FOR a good many Islanders, rowing across St Helier Harbour would be something of an endurance test.

The Jersey Atlantic Waterbabes, however, are now getting their collective breath back in Antigua, having rowed right across the Atlantic Ocean from La Gomera in the Canary Islands.

To employ a word that is often misapplied but in this case fits the scale of the challenge, their achievement can be described as awesome. The statistics alone are enough to make landlubbers blanch. During 76 days at sea in a cockleshell boat they covered 2,551 miles under their own steam.

Their voyage was hampered at first by weather that made departure impossible and then by further ill fortune. The easterly trade winds, which should have speeded their progress, failed to materialise and they spent most of their 76 days on the water fighting headwinds. Dishearteningly, these sometimes drove them backwards, but their morale did not falter, even though their epic crossing was 20 days longer than anticipated and they began to run short of rations towards the end.

What is more, when the four Waterbabes – Karen Radband, Kiley Tréhorel-Daly and Sarah Medland from Jersey and Jo Langmead from the UK – crossed the finishing line they were in remarkably good shape. They were described as the being in better condition after their long trial than any of the other teams in the challenge that have so far finished.

The four rowers can now relax before returning to this side of the Atlantic at the end of the month. Naturally enough, they received a resounding welcome when they crossed the finishing line in Antigua, but they are guaranteed a second round of celebration when they reach home shores.

As with our other transatlantic rowers, the Waterbabes will have precious memories of their great journey. These ought to be enough to last a lifetime, but they demonstrated such grit as they struggled against contrary conditions it would be no great surprise if they were to look forward to other projects.

In the meantime, all four of the rowers deserve congratulations for seeing a gruelling battle through to a triumphant conclusion. They also deserve our gratitude for helping to demonstrate that, in so many ways, Jersey can punch above its weight and make its presence felt in the wider world.