HE is fattened up and ready to go.

Rower James Nettleton is due to set off on a record breaking row across the Atlantic tomorrow – despite only having taken up the sport 12 weeks ago.

Mr Nettleton, from Newington, near Wallingford, hopes to smash the current world record which stands at 33 days seven hours and 30 minutes along with his crew of 12.

He will undertake the gruelling 2,550 nautical mile race to raise “as much as he possibly can” for the new Oxford Cancer Centre in memory of his late mother.

The race will start from La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, where Mr Nettleton has been training with his crew for the past week.

The team, led by Ian Couch, one of the top ocean rowers in the world, will row east to west as part of The Atlantic Rowing Race 2009.

He said: “Weather permitting we will set off on Sunday.

“We have spent the past few weeks training and fattening up in preparation for the row.

“We are doing two hours on, two hours off, shifts so it works out we will be rowing for around 12 hours a day.”

While Mr Nettleton may be a new hand at rowing he is no stranger to adventure.

The 27-year-old ran 220 miles across England in 10 days when he was 16 and climbed the two highest mountains in North and South America, as well as Mount Shishapangma in Tibet.

He said: “I never rowed before I started training but it’s not a big deal – you just get on with it.”

“My mother lost her battle with cancer when I was 21 and she had many visits to the Churchill and the John Radcliffe during the time she was fighting, where the nurses were exceptional and very sensitive to her needs.

“We want to raise as much as we possibly can.

“All of the team are also treating the trip as an expedition — a test of physical and mental strength.”

To sponsor Mr Nettleton on his Atlantic adventure visit atlantic12.com