To row the Atlantic Ocean, THEN, in October 2010, so long as my boat and body are in one piece, to continue across the Caribbean to Panama, and then journey out across the Pacific Ocean to Australia, via Hiva Oa (an island north of Tahiti).

No-one has ever completed this double ocean crossing in the same year, and to do so solo and unaided would be as worthy a task as one could imagine!

Phase 1:

The initial Atlantic crossing will involve 60 to 100 days rowing at sea in my customised ocean rowing vessel, crossing from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean, a distance of 3000 miles. This would be undertaken as part of a race run by Woodvale-Challenge in December 2009.

Simon Chalk

Teams from all over the World will compete on equal terms in solo, pairs and four person teams. The organisation in charge of the race is Woodvale-Challenge, run by Simon Chalk who first rowed the Atlantic in 1997, and in 2003, was the first successful soloist across the Indian Ocean, taking 107 days. Woodvale Challenge incorporates the same high level of safety coverage and boat preparation to take on this route for everyone to experience. For more information visit www.woodvale-challenge.com

Phase 2:

The journey through the Caribbean would last roughly 30 days at a distance of 1300 miles including a complex navigation of the Panama Canal, a 50 mile long feat of engineering which joins the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. This will be one of the most dangerous legs of my journey because last year 14,702 vessels used this passage, and the majority of these were cargo ships!

Phase 3:

Crossing the Pacific is a daunting task, and the route from Panama to Australia (via Hiva Oa) has never been achieved. A distance of 9000 miles from shore to shore could potentially take anything between 280-350 days to complete, not including the stopover in Hiva Oa, and the luck of the currents, conditions and trade winds will ultimately decide the fate of this challenge.