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A devastated sailor who was about to embark on a record-breaking journey across the Atlantic when his boat was smashed to pieces has vowed to come back stronger.
Andrew Bedwell (UK) was just about to set off on a 1,900 mile (3,057 km) solo journey in a tiny 1.19 m (3 ft 10 in) boat named Big C to break the record for smallest boat to cross the Atlantic when disaster struck.
The 49-year-old dad from Lancashire was set to complete the three-month journey to raise money for cancer charities.
But sadly, his dreams were shattered when the boat was dropped on to concrete and smashed to pieces.
When Andrew does embark on his challenge - he thinks two years from now - he’ll be completely on his own for three months, during which he isn’t permitted to exit his vessel at any point.
He’ll have special food made on board, eating two 400 g portions a day to get all the protein he needs, as well as nutrition-packed drinks to keep him going.
The weight of the boat is a delicate balance.
Andrew will be carrying 45 kilos of food, 18 kilos of which is excess weight, and after that he’ll have to collect sea water to balance the boat out again.
There’s a leeway of around 15 kilos to factor in any weight that Andrew loses during the journey.
The current record was set way back in 1993 by Hugo Vihlen (USA) in his boat Father’s Day.
His small, wind-powered boat was 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) and completed the journey between 14 June and 27 September.
We’re wishing Andrew the best of luck for getting his little boat sea-worthy so he can finally complete his challenge.
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