A TEAM of lecturers at a Hampshire college are taking part in a gruelling canoe race in memory of a former student who perished at sea.

Romsey’s James Male was a crew member of the Cheeki Rafiki which capsized in the North Atlantic in May with the loss of all four men on board. Their yacht which was returning to Southampton from Antigua was lost 1,000 nautical miles east of Cape Cod.

US Coastguards found the upturned hull and a life raft still on board but there was no trace of 22-year-old James and his three fellow seafarers Paul Goslin, Steve Warren both from Somerset and Andrew Bridge of Farnham in Surrey.

Now four lecturers at Sparsholt College, where James studied outdoor education after leaving school in 2008, are preparing to take on what’s been dubbed the toughest canoe race in the world in aid of the RNLI’s Forever by the Sea Fund as a tribute to him.

The quartet of Lawrence Blair, Scott Fancourt, Gareth Rogers and Kaj Berendsen are busy training for the 125-mile challenge from Devizes to Westminster next Easter.

Team captain Scott Fancourt said: “James studied outdoor education here at the college and is remembered fondly by the team. We wanted to show our support by giving something back and felt this gruelling challenge would be a fitting tribute to an adventurous young man with a passion for the outdoors, in particular water sports.”

James’s father Graham said his son would have loved what the team are doing. “I think what they are doing is great. It’s a pretty tough challenge. Training five days a week for it is going to take it out of them. James would have loved to have done the challenge himself. He’d have been in his element,”said Graham.

He added that his family had been overwhelmed by the support they had received since the loss of James.

Graham said that he plans to meet the canoe crew before they do the challenge and hopes to be at the finish line. He and his wife Lorraine and the families of the other crew members set up the Cheeki Rafiki Forever by the Sea Fund in memory of all their loved ones. In addition to raising funds for the RNLI it is promoting the charity’s work particularly crew safety and the importance of having personal locator beacons aboard all sailing vessels. So far around £8,000 has been donated to the Cheeki Rafiki fund.