NEW VIDEO - Daredevil dad has set sail from Canada in a one metre boat - in bid to cross the Atlantic in the smallest ever vessel
1 年前
A daredevil dad has set sail from Canada in a one metre boat - in bid to cross the Atlantic in the smallest ever vessel.
Andrew Bedwell, 49, said he was “quite chilled” about his 1,900-mile solo trip to the British Isles before he left St John's, Newfoundland, at 1.30pm local time yesterday (Sat).
The mariner has spent three years hand-building his incredible fibreglass micro-yacht - aptly named Big C - which measures 3.5m tall and has a top speed of 2.5mph.
And he’ll survive vitamin-based drinks and food bags made of beef jerky, raisins, and fat during his perilous passage, which have been moulded into the walls of his cabin.
Video captured Andrew being towed out of the port, on the island's West coast, before his team released his lines so he could begin his journey at 2.28pm.
He expects to be battered by at least five storms during his roughly three-month trip - comparing it to being “stuck in a wheelie bin, on a rollercoaster for 90 days”.
Andrew said: “I’m quite chilled. I feel good, and it’s time to go.
“Everything has pulled together exceptionally well, there’s nothing that I am apprehensive of on the vessel at all. Absolutely everything has gone to plan.
“I personally think I’ve gone over and above what I need to do for the whole trip.
“But you never know you could hit an iceberg. The Titanic was considered unsinkable but it hit one, and there are a lot of icebergs out there."
The dad-of-one said he wasn’t concerned about spending months alone at sea in his tiny vessel but said he would miss his ten-year-old daughter, Poppy.
He added: “I think the biggest thing I’ll miss will be a cuddle from my daughter.
"But I wanted a big challenge before I’m 50 - and I'm taking on a huge challenge in a tiny vessel.”
Andrew, who delivers yachts around the world and works as a sailmaker, has spent most of his adult life embarking on hair-raising nautical adventures.
He previously sailed non-stop around Britain and has taken his small 6.5m carbon racing yacht across the Atlantic and up to the arctic circle.
Andrew came up with his idea after reading a book by current record holder Hugo Vihlen, who made the dangerous crossing in a 1.6m (5ft 4inch) boat 30 years ago.
He then spent years hand-building and self-financing his one-metre-long sailing boat, which he fabricated in the garage of his home, in Scarisbrick, Lancs.
Andrew will now find out if his tough fibreglass tub, which has undergone rigorous testing, will stand up to the worst weather the Atlantic can throw at him.
He said: “When you get into a storm, you’re then just battening it down and just hoping for the best.
"You’ve got vessels who are also in the storms, and they’re not always looking out for you. That’s probably my biggest apprehension.
“Ships still go down, but we’ve done as much as we can do to make it as bulletproof as possible.”
Andrew will spend most of his time at sea sitting down inside his cockpit - only being able to stand up and exercise when the weather is calm enough.
And he’s not sure if he’ll be able to put one foot in front of the other when he finally reaches land some months later.
He added: “No one can really say how much weight I’ll lose because there are not many people who have sat still for three months with so little movement.
“When I get back, it’s debatable how easily I’ll be able to walk. So I will have to be careful with my legs.”
Andrew will also carry an onboard desalinator, providing him with fresh drinking water throughout his journey, but other than that, he will have few luxuries.
He said: "I’ll be lowering my food intake so little that I won’t be having many bowel movements, but if I do, I will be over the side.
“My one luxury item is going to be a flannel, and that’s going to do the job for everything. I’ll have one change of clothes - there’s just not enough room for more.”
Andrew only needs to reach a point within 50 miles of the West of Ireland to claim the record, but hopes to finish in Falmouth harbour in late August this year.
He said: “Ideally, I’d like to arrive in Falmouth just for the iconic side of things and to sail into England.”
相關影片推薦
1:57
南投竹山26戶別墅地層下陷 53住戶連夜撤離民視影音12,464 次觀看・19 小時前2:01
中國快時尚危機 年丟2600萬噸衣服 合成纖維占7成無法回收Yahoo奇摩(國際通)128,955 次觀看・2 週前1:47
台南新營區"後鎮排水"潰堤 鹽水區淹成汪洋民視影音211,636 次觀看・1 天前1:58
鼓山美術館豪宅區淹大水 整片"土黃泥流"損失慘民視影音137,676 次觀看・1 天前1:52
義大利絕美「眾神之路」中世紀牧人小徑變身熱門景點Yahoo奇摩(國際通)42,072 次觀看・1 天前2:43
只差3秒! 蘇花工程人員逃命畫面曝光 倒車逃險遭埋華視影音98,736 次觀看・1 天前1:59
仁武豪華別墅地下室滅頂 居民矛頭指向市府重劃工程民視影音57,303 次觀看・19 小時前1:58
新北送高雄1146元外送單是真的! 外送員現身東森新聞影音417,792 次觀看・3 天前11:02
地震來了怎麼辦?豆腐別再涼拌了,教你新吃法,做法簡單味道足,加上杏鮑菇,香!芭樂媽的家 Qistin Wong TV72,830 次觀看・5 天前2:23
台積只排第7! 聯發科「非主管」平均年薪再奪冠華視影音2,101 次觀看・3 週前
熱門必看
13:07
葉全真不愛邀人作客竟是因為這點?唐老師:「好典型的處女座」!Ep.225-2唐綺陽談星室375,864 次觀看・3 週前24:06
霸氣挑戰南部小吃價格 吃到賺到!板橋10樣親民價美食Yahoo創作摩人135,391 次觀看・1 個月前23:55
吃爆三峽老街美食|九間就被擊垮了|最道地金牛角竟是這家?|阿環格格出遊去 Ft.阿環小姐 [送你營養吃]黃君聖Sunny營養師154,910 次觀看・1 個月前21:58
瀕臨破產到全球市值最強!輝達(Nvidia)是怎麼崛起的?買他們股票的都賺翻了?《 時代的巨人》EP 021|志祺七七志祺七七 X 圖文不符202,603 次觀看・1 個月前6:30
台中南屯|百年秘方汕頭火鍋Lee Yi李易42,527 次觀看・1 個月前