by BARBARA DAVIDSON

TOM Hanks tried to do it in Cast Away – though he didn’t have much choice after being stranded on a desert island for four years.
It takes a special kind of person to choose to disappear into the vastness of the Pacific Ocean with no one to chat to but whales, dolphins and sharks. In Cast Away, Hanks plays a passenger on a plane which ditches in the ocean, marooning him on an island and forcing him to paddle his way home with nothing but a ball called Wilson for company.

Meet Mick Dawson, 39, the Brighton tough guy preparing to row alone and naked through blazing sunshine and raging typhoons for six months and 6,000 miles.
Born and brought up in Boston, Lincolnshire, the second son of Joyce and Derek, he left school at 16 to join the Royal Marines and was soon posted throughout the world, from the Arctic to the desert, seeing active service in the Falklands War and the Middle East.
Towards the end of his time in the corps, he became involved in offshore sailing and would go on to pursue this as a ull-time career, working across the world on private yachts in the glamorous playgrounds of the rich and famous.
 It was then he became aware of the possibility of rowing the Atlantic unassisted. He and older brother Steve quickly built a boat and learnt to row, achieving their goal on their first attempt in 2001.
Mick was hooked and immediately began working towards his next, even bigger goal – the Pacific.
Today he is busy on the rowing machine at a Brighton gym but in just a few weeks he launches his bid to become only the second person to row solo and unsupported eastwards across the world’s greatest ocean.

It is his second attempt to conquer a route many class as the Everest of ocean rowing.His first attempt to row from Japan to San Francisco last June ended in failure after less than two weeks at sea. He sailed out of a Japanese marina and negotiated his way through the busy coastal shipping lanes, rowing solidly for 36 hours to give himself a record-breaking start. Averaging 55 miles a day, on one 24-hour run he covered 95 miles, believed to be a solo rowing record.

Despite being hit by the back end of a typhoon three days out, Mick was feeling good. The world’s media were beginning to
take an interest and on his tenth day he enjoyed his birthday lunch surrounded by dozens of feeding dolphins.

The next day was Friday the 13th and, sure enough, a tiny part of the rudder sheared off, causing another bit of metal to snap off and hole the boat below the water line. Steering was now impossible, the boat effectively driftwood.

Mick has a good idea what he’s in for after 70 days rowing across the Atlantic. But if his daily regime then was punishing –
rowing two hours on, two hours off, 24 hours a day – how much harder will it be this time with no one else to share the load?
Mick, who only learnt to row four years ago, says: “It’s a mental exercise more than a physical one, although it does help if
you know you can handle the physical side. “It’s a much harder concept rowing for two hours on a machine than on the water
but dragging yourself on deck at 2am to row for perhaps 24 hours is what makes it a real challenge.

“I wish I knew what drives me to do this. It’s one of those questions I was asking myself on the Atlantic.
“You get this unique feeling of being alone out there and I have no problem with that. I only had about two weeks on my first
attempt but it was the best experience you could imagine, being solo. I liked it that everything was down to me.
“My target to get across is four-anda- half months and it’s obvious there will be times when you could do with being on a nice comfy sofa watching the telly, but the benefits outweigh that.”

He describes one evening during his previous attempt when a 40ft whale swam by, 30ft away. In a scene which could have been copied from Hanks’ film, the huge creature came right out of the water as if to say hello before disappearing into the
distance.That evening he rowed through darkness accompanied by the sounds of a whale blowing air over his shoulder from yards away.

He said: “Things like that make up for the monotony that kicks in from time to time.” Apart from his family and friends, he will most miss a good English breakfast. He did not weigh himself after the Atlantic trip but his brother lost two-and-a-half stone.
Mick said: “Most people carry more weight around than they need to anyway. Everyone looked fat when we got back and we were in the best shape of our lives.
“But it was about five days before I stopped compensating for the boat and got my land legs back.”
Even though Mick rows naked he says sunburn isn’t a problem.
“I’m quite lucky I don’t burn easily and I use no sunblock at all. The last thing you want is oil everywhere. I’m sure I’ll pay for it later.
“I will be going from winter to red hot summer and the hot conditions will probably be a bigger problem.
“I will row naked to prevent chafing. You’ve got saltwater everywhere and it can be very painful if you get sores.
“Last time I rowed for 38 hours and made the mistake of keeping my shorts on. I got the biggest blister, which made things
very uncomfortable for a while.”
Mick will need to make regular sorties over the side of his boat to scrape barnacles off its hull – but it will be a calculated risk. Swimming for pleasure is a non-starter with sharks lurking nearby.
He said: “The fish out there are as big as I am. There’s no point taking more risks than you have to.”
He learnt his lesson during the Atlantic trip when he decided to go for a swim with some feeding dolphins at sunset.
The dolphins had disappeared by the time he got in and as he swam under the boat the large and familiar shape of a shark swam across in front of him. He quickly clambered back on board.
The Shark Trust has since warned him not to swim with dolphins or whales because sharks often lurk on the fringes of these
gatherings, and to stay out of the water at dawn or dusk, when sharks are most likely to feed.

Yet for Mick the biggest fear is failing. He is positive he can be the first to make the crossing on his chosen route,
although he refuses to call it a first, giving credit for that to his hero, Frenchman Gerard D’Aboville.
In 1991, D’Aboville became the first person to make the eastward Pacific crossing, although ocean currents meant after 134
days he landed near Portland, Oregon, instead of San Francisco as planned. Since then fewer than ten people have made an
attempt and all have failed.
Mick said: “My aim is to prove you can land at San Francisco. It is a much harsher route, you have to hit certain currents
and overcome certain weather systems and if you don’t you’ll end up back in Japan.
“As a sailor, I realise the Atlantic was like a training route. But I’m convinced I can do it, especially after my first try.
“It was such a frustrating end when it had been going so well.”

Mick, Michel Roberts and Dom Mee at a party

Waving Mick off will be girlfriend Michelle Roberts, a swimming instructor at David Lloyd in Brighton. She is trying not to
dwell on not seeing her partner for up to six months.
Although she will be able to stay in touch by satellite phone, she won’t call every day so Mick does not become reliant.
She says she has confidence in what he’s doing and insists she doesn’t mind what state he comes back in as long as he’s
healthy, adding: “I’ve packed razors for him this time but I don’t mind if he comes back looking like Tom Hanks after years
on a desert island.”
Mick sold his home to self-fund his previous adventures and is now in need of sponsors to assist his next attempt in April.
Sussex firms Felton Marine Engineering and Terry Pacholl and Son have been helping him prepare his boat, the Mrs D, for its voyage.

Mick is also hoping to develop links with schools in the UK, USA and Japan so they can use his journey as an educational
tool and create links between children in each country. He particularly wants to hear from more schools in the UK.
Having seen the potential for recording his adventures on the ill-fated first attempt, he will this time set off with a boat packed with recording equipment, hoping to capture every moment of drama and excitement. With a little help from Brighton Film School, particularly tutor Maurice Stevens, he will make a documentary, which has already raised interest among
production companies.

To track Mick’s journey online or for more information about Adventure Into Schools or sponsorship, visit his web site at   www.goldengate-endeavour.com