A TEAM including a Falmouth lecturer are enduring sleep deprivation, hunger and sore backsides on a transatlantic rowing challenge.

Steve Bowens, water sports programme manager at Falmouth Marine School, is sharing an 8.8-metre rowing boat with Alastair Humphreys, Simon Osborne and Slovenian Marin Medak.

They left Gran Canaria almost three weeks ago and are now more than a third of the way to their destination, Barbados.

The four have battled wind and rain, and struggled with a lack of tailwinds, but are pleased with their progress.

Rowing in teams of two for two hours at a time, sleep has been hard to come by in a cabin that measures just 3sq ft.

Food has also proved a challenge, so a fish caught from the boat this week was a real treat.

Physically, the men are in good shape, apart from one part of their anatomy, which is taking a bit of a battering.

In the team blog, Mr Bowens said: "So far the only real physical problems have been bums. If you sit and row for 12 hours per day you get a bruised bum.

"The skin does not really have enough time to stay healthy; the result is a painful, bruised bum with blisters and raw bits."

They are raising money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research in memory of Mr Osborne's brother Mark, who died of the disease.

To keep track of the team's progress, or make a donation, visit www.transatlantic2012.com