Liverpool man in solo Atlantic ocean row called family to say goodbye

Bernie Hollywood (centre) said he was "really relieved" to be reunited with family

A man who called his family to say goodbye when his boat capsized during a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean said he was "very emotional" to be reunited with them.

Bernie Hollywood feared he would not return home to Liverpool when he suffered a head and severe leg injury in a storm during the race.

The 63-year-old, who spent three months at sea, finished the race last week.

He said he was "really relieved" to see his family again.

Mr Hollywood, who is raising money for mental health charities, took part in the Talisker Atlantic Rowing Race. He set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on 12 December and arrived in Antigua on Friday to cheering crowds.

"When I got off the boat on Friday I was a bit numb," he told BBC North West Tonight.

The 63-year-old is raising money for mental health charities

"I went through 17 storm systems, two capsizes and just horrendous weather all the way across the 3,000 miles (4,828km).

"In fact I rowed more than 3,000 miles because I was blown off course an awful lot."

Mr Hollywood, who had trained for two years for the race and was rowing in a boat called City of Liverpool, recalled two night-time capsizes which happened during severe storms.

"I'm inside the cabin. Everything falls all over the place. You get tossed around. It's like being in a washing machine," he said.

"I cut my head open and I suffered a severe leg injury because equipment came out a hatch and fell on my legs.

"On the second capsize the boat never came back up," he said, explaining how the boat did not right itself for five minutes.

Mr Hollywood completed the race in Antigua last week

"On that occasion I thought, right, I need to ring somebody to tell them that I may not be coming back."

That is when he made the phone call "to say goodbye".

"It was it was very emotional, not knowing that I'd see my loved ones ever again," he said.

"It was quite traumatic, but I think it was a call that I had to make."

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When the boat did finally self-right Mr Hollywood was able to make the call to say he was alright.

"The relief was just absolutely amazing when the boat re-righted," he said.

"I just thought, wow, maybe there is somebody up there looking after me."