A RAF pilot has joined a team aiminig to row across the Atlantic in 50 days.

Elizabeth Beauchamp, 27, of Sedley Rise in Loughton, is set be part of the only mixed crew to take on the 3,000-mile Talisker Whisky Atlantic challenge.

The team-of-four will set out in December to row the 3000 miles from Tenerife to Antigua.

Miss Beauchamp, who has served in Afghanistan as part of 216 Squadron, said: “We have been doing a lot to prepare from the physical stuff to finding out about the best seat covers for our boat.

“We’ve had to learn about all sorts, like first aid at sea.

“I’m quite excited to see the wildlife. It’s going to be very tough. We will either be great friends at the end or never speak again.”

The team will spend the entire journey crammed into a 29ft boat.

The two men and two women will alternate between rowing for one hour and resting for an hour.

To ensure that morale is kept high the team has agreed that it will make one negative remark per day, so long as they say it in a ‘pirate voice’ with one hand covering an eye.

Miss Beauchamp along with team mates, Jane McIntosh, Warren Burns and Harry Raw have arranged for a quiz night to raise funds for the trip at the Forester’s Arms in Loughton on October 24, from 7.30pm.

To find out more, or sponsor the journey visit http://atlanticforces.co.uk/.