BROTHERLY love is being tested to its limits by two men from Taunton as they row against each other in a marathon cross-Atlantic race.

There's been plenty of sibling rivalry between Rufus and Hugo Mitchell-Heggs since they set off early last month in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

Hugo, 36, and Rufus, 28, are the first brothers to compete for different teams in the race from the Canary Islands to Antigua.

Hugo's team, Enginoars, which includes three fellow submariners raising money for wellbeing charity RNRMC, took an early lead against Rufus's crew of three Norwegian engineers, who are supporting sustainability charity Engineers Without Borders UK and Norway.

Rufus's girlfriend Holly Withnell said: "Hugo was in the lead until Rufus passed him on Christmas Day.

"Their boats were so close to each other that they managed to speak to each other over the radios.

"Rufus now had a 15 nautical mile lead over Hugo.

"It’s suspected that Hugo’s team slowed down a bit as they hadn’t cleaned the hull of their boat before the big weather hit.

"This is crucial as barnacles grow on the bottom of the boat and can cause a lot of drag which slows you down.

"Rufus’s team managed to get into the water and scrub their boat clean before the big waves and wind arrived.

"Hugo has now cleaned his boat and is chasing down Rufus."

 

 

Among the experiences the brothers have enjoyed have been rowing with a pod of over 30 dolphins, rowing through fluorescent plankton and seeing the Milky Way each night.

On the downside, they have encountered waves more than 30 feet high, leading to some teams capsizing.

Holly added: "It’s been exhausting but they have a good few days of gentle tail winds ahead of them."

Both brothers, who attended The Castle School and Richard Huish College, in Taunton, are expected to arrive in Antigua on January 16 after 36 days at sea.

Friends and family are flying out to cheer them over the finish line.

Missing from the greeting line up will be Hugo's wife, Charlotte, who he proposed to after completing the race three years ago, as she is expecting the couple's baby.

Holly said: "Currently, the brothers are expected to arrive within an hour of each other."

 

READ MORE: Hugo Mitchell-Heggs proposes after completing Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.