A LONE epileptic rower who is attempting to cross the Pacific Ocean will not give up on his dream, even if he remains at sea for more than two years.The pledge that Andrew Halsey will reach Brisbane, Australia was made by his friend and manager, Steve Ashby, despite the fact that the journey has been full of setbacks and problems.

A LONE epileptic rower who is attempting to cross the Pacific Ocean will not give up on his dream, even if he remains at sea for more than two years.

The pledge that Andrew Halsey will reach Brisbane, Australia was made by his friend and manager, Steve Ashby, despite the fact that the journey has been full of setbacks and problems.

Mr Halsey, 45, left from Callao in Peru on his epic journey 97 days agoand was expected to take about 10 months if conditions were favourable.

However, Mr Halsey, whose mother and sister live in Essex, has been attacked by sea birds, stung by jellyfish and stalked by a 12ft shark and remains 7,000 miles from his goal.

His satellite phone and electrical equipment on board the Brittany Rose were damaged, preventing communication with the outside world for the last seven days, but the system is working again.

Mr Ashby said: "Andrew is in good spirits despite being pushed around by three separate storms, which have been near force eight, in the last week.

"He is not going to give up- he could be out there for two years and will not give up. I have every faith in the world in him and he doesn't care how long it takes.

"As long as he has food and water, he will make it to Australia."

The lone oarsman, who failed in his previous attempt to cross the Pacific has enough dried food to last for another 60 to 70 days, is now hoping to benefit from a food parcel sent from the UK.

The package, which includes dry goods and pasta, needs to reach Mr Halsey within the next 10 days, or he could be out of reach of the Galapagos Islands.

It has been prepared by Mr Halsey's sister, Amanda, 35, who runs the Castle Inn pub, in Colchester.

She said: "We are just relieved to have contact with Andrew again because the family was all concerned because we had not heard from him for more than a week. The food will all have really high protein levels and will be easy for him to prepare – it will include dried fruits which will be vacuum packed locally before it is sent."

She agreed with Mr Ashby, that her brother was in no hurry to come home.

"To be quite honest, it is not a race at all, he is not trying to break a speed record – his aim is to complete the row and he will do that," she said.

The expected cost of flying and then chartering a boat to take the food to Andrew will cost about £5,000, and it is hoped people will help by sponsoring the attempt.

Earlier in the journey about a third of Mr Halsey's food was lost because the humidity caused the packages to split - spoiling the provisions.

The rescue package also includes electrical equipment and batteries for communications with the Brittany Rose.

The adventurer, who has suffered a number of epileptic seizures on the journey, was the first disabled person to successfully row the Atlantic.

He entered the record books on this journey for covering the least distance in the most time at sea in a rowing boat.

After 72 days he had covered 2,300 miles, but was still as far from his destination as when he started.

Anyone interested in helping sponsor Mr Halsey's record attempt can contact Mr Ashby on 07885630550.

nFor the first time in the 107-year history of ocean rowing, solo rowers are on all three of the world's oceans at the same time, and they are all British.

The trio, including Mr Halsey, are on the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans.