Dom Mee and Tim Welford were hit on their 2001 Pacific challenge

Former Marine commando Dom Mee, 32, will follow the route of Victorian explorer Sir John Ross's ill-fated expedition in search of the Northwest Passage.

His Scottish predecessor was stranded on the ice for four years before being rescued.

As well as rowing in freezing temperatures, Mr Mee, from West Buckland, will be dealing with icebergs, polar bears and walruses.

The route of the Arctic quest

The expedition in a 17ft kayak, The Klepper, is expected to take nearly 70 days.

In 2001, Dom Mee and fellow Royal Marine Tim Welford set off from Japan to row the north Pacific.

After 137 days and enduring three typhoons, they had navigated their 24 ft boat within 900 miles of America when disaster struck.

A deep sea trawler hit their boat and they had a narrow escape as it ripped apart.

The boat for the latest challenge weighs 60 kilograms and folds into three bags, which Mr Mee will be able to carry into the mountains if he is forced to land and take shelter from storms

Making film

He will be carrying all 20kg of provisions for the journey and the only contact he will have with emergency teams will be via a daily text message.

Mr Mee said: "On August 24 it will be 170 years since Sir John was rescued.

"It is such an amazing story of survival and human courage that it deserves to be highlighted."

He said he was anxious about the challenge but had prepared by meditating as well as physical training.

"If I capsize I only have three minutes to get back to the boat before I could freeze."

Mr Mee will fly to the Arctic's small Inuit settlement of Gjona Haven on King William Island to reach his starting point.

He will film his journey, which is due to finish on Baffin Island in September, in the hope of making a documentary.

Next year Mr Mee, who recently featured in the BBC1 Extreme Lives series, plans a solo bid to circumnavigate the world non-stop in a 28 ft yacht, sailing via the two polar regions.