By Annie DavidsonANDREW Halsey's idea of perfection is probably shared by many of us - watching the sun go down with a glass of wine and music playing in the background.

By Annie Davidson

ANDREW Halsey's idea of perfection is probably shared by many of us - watching the sun go down with a glass of wine and music playing in the background.

With one major difference - for Mr Halsey, it has to be while is alone in the middle of an ocean for it to be really perfect.

The 47-year-old adventurer will be striving for this ideal again next year when he sets off on another rowing expedition.

Mr Halsey, who grew up in Clacton and now divides his time between the town and London, is aiming to row from Japan to San Francisco in the USA.

The epileptic father-of-one became the first disabled person to row the Atlantic in 1997, but his two attempts to row the Pacific in 1999 and 2003 were unsuccessful and he had to be rescued.

Now he is gearing himself up for his next epic voyage and is hoping to find a boat builder who will assist in the construction of his new craft.

Mr Halsey has all the materials to build a replacement for his 25ft boat, the Brittany Rose, which was named after his daughter.

He had to abandon the badly-damaged boat after his last voyage saw him rescued by Chinese fishermen.

“New project, new ocean, new boat, new name,” said Mr Halsey. “It will be a new, improved version of the Brittany Rose.

“It will be built to pretty much the same specifications as the last boat, but with room for some cameras so people can go online and see my progress.”

Mr Halsey, whose parents Barbara and Dennis live in Clacton, said he had continued with his rowing because he was “getting on a bit” and felt the need to get away.

“I like being on land, but every now and again I want to get away. Certain people find their niche in life and there is one place where everything seems to be perfect and they just fit in,” he added.

“For some people, it is singing. For Mozart, it was writing music - but for me it is being on the ocean. It is the one place I feel I come together as a human being, it is my element.”

Mr Halsey said he did not get lonely while at sea and his mind became more active.

“There is no EastEnders or Coronation Street and your mind becomes more creative. I watch the sun go down and play the blues on my harmonica with a glass of wine,” he added.

Mr Halsey admitted his family worried about his safety, but they wanted him to continue with the things he loved and enjoyed.

He hopes to set off from Japan in February next year on the trip that will be funded by donations from well-wishers, unless she can find a sponsor.

However, the planned trip will not be his last - for Mr Halsey's ultimate dream is to be the first person to go round the world in a rowing boat.

annie.davidson@eadt.co.uk