1 man, 1 boat and 3,450 miles of sea

There will be sharks, killer whales, icebergs, the currents, the risk of running into huge ships and, above all, the grim facts of hypotherm...

There will be sharks, killer whales, icebergs, the currents, the risk of running into huge ships and, above all, the grim facts of hypothermia. But for Bhavik Gandhi, set to row 3,000 nautical miles (approximately 3,450 land miles) across the Atlantic Ocean, these are challenges he loves, to push himself beyond his own boundaries.

Gandhi, 29, aiming at a new world record on the route, sets off on his voyage on February 28, rowing solo an estimated 90 days at sea, non-stop and unsupported. All this on a 23-foot boat that will have no sails, no motor and without any support boat or ship following. The route he wants to take during his voyage is the one that Christopher Columbus — from La Gomera in Spain to Antigua in Barbados.

If Gandhi, a Stockholm-based Indian, completes the trip — he expects to do so in the third week of May — he would be the 24th in the world and the first Asian to do so.

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Talking to The Sunday Express from Stockholm, the 29-year-old said: ‘‘My philosophy is simple. I believe in wow projects. I believe in doing things that you would still talk about 20 years from now. I understand the risks involved here, but it gives me enormous opportunity to test myself against the unknown. It’s a brilliant school for sports, personal growth and entrepreneurship.’’

Indeed, the task is not easy. Then vital aspects about sailing on the ocean: forming a team with the right knowledge and experience, learning about navigation, survival, technology, ocean currents, weather systems and last, but not least, the boat design.

Here Gandhi had to depend on the expertise of Rune Larsson, the first Swede to row the Atlantic (in 2001), along with Niclas Mardfelt. ‘‘One night I just woke him up from his sleep and asked him ‘I want to row the Atlantic. Can you help me?’. His reply was positive and the following week we met each other and everything fell in place thereafter,’’ said Gandhi.

A BSc in management and information systems from Royal Holloway, Gandhi was born in Mumbai and had his early schooling at Bombay Scottish before moving to London for higher studies. He also holds an MSc in engineering information systems and is the founder of Development Venture Capital Group, specialising in micro credit for social entrepreneurs in developing nations.

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Gandhi has been training for the past one year. His regime comprises river rowing and the machine, running, swimming, weight training and cycling. ‘‘Currently I just concentrate on running, the gym, 15 minutes of stretches, 40 minutes of cardiovascular work and 40 minutes of strength work.’’ He will be relying solely on muscle power for the effort. ‘‘Actually, ocean rowing is 20 per cent physical and 80 per cent mental endurance.’’

What would he have to be careful about? ‘‘Should I encounter insurmountable problems, I will have to abandon to the life raft which carries plenty of equipment for survival, such as hand-operated desalinator and emergency rations and an emergency beacon to alert passing ships.’’

But he also sounded a note of warning. ‘‘I will have store my ration to the barest minimum to stay alive. Water is the key to survival. At its midpoint I expect to be four days from the nearest ship and I’ve taken this into calculation while preparing the inventory for the life raft on board.’’