The men have been beset by storms and gigantic icebergs

Mark Stubbs, of Poole, Dorset, and his crew are rowing 2,100 miles (3,380km) from Canada to Britain in an attempt to smash the existing 55-day record.

They are hoping to raise �50,000 for the British Heart Foundation.

The freak 45ft (14m) wave hit the team's carbon fibre boat, Pink Lady, on Friday - but no-one was hurt.

Two weeks ago, the crew were forced to row 45 miles (72km) out of their way to avoid heavy storms, while just days after setting off on 30 June they faced storms and four times the usual number of icebergs off Canada.

Six years' training

The crew is Mr Stubbs, 40, a firefighter from Poole, ex-SAS diver Peter Bray, 48, from Bridgend, south Wales, Jonathan Gornall, 48, a journalist from London, and digital mapping specialist John Wills, 33, from Farnham in Surrey.

In recent days they have been rowing one at a time for 15 minutes, to minimise the risk of clashing oars in the turbulent weather.

Before they left St Johns, Newfoundland, Mr Stubbs said: "This ocean row is the culmination of six years of boat development and endurance training."

They must now cross the "Lizard meridian" before 23 August - a line stretching from Lizard Point in Cornwall to the Ushant lighthouse in Cape Finisterre, Brittany, the most westerly point of France.

From there they will travel to Falmouth for a landing at the National Maritime Museum.