Seven months after completing a two-and-a-half year cycle around the world, a 25-year-old daredevil has embarked on another cross-continent adventure.

Josiah Skeats arrived in Sydney at the end of January having travelled through 33 countries across Europe, Asia and Australia on a budget of just £3 per day.

On Saturday, September 1, the former pupil of Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham began a three-month voyage across the Indian Ocean from Darwin in Australia to Durban, South Africa.

He has never sailed before, but believes the experience he gained from his two-and-a-half year cycle, which began at his home in Herne Bay, has prepared him for the rigours he will encounter at sea.

“I tried to have lessons, but I just didn’t have enough time,” said Josiah.

“It’s similar to the bike trip; when I left I hadn’t cycled in a year. I’m relying on my common sense. I’m not going into this blindly or naively, though, as I’ve done a lot of reading on the internet. I’ve never been on a sailing boat before, so I don’t know what to expect. I’m very excited.”

He will be travelling with South African sailors Wyn Burger and Anthony Martin.

The former, who will captain the 11m catamaran, set sail from his country of origin a year and a half ago and has since travelled through Panama, Fiji and Australia.

He emailed Josiah last month to ask if he would join him after reading about his journey online.

“I’d been planning to cycle through New Zealand, but he asked me to work on his boat because he needed crew members,” said Josiah.

“I quickly accepted. Even though I’ve got no experience, Wyn said he’d seen my background in adventure and would be willing to take me along.

“He thought, with his help, I’d pick it all up quickly.”

Josiah will be responsible for the boat for six hours every night, while the rest of the crew is asleep.

During that time he will have to monitor the winds, the boat’s direction of travel and make sure it steers clear of shipping lanes.

“It will be hard, but I love those quiet times,” Josiah added.

“It will be nice and relaxing through the night and I’ll be able to see the sunrise, which will be very special. It will be very similar to when I was cycling through deserts and mountains on my own.”

In addition, he will prepare meals for the crew and help with cleaning and maintenance of the boat’s engine and solar panels during the day.

The Indian Ocean is renowned for being treacherous to sail across, but Josiah is relishing the challenge.

“I had to sign a waiver about storms that could capsize or damage the boat, piracy, shipwrecks and all manner of things,” he said.

“There are lots of sharks in these waters. I’m actually hoping we see some, but I’ll be sure to avoid them whenever we go swimming.

“Storms and bad weather are probably the biggest risk, but we’re travelling at the best time of year because the winds are at their most predictable.”

Josiah is uncertain of what he will do once he arrives in Durban, but he has taken his bicycle in case he decides to pedal across Africa.

Follow his journey here.