Charity rowers will return two days later than planned after difficult weather conditions.

Rowers started the challenge last Friday morning, planning to row from Dartmouth to Guernsey and back and return on Sunday evening.

However, we received reports that the rowing team was stuck in Guernsey yesterday, on Monday, July 30, due to weather problems.

The team has said they planned to leave the island at 5am this morning and hopefully return to Dartmouth tonight, Tuesday, July 31.

Rowers from the Dart Pilot Gig Club were attempting the 142 mile challenge to raise money for Children’s Hospice South West and to try and fund a new competitive racing Cornish Pilot Gig. The aim was to raise £15,000 and so far the team has managed to raise almost £11,000.

The rowing team took one gig accompanied by support boats and the crews planned to alternate every two hours on the challenging trip.

When the crew left in the early hours of Friday morning, the predicted rowing time was about 18 hours. However, the conditions in the Channel were pretty challenging and a big swell was whipped up by a brisk southerly breeze.

Consequently, the trip took almost 20 hours and the team moored up in St Pete Port in Guernsey just before 8pm on Friday, July 27.

Once there, the team decided the return leg of the journey would have to wait until the stormy weather had passed.