EXPLORER and former Royal Marine Reservist Dom Mee is gearing up for his latest mission to break the Atlantic rowing record.

Dom, of West Buckland, will lead the British Ocean Rowing team aiming to break the record, which has been held by a French team since 1992.

He narrowly escaped death in the North Atlantic last year when his mission to be the first person to kite sail across an ocean was halted by treacherous weather, and is therefore well aware of the dangers his team of four will face.

To help in his quest he is having a new boat, Ocean Four, specially built by Rowsell & Adkin in Exmouth, Devon.

Dom said: "Rowsell & Adkin boats are the best in the world, and this one is a Ferrari compared to the boat I used to row across the Pacific."

The boat will need to be quick because the French team completed the row in 35 days eight hours, and despite over 200 attempts since no-one has managed to break the record.

Dom hopes his team can "do our country proud".

He said: "I feel like I'm standing at the base of a huge mountain - it's pretty scary."

Originally Dom had planned to be team manager and not take part in the voyage, but the team felt they would have more success if he led them.

Dom said: "It was a really hard decision. I wanted a year out after my ordeal in the North Atlantic - coming that close affected me deeply.

"Hopefully taking on the Atlantic again will inspire me to continue to push the boundaries of the human experience."

The team is hoping to depart from La Palma in the Canary Islands next January and finish in Barbados 3,000 miles later.