TWO men who plan to row 'the toughest race on earth' across the Atlantic Ocean visited Weymouth bay for sea trials.

Scott McNaughton, 33, and his friend Neil Hunter, 36, are taking part in the Woodvale Challenge that will see 20 vessels row 2,935 miles to Antigua starting December 2.

The pair, who started rowing this year, came to Weymouth for a 24-hour sea trial around the bay on their boat Ocean Summit.

Mr McNaughton said they had planned to return to Weymouth for training because of an unsuccessful attempt last July.

He said: "Last time we came to Weymouth the weather suddenly changed when we were at sea and we had to moor the boat up and swim to shore."

Less than 100 pairs have ever rowed across the unpredictable Atlantic Ocean because of the gruelling schedule of two hours on and two hours off non-stop for around 60 days.

Every year a third of all attempts fail to finish because of threats such as hurricanes, tropical storms, and dehydration.

The challenge is made even harder by the fact that Mr Hunter, a Royal Navy engineer of Surrey, is diabetic and will need regular insulin injections throughout the challenge.

Mr Hunter said: "There is no doubt whatsoever that we will be ready and so far it has been an enjoyable rollercoaster."

Adventure enthusiast Mr McNaughton, a partner at accountancy firm BDO Stoy Hayward, of Hertfordshire, last year conquered the summit of Mount Everest.

He said: "Achieving Everest opened my eyes to the fact that if you set your sights on something you can achieve it."

The duo has raised £4,000 so far and aim to raise £20,000 by the start date, which will go directly to Diabetes UK. To sponsor them visit www.2menpulling.co.uk