The Seagals with the Virgin Trophy and (below) in their boat Go Commando. Photos by onEdition

Dover rower Laura Thomasson and her colleagues - known as The Seagals -have become the first all-female crew to row around Britain.

It has taken them 51 days 16 hours and 42 minutes, and they have endured strong winds and nearly being run down by a huge ship to complete the Virgin GB Row Challenge.

They set off from Tower Bridge on June 1 to race against a boys' team and to try and break the previous world record of 26 days. But the conditions put paid to any hope of setting a new record, and the boys team withdrew from the race.

Laura, 24, who lives at Kingsdown and is a member of Dover Rowing Club, has been rowing a 24-foot boat called Go Commando with skipper Belinda Kirk, Bev Ashton and Angela Madsen.

When they passed under Tower Bridge on Friday morning (July 23) they won the £15,000 prize and the Virgin trophy.

Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson congratulated the girls on their achievement.

Sir Richard Branson said: "I knew I was right to back to girls in beating the boys in the first ever Virgin GB Row and I’m over the moon that such brave women have achieved a world record in such a spectacular fashion!

"This is why we set up the Virgin Trophy. Belinda, Angela, Laura and Beverley have pushed through extreme tiredness, hunger and serious injury to battle on and achieved the goal they set out to achieve.

"Britain has something to be proud of this summer after all!"

The girls had hoped to finish on Thursday, but they were held up by strong winds of the Essex coast on Wednesday and had to wait for the right tide on Friday morning.

It was the latest drama in a voyage which has been far from plain sailing for the girls and their former opponents, a boys team called The Misfits who withdrew from the race at Lands End after having to accept assistance which was against the rules.

Last week the girls were nearly run down by a huge ship in the middle of the night when Laura and Angela were rowing.

“If it had not been for the fast, calm and effective work of Humber Coastguard God knows what would have happened to us,” said Laura.

Problems with the boat’s solar regulator, which converts power from the on-board solar panels into the boat's battery packs, have led to difficulties with communications with the crew and they have also had to introduce water rationing.

Full story in the Dover Mercury.