All-female Bristol crew complete Talisker Atlantic Challenge

The all-female crew crossed the finish line after nearly 47 days at sea

The skipper of an all-female crew who became the first to row across the Atlantic in an eco boat said they were "so proud" of their achievement.

Having spent nearly 47 days at sea and rowed for 3,000 miles (4,800km), the Bristol Gulls finished the 'world's toughest row' in Antigua.

In so doing they became the first crew to complete the crossing in a sustainably-made boat.

Skipper Sofia Deambrosi said the foursome was "exhausted but happy".

The Bristol Gulls - Miss Deambrosi, Lorna Carter, Phoebe Wright and Sarah Hunt - began the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on 12 December.

The group trained for years to take on the crossing

Rowing in two-hour shifts, they survived seasickness, scorching temperatures, being capsized by huge waves and stronger-than-normal headwinds.

"We're all very proud and happy but our levels of exhaustion are pretty high," said Miss Deambrosi.

"Crossing the finishing line only took a few seconds and we were trying to absorb every bit of it. It was an amazing feeling.

"So many years of training and fundraising had gone into that moment."

Core made from 10,000 bottles

As well as raising awareness and money for charities the RNLI in Portishead and Clean Up Bristol Harbour, the team wanted the boat to promote sustainability.

The Bristol Gulls' motto is "To be the trailblazers that inspire others to embrace sustainable change and equality".

Their resin and fibreglass boat was built using renewable energy and its foam core was also made from 10,000 recycled plastic bottles.

It had no engine and the women, who wore clothing partly made from recycled marine waste, used a solar-powered desalination unit to convert seawater into freshwater.

The team set off from The Canary Islands in December and spent Christmas on the ocean

The women battled strong headwinds on their voyage

"We hope in the future that manufacturers will start looking at making boats whose core, at least, is 100% recycled material," said Miss Deambrosi.

"There's no reason they shouldn't do that. It doesn't make a boat any slower or any less robust."

'Proving anyone can do it'

Although all-female crews have completed the Talisker Atlantic Challenge before, Miss Deambrosi, who first decided to take on the event in 2018, said she hoped their efforts would inspire others.

"A lot of the male teams are army guys, navy guys, super endurance athletes, which makes sense because it is a very, very tough thing to do."

"But we wanted to prove that anyone can do it. We are all very down-to-earth, chilled people.

"It required a lot of training, but we wanted to prove anyone from any background can do it. And we did."

Skipper Sofia Deambrosi became the first person from Uruguay to cross an ocean

The Bristol Gulls placed ninth overall and Miss Deambrosi became the first person from Uruguay and the first woman from South America to row across any of the world's oceans.

"I left Uruguay 10 years ago but to represent my country is amazing," she said.

Skipper Miss Deambrosi said they had all lost muscle mass and were "significantly weaker" at the end of the challenge