Next spring, British sailor Andrew Bedwell will attempt to break the record for sailing across the Atlantic, in a boat that’s just 39 inches long. That’s right: 3’3″, or roughly the size of a large suitcase.

 Bedwell, 48, will set off from St. Johns, Newfoundland in May and make the perilous 1,900-mile crossing to Lizard Point in Cornwall on England’s west coast, hoping to set a new record for the smallest vessel to ever sail across the Pond.

“I’m under no illusions that it’s going to be easy. But all my life I’ve taken on unusual challenges, though this is the ultimate,” said Bedwell. He adds: “My wife thinks I’m crazy.”

Bedwell’s goal is to break the record set in 1993 by American sailor Hugo Vihlen in his 5’4” boat Father’s Day. More than two feet shorter, his pint-sized craft will be even more spatially challenged for the six-foot-tall Englishman.

“I can just about sleep if I’m curled-up tight. And if I’m sitting upright, the top of my head is just an inch below the transparent dome that I use to see out of. There’s not much room to move around.”

Restroom facilities? Don’t ask.

There are also 12 watertight compartments—eight inside and four on the outside—to store supplies. Andrew hopes to complete the journey in 60 days, but will carry enough provisions for 90 days at sea. He’ll also have a manual watermaker that will fill a 1.3-gallon container in the bilge.

To power the yacht’s navigation gear, chart-plotter and radio there are solar panels on the stern, plus a tiny, hand-cranking generator as back-up.

robbreport.com