A RECORD-BREAKING rower from Abergavenny received a heroine’s welcome as she returned home from her 3,000-nautical mile Atlantic expedition.

Elaine Theaker was part of the first female trio to cross the Atlantic Ocean, labelled the “world’s toughest row”.

It took them 60 days, 18 hours and 34 minutes to reach Antigua, setting off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands.

Family and friends greeted Mrs Theaker on Saturday – with the spring sun another welcome surprise.

“I never expected the welcome I have received – it is totally overwhelming, and I’m lost for the words,” said the lawyer and mother-of-one.

“It is fantastic to be back to see everybody, and it’s lovely that everyone has taken the time to come out.

“It is better whether here in Abergavenny than in Antigua. It’s wall-to-wall sunshine, whereas it was rather cloudy in Antigua.

“Everyone was really supportive while I was doing the race and all the messages we received really kept us going.”

Ms Theaker, along with Dianne Carrington, and Sharon Magrath, both from Shropshire, reached English Harbour, Antigua, on Tuesday February 13 with 54-year-old Mrs Theaker admitting she is struggling to come to terms with what they achieved.

“The enormity of it and what I’ve done personally in terms of achieving my own goal has not really sunk in yet," she added.

“I’m a bit numb when I think about it all really.

“I have watched back the videos of us getting off that boat, arriving in English Harbour on that night, and I still think it is another crew and not us,” she said.

“I think it will take a while to sink in."

The row was not without its difficulties though, with their boat, named Poppy, battling 40-foot waves and capsizing twice on the final day.

Ms Theaker called it both physically and mentally draining.

“I am still hobbling a little from the injuries I sustained in the first capsize,” she said.

“It is nice to be back on terra firma because it was a very scary experience in some parts of the race.

“Other parts were magical and really fantastic moments that I will remember forever. But the last 24 hours were very hairy.

“It is still quite fresh in my mind so I’m trying to banish those a bit.”

Having crossed the planet’s second largest ocean, she also said she is looking forward to some down time for a while.

“I’m going to take up knitting and maybe tiddlywinks,” she said.

“It will just be going back into running my business, being a mother and spending time with my family and friends.”

“Fortunately I’m not back to work for another month so I’ll ease myself back into normality.”