BASINGSTOKE adventurer James Ketchell has set off on an incredible mission to row 4,000 miles across the Indian Ocean.

The 32-year-old has paired up with epileptic cancer survivor Ashley Wilson for the challenge, and the duo began their row on Monday after delaying the start date by a week because of weather conditions.

Posting on his blog from Grealdton, Australia, James said: “We are now officially in the Indian Ocean! Most jobs on the boat are now complete, with all the food now packed and stowed. When we rowed from the slipway to the marina and it felt great to be out on the water.”

James and 36-year-old Ashley, from Wickham, were monitoring the weather ahead of starting their mission to ensure they set off in the best conditions possible.

Posting on his blog last week, James said: “We have noticed that our intended departure date will not be as beneficial as we thought. As we are trying to break the world speed record for a two man crossing, the weather is crucial to our success.

“An area of low pressure, 700 miles south west of Geraldton is moving east, which is in turn causing the wind direction to change.

Although the wind direction was favourable to depart over the weekend, the shift in winds will accrue on Monday and stay for at least a week, which is not enough time for us to clear the Abrolhos Islands. This is essential as we need to clear the Continental Shelf and get into the South Equatorial Current.

“If we had departed on Saturday we would have been blown south by Monday and unable to make any northerly progress .”

As a result, the pair delayed their departure by a week until Monday. They spent the days waiting to start ensuring that everything was ready on the boat and talking to children at a local school about their adventure.

James, who has rowed the Atlantic, climbed Everest and cycled around the world, said: “A message that we would like to instil in anybody that is following our endeavour is that it does not matter what you do as long as you do something.”

James and Ashley are raising funds for The Scout Association, Young Epilepsy and the Elifar Foundation.

Ashley, who was diagnosed with cancer aged 20 and who is now in remission having undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy, was inspired to take on the challenge when he met James at a local Scouting event.

James, a Scout Ambassador, hopes they will break the world record by rowing across the Indian Ocean in less than 86 days. To donate visit virginmoneygiving.com/team/nothingsimpossible or text ROW to 70025 to donate £5. Follow James and Ashley’s journey at nothingsimpossible.co.uk.