AN INTREPID seafarer will make a second attempt at becoming the first person ever to land and sleep on a treacherous rocky islet in the North Atlantic.

Last May, weather conditions conspired against Andy Strangeway when he made his journey to Rockall – a remote, uninhabited rock at the most westerly point of Europe.

The 43-year-old, of Full Sutton, near Pocklington, had aimed to become the first person to sleep on the islet without the assistance of a helicopter and without shelter.

But he was thwarted by a vicious swell around the rock, which could carry a person 20ft up or down.

Next year, Andy hopes to make a second attempt, and is looking for adventurers from the York area to join him.

Andy said: “In Rockall I have found my ultimate challenge.

“It is, I believe, the most difficult island in the world to sleep on. To spend the night on Rockall without shelter has never happened.

“But I firmly believe, with the experience I now have, that it is achievable.

“We will still have to face our biggest obstacle – the weather – but by allowing a 14-day slot our chances of achieving these goals will increase.”

Andy, who last year made history as the first person to spend a night on all 162 of the islands off the Scottish coast, also hopes to raise the Yorkshire flag on top of Rockall and make Rockall an “island on the air”.

He is looking for Radio “hams” – an amateur radio team – to have a go at activating Rockall, one of the most difficult islands in the world to operate from.

Rockall is about 25 metres wide at its base, rising to about 22 metres, with a small ledge of 3.5 by 1.3 metres, four metres from the summit.

It is about 300 miles from the coasts of Scotland, Ireland, and Iceland and the sea area around it, also known as Rockall, features in BBC Radio’s shipping forecast.

The suggested departure date for the trip is Tuesday, May 19, 2009.

For full details, log onto www.islandmanrockallexpedition2009.com