It's hard to explain what it feels like to have finished the race or to describe what we went through to get there, especially in the final 18 hours (more to come on this later). What I can say is that we have left Texas with memories that will last forever, new friends with whom we have shared something truly unique and a rather strange desire to go back and do it all again...

They did it!!!!!!

THEY DID IT!!!!!!!

And within the hundred hour deadline (by the skin of their teeth might i just add)

The team are absolutely and utterly ecstatic and Charlie and Sophie are feeding some very hungry boys now! It was a nail baiting finish and the team started the bay crossing with 3 other teams, including a race veteran and they put in a super human effort to paddle across the bay to victory, with Charlie, Sophie and lots of other supporters screaming their hearts out from the shore.

More details and a full update later but CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! And on behalf of the Camels thank you so so much everyone for your support, messages and thoughts, it made a HUGE difference.

Time for lots and lots of bubbles!!!! (and perhaps some sleep, a shower and a huge amount of food!

Last checkpoint completed, 6 hour dash to the finish line

The team have put in a huge effort and past the last checkpoint at mile 244 and Charlie and Sophie have just seen them at mile 252, Taylors Bridge - the last public access point. The team now just have to cross the bay to reach the finish line, however it's now a nail biting race against time for the Camels to cross the finish line before the 100 hour mark, in about 6 hours time.

The strong winds are making the bay difficult to cross and previous teams have taken anywhere between 3 - 13 hours and the teams have 6 hours left to do it in. There are three teams paddling with the Camels together through the bay, all desperate to finish before the time deadline. One of the teams has crossed the bay many times, which is fantastic for the boys and they are all motivating each other and pushing each other faster and faster.

It's going to come down to the wire, so keep your fingers, toes and everything crossed, however regardless JM, James, Simon, Sophie and Charlie have all done the most amazing job and are a true inspiration to the rest of us!

Come on Camels, everyone is rooting for you!

Checkpoint 10: 10 down, 1 more checkpoint to go!

In the words of a very excited Charlie "Yippee"!! The team paddled into checkpoint 10 this evening, marking the second last checkpoint and the completion of 227 miles, with only 33 more miles to go and only one more checkpoint with the dreaded time deadlines before the home stretch! The paddling fraternity had heard whispers that one of our boys had dropped out, so Charlie and Sophie were really excited to see the intrepid trio paddling in earnest into the checkpoint wondering what the fuss was about.

The guys managed to have a bit of a sleep and can taste the home stretch, making it easier to focus on their goal. Both the local supporters, fellow competitors and media LOVE the fact the team are English and came from the UAE and that we've come so far. The amount of support is just astounding! Charlie did another television interview for News 8 (coverage to follow) so that inquisitive viewers could be kept up to date on how well the camels are going. She's a little concerned how articulate she was after 1 hours sleep in 38 hours but I'm sure the viewers will love it!

The next and final checkpoint is at 244 miles, Saltwater Barrier and the girls drove to the next checkpoint to have a sleep but the appearance of a huge snake and loads of mozzies resulted in a small change of plan and the girls have been invited to the home of a local support crew where they are hoping to catch up on a few hours sleep, before seeing the guys at a viewing spot in between the checkpoints.

Although the team are so close, the next stretch has a number of challenges including the largest log jam the race has seen - a mile long jam which means the Camels will have to carry the boat around the river for a mile straight, plus the numerous other jams competitors have warned the team about. The next section also features the aptly named "Alligator Lake".

After the boys reach the next checkpoint however they have all the important bay crossing, which represents the final run home. This year the bay crossing has taken anywhere from 3-13 hours to complete, as heavy winds make this a huge challenge, so fingers crossed for light winds to allow the team to finish.

Taken from the words of a support message sent to the team "Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream....merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream (or it will be when it's over)". And another tip from the same support message that the boys should be remembering on this leg "See you later Alligator"!

Come on Camels!

Checkpoint 9: 200 miles down, 60 to go!!

The guys are in fantastic spirits and have just left checkpoint 9 with the 200 mile mark now behind them and one less deadline to meet. 73 hours into the race, the team have 27 hours (just over 1 full day and night) left to complete the race.

The boys are ecstatic as are Charlie and Sophie and the whole team have only goal in sight -the finish line at Seadrift. The next checkpoint will be in 27 kilometres time and the team have 13 hours in which to do this. That will be the second last checkpoint before Saltbarrier, the last checkpoint at 244 miles, 26 miles before the finish line. There are now 53 boats left in the race and for the next section, the team have agreed to paddle alongside a solo competitor who is a race veteran, and knows the river well having competed in the race many times.

The next section is filled with a lot of log jams which will mean quite a bit of portaging, however the boys are determined to finish and are on the homeward stretch. JM and Sophie have both had their flights changed so that the team can all have a well earned sleep (and perhaps just the odd Texas beverage or ten and a huge dinner together on the Wednesday night). The team are so close, they can smell the finish and whilst it may be close in terms of time deadlines, the camels are determined to make it!

Come on guys, you're so close now, you can do it!

Almost at checkpoint 8....187 miles in, 73 miles to go

Just a very quick post, Charlie and Sophie just saw the boys at a section of the river called "The Nursery", which is 187 miles in. During the past few hours, the team have traversed some heavy rapids through the night and the light is just beginning to come up now which should help.

The boys are in much better spirits and really determined and pushing to get through before the time deadline. The girls are also feeling good (as good as can be expected anyway!) and will next meet the team at checkpoint 8, the 200 mile mark.

The team have now been paddling for about 69 hours and are doing a fantastic job! Lots of people at different checkpoints are keeping an eager eye on the Camel's progress and everyone is rooting for them to finish. Come on Camels, only 73 miles left, you can do it!

A note from Charlie and Sophie (from the riverbank)

Update so far! Charlie and I are waiting for the Camels at Mile 178, Thomaston Bridge between Cuero and Victoria. Its about 9pm and we expect them in approx. 2 hours. We can only give them water and an ice sock, a big sock stuffed with ice, which are proving a huge hit in the paddling fraternity.

Their spirits are good, the canoe is holding up brilliantly and they smell simply horrid. No injuries just a few aches and pains which handfuls of ibruprofen is handling well. Their lovely Camel uniforms are gradually disintegrating, Simon and James are still in theirs but are a muddy brown whilst JM is sporting a lovely muscle shirt.

It has been a tougher race than normal as the water level has been at an all time low so this exposes more log jams and sand/gravel bars which they have to portage over and/or around, this has really proved more difficult than they envisaged. Conditions now are good, open river with little debris but a strong headwind which is coming up from the Gulf, this is challenging for all teams. Sadly we were hoping for current but there is none to help them on this leg. Best advice for them is to try and get in the lee of the shore if possible and keep the bow down.

James has gone past his Nemesis leg from the previous race and he was dead chuffed to reach that point. We have foisted water on them like crazy almost to the point of bullying as staying hydrated is so key, obvious I know but easy to try and keep the weight down in the boat. Yesterday we had a fierce culling of all extraneous items, camera, some tools, clothing (more of which was JM's which he apparently needed! James was not popular), all in an effort to give them more water.

On the support side of things Charlie and I are having a blast, everyone involved with the Texas Water Safari be they officials or participants have been wonderful. As I write this we are sitting on the river bank in the middle of the most breathtaking country with about 25 of us all laughing and joking, sipping a Jameson on ice from quite the loveliest Texan with guess what on the radio?..........Country Music!!!! Woo hoo! There is such a sense of camaraderie and a diverse mix of people, quite a unique experience. The only downfall is the sheer quantity of Deet and citronella we have inhaled but ne'er a mozzie in sight! Fire ants are another question. Had a whopping case of heat rash today which starts with a massively swollen bottom lip (think Angelina Jolie but minus the top one) and a delightful armpit rash. Dead attractive. Charlie, being Daughter of Barbara, has medicine for all occasions so a good dose of Claritin aided by the whisky is doing wonders.

We have got our system down to a fine art now; stock with gallon jugs of water, copious amounts of ice and small bottles of water, drive to the checkpoints and hurry up and wait. When they arrive we scoot down to the river bank full of info about the coming leg and motivational speeches which I suspect irritate them no end. Charlie is Comms control and statistician whilst I drive,navigate and truck housekeeper, it seems to work perfectly. The truck is a tricked out black Ford Expedition SUV, aka The Pimpmobile. Its also serves as our bedroom, quite comfy really although it has one of the Camels shorts in it and is a little odiferous. Walmart is the store of choice, in fact it seems to be the only store, spent a littke too much time in there today and left with matching outfits, photo to come. We figured it might be good for morale. Well typing on a Blackberry is wearing but will update more soon.Go Camels!Sophie and Charlie