TWO prison officers are warming up for a marathon fundraising challenge - by rowing to France and back non-stop from Weymouth.

Ben Steadman from Weymouth, who now works in Staffordshire, returned to his hometown for the 'practice run' to Cherbourg before he competes in a race across the Indian Ocean next April.

Mr Steadman, 32, and his rowing partner Mark Davis, 33, from Southampton, are expected to complete the Anglo-French crossing in about 40 hours in their 24ft ocean pairs boat and hope to set a new Guinness World Record.

The boat is similar to the one used by James Cracknell and Ben Fogle in the Atlantic Rowing Race in 2006.

They were due to leave Weymouth Harbour last night but as he made his final preparations, Mr Steadman was eyeing the weather conditions with some suspicion.

"We're in the lap of the gods," Mr Steadman admitted yesterday, as a 25mph south-westerly wind whipped up around him.

He added: "The plan is to set off after high tide but it's not looking good, we don't want to be blown off course in this wind.

"If the weather isn't great we'll switch to plan B and go to the Isle of Wight instead."

The pair are both PE senior officers and have been training for the last two years in preparation for the 2009 Woodvale Indian Ocean Race.

At up to 160 miles, the Channel crossing is a mere drop in the ocean compared to the 3,700-mile slog from Western Australia to Mauritius.

They hope to raise £200,000 for their chosen charities - Macmillan Cancer Support and disabled kids' charity Cauldwell Children.

Mr Steadman, who used to work on the Portland prison ship, said: "We feel fighting fit but the Channel crossing is our first real challenge on open sea water where we have increased turbulence and navigation to deal with.

"We hope it will give us a rough idea of what we will face in the Indian Ocean, although there may be more ferries and less sharks."

The team are being supported by Lovell housing developers, the Prison Service's gay and lesbian support network Galips, the black and other ethnic minorities support network Respect, and the Prison Service Sports Association (PSSA), as well as gaining financial support from colleagues, friends and family.