Bid to row from New York to Lochinver in handmade boat Published duration 4 May 2018

image caption Duncan Hutchison hopes to begin his expedition later this month

An amateur rower is preparing to make an attempt to cross the North Atlantic in a wooden boat he built himself.

Duncan Hutchison, from Lochinver in the Highlands, has spent his working life at sea, including most recently in the offshore oil industry.

He spent three years building the boat which he hopes to set out in from New York on, or around, 19 May.

Mr Hutchison expects he will take between 90 to 100 days to row it back to Lochinver.

image copyright Duncan Hutchison image caption Mr Hutchison spent three years constructing his boat

image copyright Duncan Hutchison image caption He says it will take between 90 to 100 days to row it back to Lochinver

His expedition will raise money for the charity Wateraid.

His boat is called Sleipner, named after an eight legged horse from Norse mythology that could glide across the sea.

image copyright Duncan Hutchison image caption The boat is named after a horse in Norse mythology

Mr Hutchison told BBC Scotland the loneliness of being out at sea on his own would likely be the hardest part of the venture.

He added: "The physical side will be difficult too.

"I am doing this to prove that normal people can build a boat and row it across the Atlantic.

"That is the idea, to prove that normal people can do unusual things."

image caption Mr Hutchison says he expects loneliness to be the hardest part of the trip