A BASINGSTOKE adventurer who was trying to pedal, row and kite across the Atlantic Ocean to raise money for a children's hospice has been rescued one week into the challenge.

James Ketchell set off on February 2 from The Canary Islands with Anthony Ward Thomas, on a mission to cover 2,930 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to Antigua in aid of Naomi House Hospice, in Sutton Scotney.

The pair hoped to complete a challenge that has never been done before, following the same route that Sir Christopher Columbus took when he discovered the Americas in the 15th century.

Their journey had been going well, and James reported on his blog on February 7 that they were averaging between 60 and 70 nautical miles per day in their unique pedalo-style boat, designed and constructed by Rannoch Adventures especially for the trip.

He posted: "We are currently slightly ahead of target but things can change in a split second in this environment, so we can't afford to get complacent."

Unfortunately things did change, and James posted on his blog today that the pair had to be rescued two days ago, 600 miles into their journey.

He said: "Thanks to the fast response from the UK Maritime Agency, a 200 metre long bulk carrier called Angele N was diverted to make the evacuation. After 20 hours on board the commercial vessel, the Spanish coastguard extracted us via helicopter back to Tenerife for medical treatment. Anthony is now recoving.

"We want to thank the Spanish and UK maritime authorities who co-ordinated the rescue.

"Those people who know me will be aware that this is the second time I have been rescued at sea, and as one would imagine, I am extremely disappointed, but safety must always come first.

"I want to thank everyone for the continued support."

As previously reported in The Gazette, James had to abandon a challenge to row across the Indian Ocean with epileptic cancer survivor Ashley Wilson last year after severe weather conditions overturned their boat several times.