ROWING/Atlantic Challenge: Paul Gleeson and Victoria "Tori" Holmes arrived in English Harbour in Antigua yesterday after rowing across the Atlantic, and were promptly made feel at home by their families and friends.

"As you talk to me now there's rashers and sausages cooking here behind me. Somebody has brought over a 12-pack of Tayto. It's like I'm four again!" said Gleeson.

The 29-year-old Limerickman and Holmes (21), his petite Canadian girlfriend, had braved the worst weather to hit the Atlantic Rowing Race, and made it across the 2,931 miles on their 85th day. Of the 20 doubles to compete, six had to be rescued - including the Irish boat the Digicel Atlantic Challenge - and a number of others will not be ranked in the race as they did not row to the finish line.

For Gleeson and Holmes, who had not rowed before they began to prepare for this race, it was a matter of pride that they rowed to the end. Even when the organisers' craft met them at the official finish and offered to tow them to the marina, they declined and rowed in. Their families and friends came out on another craft to go the last few miles with them.

When they reached land a large crowd greeted them, including some of the other competitors who had finished in recent weeks.

Stepping ashore after over 12 weeks was "weird", Gleeson said. "Tori stepped out first and she was okay. Our parents and my sister Audrey and everybody else was there, and we thought, God, we're here. It was surreal. I was a bit wobbly when I stepped out. But it's priceless, I'm grinning from ear to ear.

"One of the rowers handed me a croissant, an apple Danish, and it was something. Real food. Even as they took pictures, I was munching on it.

"There were loads of people, a few cheers, lots of photographers. And someone had a bottle of champagne."

They had hoped to make it in on Wednesday night, but were glad yesterday they had not "put the heads down" to get in the night before. The early-morning proved a "perfect time" to arrive, and the weather which greeted them was "sunny and gorgeous".

The extra 12 hours had allowed them to clean up, and they found rowing towards Antigua on Wednesday night a magical experience.

"It was the most enjoyable night ever. We were under no pressure to make progress. We could see the lights of Antigua and Guadeloupe, which is just south of it. We had time to savour it a bit. We thought: wow, we're just about to do it."

At first they just saw a glow on the horizon, then the lights, and as they got closer they saw the radio beacon which is inland on the island.

"A lot of people said we would smell land, but I didn't. But then I was probably hampered by my own body odour!"

Their families were happy to see them looking healthy, if weather-beaten and much thinner than when they left La Gomera in the Canary Islands on November 30th.

Leaving their boat, the Christina, was an odd experience. "I'm glad we're finished, but I'm a little bit sad as well - it's been our home, it's been our life for three months," said Gleeson. Out on the ocean it was their companion. "We'd talk to the boat, ask it for more. It's sort of taken on a role of somebody, a role of its own."

Gearóid Towey, whose own Atlantic row in Digicel Atlantic Challenge with Ciarán Lewis ended with a capsize on January 8th, rang them after they arrived and filled them in on how it will be a little difficult to reacquaint themselves with ordinary life.

"Gags said that when the dust settled it could be a little bit weird," Gleeson said.

However, over a year of work has gone into the project and the prospect of time to do whatever occurred to them was sweet.

A screenplay which they worked on through the trip may emerge, "But one thing we definitely hope to do is a book on the trip," he said.

They intend to have a couple of days to relax, and will come back to Ireland early next month. Gleeson joked that they owe so much after the trip he wondered would they have to work their passage home.

For now, Holmes revelled in her first real shower since November and Gleeson contemplated a fry and a bottle of Bulmers.

"I can't even begin to describe how happy we are," said Gleeson.