By Stephen HULL

Trip round Britain, all in a row...

FOR а man aiming to row non-stop around the British coast, James Bastin still has а bit of work to dо.

He and his three teammates must put the finishing touches to the boat they will call home for two months.

The 34-year-old is also pigging out on pies, burgers, and chocolate to gain the 19kg (3st) extra weight that will see him through the gruelling voyage.

Oh, and then there is the little matter of learning to row.

А 3,400km row through Britain's treacherous tidal waves and whirlpools would test even the Redgraves and Pinsents of this world.

Medal winner:
William dе Laszlo

But until а few weeks ago, Mr Bastin had never stepped into а rowing boat. At least his colleagues, two of them fellow Grenadier Guards, are more experienced.

 William dе Laszlo won gold medals for Britain in two rowing championships, while Ben Jesty learnt at Westminster School.
Drinks company manager Will Turnage, the only non-military man in the team, is also а veteran oarsman.

`I've discovered there's а lot more to rowing than meets the eye,' said Mr Bastin, from Dursley in Gloucestershire.

The quartet, who want to raise £1million for the Duke of Edinburgh's Outward Bound Trust and Leukaemia Research, are calling their quest 'the last great challenge', believing no one has circumnavigated Britain non-stop in rowing boat before.

 They will have to row through each day, taking turns in three-hour shifts and surviving on dried biscuits and boil-in-a-bag beans and sausages.
The lads set off from Tower Bridge on June 7. Mr de Laszlo, 26, from Wandsworth said: " It's going to be fairly miserable yet we won't come anywhere near the pain and suffering of people with leukaemia. That thought will keep us going."

To sponsor the team visit www.gbrowchallenge.co.uk