6 men become 1st to cross perilous Drake Passage unassisted

As freezing water thrashed their rowboat in some of the most treacherous waters in the world, six men fought for 13 days to make history, becoming the first people to traverse the infamous Drake Passage with nothing other than sheer manpower.

They dodged icebergs, held their breaths as giant whales breached near their small boat and rode building-sized waves while rowing 24 hours a day toward Antarctica.

The team of men from four countries finished crossing the Drake Passage on Wednesday in just under two weeks after pushing off from the southern tip of South America.

"This is a really big deal in Antarctic history to hear about this," said Wayne Ranney, a Flagstaff, Arizona-based geologist who has led expeditions to Antarctica and crossed the Drake Passage in motorised vessels more than 50 times.

"One hundred per cent of their progress was done with those 12 arms for 600 (nautical) miles. That's just phenomenal. I can't even imagine."
"By the end, we all lost a good amount of weight and were delirious from the sleep deprivation."
"We almost capsized many times, and the problem with that is the water is so cold that if you go in, you've probably got two to five minutes."
"It feels like being inside of a washing machine, blindfolded where time is standing still."
"To be determined, but I don't think my expedition life is over."