The Crossing

'Read this... Two very different men fight, play games and nearly lose their lives.' The Times When James Cracknell and Ben Fogle decided to compete in the Atlantic Rowing Race, they thought they knew what awaited them: nearly three thousand miles of empty ocean, stormy weather and colossal physical stress. But their epic journey would become a living hell that tested the strength of every fibre of their being. Forty nine days later James and Ben were the first pair to cross the finishing line.They had pushed themselves physically, psychologically and emotionally to the limit. They had survived without water rations, lost the few clothes they had in a freak wave, capsized, hallucinated, played games, wept, fought, grown beards, nursed blisters and rowed 2,930 miles. They will never be the same again.

Ben Fogle was made famous by the BBC's Castaway programme and is now a TV presenter,his shows include Country file and Animal Park. He is the author of The Teatime Islands (2003) and Offshore (2006) and is co-author, with James Craknell of The Crossing: Conquering the Atlantic in the World's Toughest Race (Atlantic Books 2006).