A pair of Olympic rowing gold medals? Check. A robust supply of energy drinks, and a state-of-the-art scull designed to tackle the record-breaking attempt ahead? Check. Check.

So, it would seem unfortunate that, two minutes after giving the thumbs up, and beginning the first leg of his 1,400-mile challenge to reach North Africa in just seven days by rowing, swimming and cycling, James Cracknell, the champion rower, should fall foul of his first wave.

The Olympic gold medallist had been expecting the swimming to be the most difficult part.

However, no sooner had Cracknell set off from Shakespeare Beach, Dover, yesterday than he capsized in rough seas. He was quickly plucked from the water by his support team, and continued his attempt to row the Channel in record-breaking time. He hopes to cycle through France and Spain, and swim the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco to raise money for the charity, Sport Relief.

Before his shaky start, Cracknell said: “If I get tired when I’m rowing I can just stop and float for a bit, and when I’m cycling I can get off my bike. But during the swimming I’ll have to tread water, so it’s going to be very gruelling.”

He began the 22-mile journey to Cap Griz Nez, just south of Calais, cheered on by his wife, Beverley Turner, the television presenter, and son Croyde, aged 4.

The 20ft scull, filled with drinks and sweets taped to the inside, has been specially made for the crossing, and is longer and thinner than normal sculls.

He said: “Becoming more active is what we really need to do as a nation in order to combat obesity, and hopefully by encouraging people to take part in Sport Relief we can get more people to start doing that.”

He said he was always impressed by the good work of Comic Relief and after it expanded into Sport Relief. “I thought I would be better off doing this than by trying to be funny.”

On his website, www.challenge-cracknell.com, organisers said they had high hopes that the scull would serve Cracknell well. “We’ve christened the boat Continental Challenge,” they said, “and we’re confident that it will get James off to a great start.”

The athlete will only be sleeping four hours a night in a mobile home and eating and drinking on the move.

This is the first time that he has participated in Sport Relief, which began in 2002 and takes place every other year.

The rower triumphed in the 2000 Olympics in the coxless fours, and won another gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. In 2006 he rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, partnered by Ben Fogle, the television presenter.

This year’s Sport Relief weekend is being held on March 14 to 16. Participants are being encouraged to run one, three or six miles at events around the country.

False starts

1993 In front of an audience of 300 million people, 30 of the 39 Grand National riders failed to realise that a second false start had been called and set off around the course at Aintree

2001 A yachtsman, dubbed “Captain Calamity”, was rescued five times by lifeboats and twice by helicopters during an attempt to circumnavigate the British Isles

1997 Richard Branson’s attempt to become the first to fly around the world in a hot-air balloon was punctured after just 19 hours, when he was forced to land in Morocco

1996 Linford Christie was disqualified from the Olympic 100-metres final after two false starts. He streaked away within one-tenth of a second of the starter’s gun– most people take 0.2 sec to react to a stimulus

Source: Times database

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