Intrepid nurse rows the Atlantic

Close calls with ocean liners, whales and the chance of capsizing were some of the dangers faced by an intrepid Black Country-born nurse during her cross-Atlantic adventure.

Herdip Sidhu became the first Indian woman to row across an ocean when she completed a treacherous voyage across the Atlantic. The 35-year-old nurse, who hails from Hill Top, West Bromwich, took on the challenge of rowing from the Canary island of La Gomera to Antigua to raise thousands of pounds for research into children's disorders.

Now safely back on dry land, Herdip, who had never rowed before taking on the 2,936-mile journey, says it was an unforgettable time.

"It was a once in a lifetime experience, it was just amazing, it hasn't quite sunk in yet," she said.

Herdip, who works as a ward sister in London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, set off from the Canaries on December 2 with her colleague Elin Davies.

Together the two women spent 77 days rowing across the ocean.

Surviving on dehydrated food, which they cooked on the boat, the nurses took it in turns to row for an hour before sleeping for an hour on the epic voyage.

And it wasn't just exhaustion that the women had to contend with, they also had to tackle other ocean traffic as well as fierce currents and sea life.

"We saw dolphins, whales and turtles," Herdip said.

"When we first saw a whale, we thought it was an oil slick, then it started moving.

"The dolphins just tended to circle the boat.

"We saw a lot of cargo ships and we would use the radio to talk to them. We almost hit a yacht at night, we were very, very close to it but we managed to get by it."

Incredibly the nurses fitted intravenous lines into themselves to stop dehydration. Despite her achievement, Herdip said it would be a while before she took on another challenge as the Atlantic adventure took years in the planning.

The former Menzies high school pupil, whose father Bikar Sidhu, 64, lives in Ebenezer Street, is now waiting for her boat to be returned from the Caribbean.

Once the boat arrives back in Britain, the women hope to sell it and donate the cash to charity.