Man to cross Channel on raft powered by chip oil

On June 21, Eddie Reynolds, of the Dyson Recycling Centre at Cradle Hill Industrial Estate, plans to set sail to Dieppe from Newhaven on a raft he built himself to raise money for charity.

Mr Reynolds will make the crossing with his son Michael, friend Craig Hart and Seaford town councillor, Rejane Amery.

The crew will dress as pirates and hope to catch enough fish and seafood to throw a fish supper for Seaford's old folk when they return.

A welcome party will be waiting for them in Dieppe.

Mr Reynolds told the Express: 'It is a 140-mile round trip that we hope to complete in one day but we have allowed two. We were going to take the raft to Dover by road and cross to Calais but thought it was a bit girly and that we needed more of a challenge because it was for charity.'

The raft is made from recycyled materials, scaffolding and oil drums. Power comes from an old van engine powered by chip frying oil.

The money raised will mostly go towards Seaford Lifeguards with some going to Newhaven Lifeboat.

Mr Reynolds said every measure had been taken to ensure the crossing was safe.

He said: 'We have radio equipment, ship-to-shore signals, a global positioning system, radar reflectors and signal rockets '“ hopefully we won't need those.'

However, Trevor Cutler of Newhaven Coastguards, said he hoped rigorous safety checks had been carried out.

'You need to calculate fuel and power of the engine against the tide. The stability of the raft also needs to be taken into account and whether any water that gets in can be pumped out fast enough.

'If it gets into trouble in the middle of the Channel it is a long way for the lifeboat or helicopter to get to and it is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world,' he said.

Mike Tubb, Newhaven Lifeboat operations manager, said: 'He can rest assured the RNLI will be keeping an eye on him and if he does end up going a bit skew-whiff, we will be there to rescue him.'