A former management consultant who gave up security for a life of adventure is set to become the first woman to row across three oceans.

Roz Savage, the daughter of a former Burley-in-Wharfedale Methodist minister, is close to completing the final leg of her challenge, rowing across the Indian Ocean, from Australia to Mauritius.

If she is successful she will become the first woman to have rowed solo across three oceans.

Roz, 43, is the daughter of the late Rev Hamer Savage, who filled in as minister at Burley Methodist Church for a year.

Her mother, Rita, is due to arrive in Mauritius on Monday to welcome her on to dry land after her epic journey at sea.

Roz, who is also an environmental campaigner, completed a solo row across the Atlantic in 2006, and in 2010 became the first woman to row solo across the Pacific.

During her journeys she has braved 20-foot waves, been capsized three times in 24 hours and faced the prospect of death when her watermakers broke. Her courage and achievements led to her being named Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic. She was also listed among the Top 20 Great British Adventurers by the Daily Telegraph in 2010.

On Day 147 of her online blog this week – with 188 nautical miles to go – Roz describes her ‘new little friend’, a shark which has been keeping her company for two days.

She says: “He is four or five feet long, and moves with a shimmy that is appealing rather than sinister.

“I get quite a kick out of seeing him there. It’s pretty cool having a shark escort.

“I certainly don’t feel scared of him. Sharks kill about eight people a year. We kill about 80-100 million of them. So they definitely get the raw end of the deal.

“Sadly, it is not just the sharks that are affected. Removing the apex predator in such enormous numbers throws the whole ocean ecosystem out of whack.”