Two Essex sailors are set to compete in a 1,000-mile race up the Atlantic coast of the USA.

Mark Self, from Harwich, and William Sunnucks, of Earls Colne, will be competing in the Worrell 1000 from Monday, until Saturday, May 20.

This is the first time the pair have competed in the gruelling event.

Mark said: "No British team has ever finished the race. Our goal will be to be the first to do so."

In all, 25 teams are due to start the race from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and head north to Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The sailors must also traverse a piece of ocean along the North Carolina coast known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

The event is like a waterborne Tour de France and races north along the coast through five states and 11 checkpoint cities before finishing in Virginia Beach.

Each team consists of two sailors racing an Inter 20, a 20ft fibreglass catamaran, and a shore crew of two to four people who follow on land and assist the sailors and service the boat at the checkpoint cities.

Mark said: "One problem we face before even starting the race is we only get the boat about three days before the race. We haven't sailed in her before, so we have to get everything ready in a short space of time.

"There is a limited entry for foriegn teams I think there are only four of us."

But their real problems will begin when they actually start the race.

"The legs start at 10am every day, and each stage will take about eight to 15 hours to complete, depending on the wind.

"If you don't finish a stage then you are disqualified. It doesn't matter if something on your boat breaks.

"One of the main problems is the surf - it's horrendous. We sail two night legs and you just can't see a thing out there.

"We have never sailed this kind of distance before and we don't know how much it is going to take out of us.

"Each year the weather conditions are different. It is set between their winter and summer, and some years it's more stormy than others.

"We are just hoping it won't turn out to be a bad year."

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