A man buoyed by his naked ambition

EVER have that nightmare where you’re rowing the Indian Ocean in a 23ft-long boat, surrounded by sharks, the sun is melting the skin on your back, you’re eating out of tins, going to the toilet in a bucket... and you’re naked? No, me neither. But meet the Irishman who plans on living that dream for 150 nights.

When Keith Whelan picks up the phone to me, he does so as he takes a break from a punishing training schedule and meticulous planning ahead of a scheduled solo trip across the Indian Ocean.

The 30-year-old will row 12 hours every day — two hours on and two hours off — for up to 120 days, completing 1.8 million back-breaking oar strokes. He casually paints a picture of white-hot heat, six-foot ocean swells, and violent storms that sneak up on you. But he’ll save on excess luggage costs — because he’s leaving the clothes behind.