by Graham Tutthill

A team of Croatian rowers who set off from the East Kent coast on Friday made it to France in less than four hours.

They were making the crossing in a traditional Croatian rowing boat called a Ladja. The team consisted of eight rowers, a drummer who beat the time, and a helmsman who steered the craft using a rudder at the stern.

They set off from St Margaret’s Bay, between Dover and Deal, at 6.47 on Friday morning, and landed at Cap Gris Nez three hours 42 minutes later. It was the first time such a boat had made a successful crossing.