New
Zealand says it may take legal action to stop a British man making his
third attempt to row from New Zealand to South Africa, after he
abandoned the crossing for a second time.
The country's Maritime Safety Authority (MSA) said it was considering
applying safety legislation about the seaworthiness of boats to
prevent Jim Shekhdar from trying again.
"We would be strongly advising him against it... we would rather he
decided it was not worth the risk of his life and anybody else's life
that might have to go and rescue him," an MSA spokeswoman said.
Mr Shekhdar, 57, has said he will not rule out a third attempt.
He set off from the New Zealand port of Bluff on 5 November, aiming to
row 14,400 kilometres to Cape Town in South Africa.
But 1,200
kilometres into his voyage he ran into a heavy storm and his boat,
Hornette, was battered by the sea for two hours and then capsized.
Mr Shekhdar was rescued during the night by a New Zealand government
research ship.
"I'm still a little emotional ... I really didn't want to be here. But
I'm very grateful to everybody who worked so hard to get me here," Mr
Shekhdar told National Radio from the ship, The Tangaroa.
He was badly cut and bruised in the storm and described his experience
as "like being inside a washing machine".
A previous attempt to make the crossing in October failed after just
80 kilometres.
