Rowing: Ellis, Brown up to third in ocean row

LONDON - New Zealand rowers Jude Ellis and Steph Brown have moved into third place in the 35-boat Transatlantic Challenge.

On their fourth day at sea, Ellis and Brown were one nautical mile ahead of Win. Belgium, who had been third for most of the 4667km race from the Canary Islands to Barbados.

Australian doctors Patrick Weinrauch and Paul McCarthy held a 16-nautical-mile lead over Auckland policemen Steve Westlake and Matt Goodman, who stripped off as the heat climbed.

"The guys rowed naked for the first time yesterday," said team organiser Rob Hamill, who wrote a book called The Naked Rower about his 1997 win with the late Phil Stubbs in the same race.

"I said, 'That was a good idea, where did you get that from?' They did it because it was so bloody hot."

Westlake and Goodman, a late replacement for the injured Hamill, were 49 nautical miles ahead of their Telecom Challenge team-mates.

- NZPA