Irishman Keith Whelan has been forced to abandon his attempt to become the youngest man ever to cross the Indian Ocean alone after a sea rescue earlier this week.
Mr Whelan (29), who calls himself “the Naked Adventurer” because he rows in the nude to avoid chafing from crusts of sea salt that gather on clothing, gained international media attention when his story broke on Tuesday.
He had to be rescued from his location 200km off the coast of Western Australia after he was thrown across his tiny sleeping cabin by a wave, and cut his head on a bolt.
The freelance events manager from Athy, Co Kildare, will be forced to cut his record-breaking attempt short after his boat was damaged while being lifted on board a cargo ship that rescued him.
“He’s not going to be able to go ahead with the challenge,” a spokeswoman for Mr Whelan said, explaining that there is only a narrow window during which it is safe to attempt the three and a half month trip.
The time it will take to make repairs to the vessel, a specialised rowing boat with a tiny airtight cabin and self-righting mechanism, would push the journey into the unsuitable season, she explained, adding that many people who attempt the journey start earlier in the year.
“Keith was kind of pushing it anyway,” she said.
Mr Whelan held a press conference in Bunbury, south of Perth this morning to break the news, having arrived onshore from the Japanese cargo ship which rescued him.
Ironically, it was the cargo ship that rescued Mr Whelan which ended up damaging the boat as it was lifted. Conditions were quite difficult during the rescue, and Mr Whelan’s spokeswoman stressed that retrieving the boat from the water at all was impressive. “The job the guys on the cargo ship did was quite amazing,” she said.
Mr Whelan is said to be very disappointed that he can’t complete his journey. “He’ll look into doing it again next year, but that will depend on sponsors,” his spokeswoman said.
Mr Whelan, who is expected to return home to Ireland shortly, had been raising funds for the Keep a Child Alive charity, which provides anti-retroviral treatment to children affected by HIV/Aids in Africa and India.