding a tanker coming head on and rowing in the same spot for almost 24 hours just four miles from shore. Regardless, they came in fourth, and truly are a breed apart. Congrats, guys!