A DARING rower from Basingstoke will be testing his endurance to the max on Sunday as he sets off an unaided 3,000-mile trip across the Atlantic.

James Ketchell, an accounts manager from Severn Way, Eastrop, will row from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean.

The 28-year-old faces more than 60 lonely days in his boat “Speedo”, battling his way through mountainous seas and stiff oncoming winds.

He said: “I am quite nervous about it but I have been working very hard and preparing during the last year-and-a-half.”

The biggest challenge, confesses James, is psyching himself up for the inevitable ups and down.

“It’s about keeping an even keel,” he said. “One day I might have the wind behind my back and be as high as a kite.

“The next day the sea may be rough and I could be on a downer – but you have to move on to the next day.”

His high-tech rowing boat has cost a cool £25,000 and has the ability to self-right in stormy seas.

Solar panels will charge up a GPS satellite, a satellite phone, a radar system that will warn of approaching ships and a machine to desalinate water.

Life on the waves will be lonely and physically gruelling, but thanks to his satellite phone, James will never be far away from his mates and his mum and dad, John, 55, and Trish, 55, with whom he lives in Basingstoke.

He said: “At first, my parents were not keen on it, but when they realised I was taking it seriously, they came round. So now they are worried but excited for me.”

The Gazette will keep in touch with the oarsman during his trip.

James’ quest started two years ago after a near fatal bike accident. After his battle to regain his health, he took on the daredevil challenge, which will see him raise money for his chosen charity the NSPCC.

The intrepid rower said: “I’ve already used a few of my nine lives so far, but I still have plenty more in the bank.”

To sponsor James, call 07766 396740, or go to atlanticadventurer.com or justgiving.com/james ketchell.