A daredevil dad hopes to break a world record by sailing 1,900 miles across the Atlantic Ocean - in his self-built boat that’s just ONE METRE long.
Andrew Bedwell, 48, who will set off from Newfoundland, Canada, in May next year, compared the journey to being “stuck in a wheelie bin, on a rollercoaster for 90 days”.
The mariner came up with the idea after reading a book by current record holder Hugo Vihlen, who made the perilous passage in a 1.6m (5ft 4inch) boat 30 years ago.
His fibreglass boat - which is half a metre shorter and has a top speed of 2.5mph - is a modified version of a ship that another ex-record holder, Tom McNally, designed.
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During Andrew’s expected three-month crossing, he’ll survive off a protein-rich substance that’s moulded around the internal walls of the cockpit to save space.
The thrill-seeking father-of-one admitted his wife thinks he’s “crackers” but said he wanted to achieve something “amazing” before he turned 50.
He said: “I always like to have a real challenge on the go - although my wife quite often feels I’m crackers - but I said before I’m 50 I want to have done something amazing.
“All my life, I’ve done unusual challenges, and it’s slowly got more and more important to myself to get smaller and smaller and smaller.”
And speaking about his purpose built tiny boat, “Big C”, he said: “I think a space rocket would have more room.
“This is like being stuck in a wheelie bin, on a rollercoaster for 90 days - and that’s what it could be in the worst-case scenario.”
Andrew, of Scarisbrick, Lancs., delivers yachts around the world and works as a sail maker. He has spent most of his life embarking on nautical adventures.
He previously sailed non-stop around Britain and has taken his small 6.5 carbon racing yacht across the Atlantic and up to the artic circle.
But as he got older, Andrew says he became fascinated by seafarers who’ve attempted to cross oceans in incredibly small, recording-breaking vessels.
He said: “I bought Hugo Vihlen’s book, ‘A Stormy Voyage of Father’s Day’ - that’s about the current world record holder, who has held it since 1993.
“That kind of started it all off and since then, it has been a slow but very definite kind of route to try and break his record.”
Andrew took over three years to complete the fabrication work with his team on his boat, which measures just 3.5m (11.4ft) tall and has sail area of just 8m (26 ft).
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But despite its miniature size, the mariner says he’s confident the vessel will cope with some of the roughest waters that any human can face on the planet.
He said: “The vessel itself is incredibly strong. It’s literally built to survive oceans. It has a fibreglass exterior, then it’s got a foam core, then it’s fibreglass on the inside.
“Everyone who sees it - and a lot of naval architects have seen it - say, “She’s solid, she’s built to do it,” and I know she is as well.”
