Wrexham adventurer to row 3,600 miles across Indian Ocean in record-breaking bid

A Wrexham adventurer is aiming to write his name in the record books – by rowing across the Indian Ocean.

Barry Hayes, 36, of Brymbo, will set off from Western Australia in May next year, heading to the paradise island of Mauritius with three other rowers, braving 3,600 miles of ocean on the way.

The team want to break the world record of 68 days for a four man crew.

Next year’s epic journey will see them each spend about 900 hours at the oars in shifts of two hours rowing and two hours resting – all day, every day.

Barry’s latest adventure will come four years after he was part of a crew of four which took part in the Great Pacific Race, rowing 2,400 miles across the Pacific Ocean.

They finished runners-up in a time of 45 days, seven hours and 20 minutes and beat the previous pre-race World Record by 19 days, raising £16,000 for four different charities, including Help for Heroes.

Before that record-breaking achievement, Barry had never stepped into a boat.

It was also the first time a crew of four had attempted any crossing of the Pacific in a rowing boat.

The Glyndŵr University graduate said he had been inspired by the military career of his dad who served in the Falklands War.

“My dad had some incredible stories about jungles, deserts and the wars he’d been involved with,” said Barry.

“He really did have an amazing life and I wanted my own son to have something he could tell his own friends about me.

“But I worked in an office 8pm-5pm Monday to Friday and had nothing before my first ocean race.

“That was the biggest sporting achievement of my life and it gave me enormous confidence. Only 41 attempts have been made on the Indian Ocean though, 20 of which have been successful.

“The world record for a crew of four is 68 days and for any crew it’s 56 days. I know the record can only be beaten with the team and the right conditions.

“I have no way of altering the conditions but we most definitely have the right team.”

The team are using their Indian Ocean adventure to help find a cure for Parkinson’s disease.

One of the other crew members, Robin Buttery, from Leicester, was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD) in June 2015 just before his 44th birthday.

YOPD is the same as Parkinson’s disease except for the age of the patient.

The average age of diagnosis for Parkinson’s disease is around 62. When a patient is diagnosed with the disease before the age of 50, the disorder is called YOPD.

Money raised will be split between three charities The Clear Trust, Spotlight YOPD and The Cure Parkinson’s Trust.

The other rowers in the team include Billy Taylor, from West Sussex and James Plumley, from Guernsey.