Barnes ironman Richard Hume reckons it is the little things he is missing most at sea as he bids to complete his challenge of a lifetime.

The Roehampton-based fitness instructor and teammate Tom Barnes have a little over 1,500miles left still to complete as they take part in the delayed 2009 Atlantic Rowing Race.

Poor weather conditions saw the start of this year’s event put back a month to January 4 and 25-days into the race Hume and Barnes - Team Red Arrow - are around 1,000 miles into their three month journey from the Canary Islands to Antigua.

Hume, who has completed a Triple Ironman race in the recent past, believes completing the task is more a case of mind over matter than anything else, and it is the comforts of home that are beginning to seem a distant memory.

“I’ve struggled quite a lot mentally. I thought I wouldn’t miss working, but now I’m really starting to miss the day to day structure of life,” he told BBC Radio London via satellite link-up last week.

“Our toilet arrangements are fairly basic. It would be quite nice to have a loo seat to sit on. A nice warm shower would be nice and even a glass of diet coke with ice cubes in would be a treat.

“It is those small things you miss. I started hallucinating last week that the pier in Antigua was right next to me. It was a good job I didn’t just climb our of the boat.

“We are trying to do two hour shifts with one rowing and the other resting. It is more comfortable than both sleeping at the same time because there isn’t a lot of room."

Meanwhile, Barnes - a former winger with Weybridge Vandals Rugby Club - had prepared himself for the worse, pointing out: “I imagined it would be pure hell, so anything better than that is a bonus.”

You can follow Richard and Tom’s progress at www.rowingtheatlantic.com, where you can also sponsor them as they bid to raise funds for Ataxia UK.