Mr Lewis hopes his team will not be mistaken for spies

But Jason Lewis says he first has to ensure he and his companions will not be mistaken for spies as they paddle their kayaks through the Java Sea.

They are to travel 2,600 miles from Dili, East Timor, to Singapore.

The 37-year-old from Bridport, Dorset, said on Monday he was going to the Indonesian embassy to make sure the police, army and navy knew of the trip.

'Crazy Westerners'

He said: "There was a recent incident of a dive boat being fired on by an Indonesian naval vessel in East Timor waters. No-one was injured.

"We are keen for the guys at ground level to be informed there are crazy Westerners heading their way before we hove into view over the horizon."

Mr Lewis, who began his trip from London more than a decade ago, arrived in Dili a few days ago by pedal boat from Darwin, northern Australia.

Mr Lewis began his Expedition 360 at the Greenwich Meridian in London in 1994 by bike with founder member Steve Smith, from Wolverhampton.

The pair tackled the Channel, the Atlantic, the Pacific and the USA by human power before Smith left to pursue other interests.