In 1997, Alan Priddy and his crew entered the record books for making the first powered crossing of the North Atlantic by Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB). They wanted the record for the fastest crossing, but had to abandon that dream when one of the crew was forced to accept outside medical assistance. Now, six years later and with many other records under their belts, the crew's come back to that 'unfinished business'.

    July 2003 will see the crew attempt to make the crossing from St. John's, Newfoundland to Cape Wrath in Scotland in less than 100 hours. To add another twist to the tale they won't be the only ones out there as another crew will be making the crossing at about the same time. Only one of them can get the record though, so Alan and his transatlantic crew are hoping that age (an average of forty nine and a half!) and experience will be on their side when they take on the other, younger challengers.

Experience is something this crew has plenty of. Between them, Alan Priddy, Dr Jan Falkowski, Clive Tully and Egbert Walters have covered thousands of miles in RIBs. They've circumnavigated Britain and Ireland, then went on to circumnavigate the world. They hold records for crossing the Bay of Biscay and for getting from Tower Bridge to Monte Carlo (2100 miles) in less than 100 hours. Not only that, but both Alan and Jan have so far crossed the Atlantic twice - once in record time from New York to the UK and once on the 1997 North Atlantic trip.

They can expect extreme cold, sixty-foot waves, screaming winds, fog and icepack. Add to that extreme discomfort and sleep deprivation and the fact they'll be doing all of this in a boat that's only 10m long and you get some idea of the challenge ahead. Even though they know what lies in store ahead, none of this has put them off trying again.

    They're all confident though that they're up to the job - after all they've been there before, as has the boat. Backing them up is a world-class support team headed up by the title sponsor, Soltron, who's fuel enzymes clean fuel, reduce emissions and increase fuel efficiency. They'll be making sure this attempt has the benefit of all their expertise. As well as the main sponsor the team are also getting assistance from Hogg Robinson BTI Plc, Raymarine Ltd, Yamaha Motor UK Ltd, The Jolly Sailor, C-Map (UK) Ltd, Integrated Manufacturing Systems, Stratos Communications and Sterling Communications.

The Yamaha-powered 10m Ribtec is the same boat Alan used for his trip around the world in 2002. Unforeseen circumstances meant they had to leave the boat in Newfoundland, but now it's time to bring her home. The Jolly Sailor as she's now called has been re-fitted, the engine's been re-furbished and she's ready for the challenge ahead.

The attempt is getting a lot of support from many sources, but they are also keen to put something back from the profile they gain. They've chosen two charities to be associated with their trip, one in Canada and one in the UK. On the Canadian side they're working with the Newfoundland and Labrador Community Food Sharing Association, which helps to feed families in extreme poverty. In the UK it's a charity close to Alan's heart, the Make A Wish Foundation, a charity for children living with life-threatening illness.

    The trip will also be used to gain serious scientific data. Jan Falkowski is a consultant psychiatrist and will be gathering data on the effects of stress in extreme conditions. Egbert Walters, the Canadian part of the team, is an expert in cold weather survival so will also be carefully studying the effects on the team.

    The team hopes to leave St John's, weather permitting, on July 27th 2003 and aim to be back in Portsmouth on August 9th. En route they'll stop in Greenland and Iceland before reaching the end point for the record at Cape Wrath in Northern Scotland. After that, they'll make their way back to Portsmouth via Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man and a warm welcome from their home town.

    Regular updates on their progress will be available throughout their trip, as onboard journalist crewmember Clive Tully will be sending daily email reports from the boat. A camera crew is following them on both sides of the Atlantic, so there'll also be a chance to re-live the experience on TV in the autumn when their documentary is scheduled for screening.

    Follow the team's progress via regular reports from Clive Tully on RIBnet at
www.rib.net