FORMER Devizes leisure centre worker George Oliver and his four crewmates are on track to smash the record for rowing across the Atlantic.

Despite one false start, when the replacement for an injured crew member himself sustained an injury and the boat had to return to land, the high-tech Oyster Shack Atlantic Challenger is well on its way from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean.

The crew of Mr Oliver, 27, Mike Martin, 23, Simon Chalk, 34, Ian Couch, 37, and Ben Thackwray, 27, is aiming to beat the 35 days, eight hours and 30 minutes set by a French crew in 1992.

To beat the record they must make landfall in the Caribbean before 8.35pm GMT on Sunday January 27.

But they are in competition with two other crews, La Mondiale and Orca, who left over a week earlier and are making good time over the 3,000-mile distance.

Mr Oliver's father, Richard, has been following the boat's progress from his home in Easterton, near Devizes.

He told the Gazette: "They are well on target for the record, but the other two crews, who had a relatively slow first week, are having a very good second week, so it could be very tight.

"They started with rowers having two hours on and then three hours off, but they are finding it more effective having 12-hour shifts.

"There are some very sore bottoms and blistered hands out there, but morale is high."

Although the crew is now reduced from six to five, there is a sixth "crew member" on board, in the shape of a US Navy doll named Wilbur.

Richard Oliver said: "My wife Julia gave it to them before they set off. Wilbur sits in front of the mast, his eyes fixed on the horizon.

"He doesn't exactly pull his weight but he is very light and he is there to be shouted at and abused, so that tensions are released."

The Oyster Shack cost £200,000 to build and is handmade out of carbon fibre and Kevlar, so is light and tough. It is the first ocean rowing boat built with three rowing positions.

The crew is not only trying to beat the transatlantic record, but also trying to raise money for WaterAid, the charity that helps provide emergency drinking water in disaster areas and educate people living in the world's poorest countries on the importance of clean sanitation and drinking water.

You can follow the crew's progress on the website www.atlanticsix.com