SWINDON rower Norman Butler has narrowly avoided being sunk in the Atlantic by a big freighter.
The drama happened as Norman, from West Swindon, and his companion rower Phil Scantlebury, battled against the elements in the last few days.
Norman, a commercial analyst, is currently mid-Atlantic with his Spirit of Swindon boat.
He said: "It was during daylight hours when we saw this freighter looming on the horizon.
"We then realised that it was coming straight at us and we were unable to contact it by radio. In the end we set off a white 'collision flare' and the freighter just missed us.
"It was a really close call and even now we don't know whether it was just luck they did not sink us or whether anyone on the ship had in fact seen us."
Norman spoke last night by satellite phone. He said he and Phil, from Poole, had been having trouble making much headway over the last fortnight because the winds had been against them.
But latest weather forecasts predict that the winds will change soon and he is looking forward to adding more miles to the 1,400 they have already rowed in the Spirit of Swindon boat.
Norman, 36, said there had been other problems with the weather four nights ago when a bad storm broke.
"The sea was pretty rough and there was forked lightning but we managed to get through it all right," he said.
He added: "We would like, through the Evening Advertiser, to thank everyone who has supported us. We hope to be home by Christmas, but that is all going to depend on the weather.
"Whatever happens we want everybody to know that we will finish the course one way or another."
Norman and Phil had hoped to join another 36 boats in the official Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge, which left Tenerife last month. But because Phil was a late addition, the pair were forced to leave the island as unofficial entrants.
Norman has left his wife Linda and new baby Melissa in Swindon, although he communicates with them daily by satellite phone.
The team, which had initially hoped to arrive in Barbados by December 17, have suffered from chaffing of the skin caused by seawater and chronic seasickness. Norman has managed to continue rowing despite suffering a sore elbow.
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