LOCAL man Robert Munslow's bid to row across the Indian Ocean has been suddenly brought forward – because of the threat of competition from another team.
Robert, 24, who lives at Monmouth, has teamed up with Simon Chalk, 30, from Newton Abbot in an attempt to become the first double handed crew to cross the ocean.
If they succeed they will become the first Britons to achieve the crossing and Robert will become the youngest man to cover the 3,200 miles from Western Australia to Madagascar.
They are also hoping to achieve the fastest ever crossing and crack the present record which was set in 1971.
Rumours of a challenge from another crew emerged two weeks ago, forcing Robert and Simon to bring forward their plans.
They have already arrived in Kalbarri, Western Australia.
"The leaving day remains a closely guarded secret but they are putting the finishing touches to their boat 'True Spirit' and rounding off their preparations. It is safe to say they will be underway before the end of the month," said spokesperson Natalie Eaves.
Preparations have been highly secret since news of the Indian Ocean challenge was officially announced in early January.
But Robert told the Review: "The main object is to get across safely. We have a self-righting boat and very sophisticated navigational equipment with on-board computers powered by solar panels. The computers even steer the boat."
The team hope to complete the crossing in 64 days.
Robert, who admits to an obsession to row across one of the world's great oceans, was part of a crew of three which attempted to row the Atlantic last year. They had completed 1,200 miles only to be thwarted by a broken rudder.
Simon Chalk has actually attempted to Indian Ocean crossing once before. With another partner he was forced to spend 15 hours clinging to the upturned hull of his boat after being struck by an unidentified object and capsizing.