Andrew Bedwell, who stands six foot tall and won’t be able to lie down flat on the journey, is aiming to break the world record for the shortest vessel to cross the ocean
A daredevil adventurer is due to set sail on a punishing voyage across the Atlantic Ocean – in a boat the size of a wheelie bin.
Andrew Bedwell, who stands six foot tall and won’t be able to lie down flat on the journey, is aiming to break the world record for the shortest vessel to cross the ocean.
He plans to leave Newfoundland in Canada in mid-May and believes the almost 2,000 mile (3,218km) journey back to the UK – without any kind of support vessel – will take about three months.
The boat repair shop owner said part of the reason for the voyage was to raise money for Cancer Research UK after losing both his parents to the disease.
Describing conditions on the micro-yacht, christened The Big C Version Two, Andrew, from Scarisbrick in Lancs, said: “When the conditions are bad I’m seated, and what I’ll be doing is I’ll be fully harnessed into the boat with my hands, my elbows, everything harnessed. When the conditions are good, I can stand up, open the hatch and stand up. I’ve got a host of exercises to do.”
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Most of his food will consist of beef jerky, raisins and fat condensed into bars which are then vacuum packed and moulded into the frame of the boat – providing extra insulation and strength to the body of the yacht.
The experienced sailor, who has previously completed a solo journey to the Arctic in another small boat, said he was willing to accept the risks involved.
He said: “It’s like everything. If you slowly increase your levels you get used to what you feel comfortable with. So outside the boat looks awful, but from inside the boat it’s actually not that bad. It’s quite comfortable, I shall say, for a while. It’s not the best of places to be but it’s an amazing challenge and it’s what I do. I do like challenging myself.”
It is Andrew’s second attempt at the trip after an earlier effort was abandoned due to a leak in the frame.
The Mirror reported in 2022 how Andrew planned to make the Atlantic trip – but 12 hours after launch the first version of the yacht began taking on water from around a bolt in the frame of the vessel.
He returned to port intending to fix the problem, but as the tiny yacht was being winched out of the water it dropped and smashed onto a concrete surface, damaging it beyond repair.
Andrew, 51, said: “Three years worth of work all destroyed in nanoseconds. But as I said, I’m trying to inspire others to do things, so I decided, well, there’s no way I can stop.
“So what we did, we came straight back to the UK, built another boat and three years later we’re here at this point ready to go again.”
Part of his drive is to complete the voyage and inspire others: “It’s a tool for me to fulfil my dreams, which is to get the world record for the shortest vessel to cross the Atlantic.
“But also, we’re using it more so to get people, maybe just to open their front door and say hello to someone, or for someone to swim 100 metres. Anything. So, that’s the bigger picture of the whole challenge.”
