Andrew Osborne from Rutland heads for finish in his Atlantic Ocean row for Cardiac Risk in the Young (Cry)

A dad who is rowing the Atlantic Ocean is on the ‘countdown’ to the finish of his 3,000-mile odyssey.

Andrew Osborne is more than 10 weeks into a three-month solo row to raise money for screening young people for undiagnosed heart conditions.

His daughter Amy died suddenly at the age of 25. To donate, click here.

Andrew, from Rutland, set off from the Canary Islands on January 8 bound for the finish line in the Caribbean.

“The wind has finally changed in my favour and I am en route to Antigua,” he wrote in his latest blog post.

“I’m nearly 500 miles from the finish line so the countdown is on.

“It feels a little bit like waiting to break up from school for the holidays or what I imagine it feels like waiting to be released from prison.

He added: “There is still a long way to go but not when I think about how far I have come. It is now in my grasp and I am determined to get there as fast as I can.”

Since setting off, he has seen just one other person - another solo rower, called Linda, but has instead enjoyed the company of local wildlife, including two curious pilot whales.

“I also have a family of dorado fish, or mahi mahi as they are also known, that have followed me for weeks, living underneath the boat," he said.

“The dorado linger about waiting to catch the flying fish that attack the boat. When I first heard the flying fish, it scared the life out of me because it sounded like hundreds of pebbles hitting the boat.”

“So in this sense, I am not alone out here, I have my birds, whales and dorado fish for company.”

He has recently experienced his second capsize, caused by a wave which 'sounded like a train arriving fast into a station', while the auto helm on his boat remains broken, forcing him to steer with his feet.

The 40-degree heat is a 'constant battle', combatted by just one small fan, dips in the sea when calm enough, and more night rowing.

But despite the privations, Andrew said the experience is a 'true privilege'.

"I am going to try and soak up every last second of it, because this really is an adventure of a lifetime," he said.

"Every day that goes by, I know I am edging closer to Antigua, edging closer to my family, edging closer to real food, a fresh coffee and an Antiguan rum punch."