BARRY firefighter John Haskell and colleague Jamie Windsor are all set to steer their charity-led rowing course across the Atlantic Ocean, beginning on Sunday. (December 4) The Atlantic Dash duo, based at Ely fire station, will spend Christmas and New Year stark naked and separated from family and friends with cargo vessels, sharks and waves of up to 60ft their only possible company.

The pair are undertaking the 3000 mile adventure in aid of the Firefighters, Help For Heroes and Breast Cancer Care charities - inspired by John's wife Sian's successful recovery from the disease - and they have, so far, raised more than £35,000 in profit as part of their ongoing fundraising mission.

The rowers will depart La Gomera, in the Tenerife region, for Barbados armed with 8,000 calories a day each of re-hydrated food and John's luxury item of flapjacks and Jamie's stash of soft toilet tissue. Former Gladstone and Barry Boys pupil John, a firefighter at Barry fire station for 15 years with seven years service at the Ely base, said: "We are taking a real Christmas pud and we have got half a bottle of Talisker whisky because they are sponsoring the event.

"We are taking one tin of beer each for Christmas.

"If you let it down on a 30ft piece of rope it gets really cold so we'll put it over the side.

The 43-year-old Rhoose dad of Megan, seven, and Morgan, four, is undertaking a challenge that less people have completed than have climbed Mount Everest.

He will embark on 12 hour, continuous two on two off, daily rowing shifts and devour meals flavoured by a three-month supply of Hot Diggidy Dog sauce from friends and Barry businessman, Simon Llewellyn and flapjacks courtesy of Marco Zeraschi.

Seventeen stone John said: "You can lose 25 per cent of your body weight.

"I'm 18 percent body fat so for the first time in my life I've got a nutritionist tell me I need to put weight on."

He added: "We've got sky lanterns to let off on New Years Eve to remember people.

"And Barbados Fire Service are meeting us on the Quayside and we're taking a plaque from South Wales Fire Service to Barbados Fire Service."

Dragon's Den Raskelf Portable Memory Foam entrepreneurs Alan and Liz Colleran have also supplied the pair with a mattress to make the journey as comfortable as possible and Npower a satellite phone to keep communications on track. Before leaving Barry Island - where he bid farewell to friends - for the flight to Tenerife the next day, John said: "My emotions are all over the place.

"I'm really sad and upset one moment, but also really excited.

"It's a bag of mixed emotions and fear as well as a bit of trepidation.

"And I've been winding Jamie up about sharks as he's terrified of them." Any individuals or businesses who want to make a contribution to fundraising, with sponsorship, raffle prizes, or auction items, as part of The Atlantic Dash, can email team@atlantic.com Wristbands can be bought from Marco's Café, Barry Island, where the café crew are also running a 100 Club to encourage more sponsorship to help the rowers on their fundraising way.

Follow the Atlantic Dash duo's progress on Facebook and on Twitter @Atlantic Dash