april fool sailboat

The International Small Craft Center At The Mariners' Museum

“april fool”.

Effect : Pleasure-Adventure

Type : Sailboat

Place : North America

Size : 5' 11"

Date : 1966

Builder/Location : Designed by Ed Mairs; Built by Phil Van Deventer

Museum Location : 37

Hugo Vihlen sailed from Casablanca to Florida in 1968, aboard this 6-foot sailboat.

“April Fool”, 1966 Designed by Ed Mairs Built by Phil Van Deventer, Coconut Grove, Florida 5 feet 11 inches long, 5 feet wide, 1,222 pounds Gift of Mr. Hugo S. Vihlen

Would You Cross the Atlantic Ocean in this Boat? That’s exactly what Hugo Vihlen did when he sailed from Casablanca to Florida in 1968, aboard this 6-foot sailboat. On his third attempt Vihlen sailed 4, 480 miles in 85 days, and established the record for the smallest yacht to cross the Atlantic Ocean — a feat that stood for 25 years (1968 – 1993). If you look into the cockpit, notice the seat belt. Can you imagine being belted into this boat during an Atlantic storm?

    Excerpts from “April Fool or, How I sailed from Casablanca to Florida in a Six-Foot Boat”:   Casablanca, Morocco 30 March 1968 As I chugged through the harbor, the size of the place struck me for the first time. My boat was just a matchbox among the docked freighters. If I was concerned that my boat was so small in a harbor, how was I going to feel when she reached the middle of the Atlantic? At sea, I’d be like a grain of sand on the desert. 8 April 1968 – At sea Awful rough. Twenty-foot waves, and steep. Barometer is 29.65. Nine days out. 26 April 1968 – At sea I have been sailing four weeks today. I decided it was time for a haircut. I got out the clippers and went up on the bow leaning over the edge so the hair wouldn’t somehow get into the cabin. I took about 20 minutes and it wasn’t a bad job if I do say so myself. Then I hopped overboard after first making certain to attach myself to the boat by means of a line. My first bath in four weeks. 9 June 1968 – At sea Catastrophe. I ran out of toilet paper today. Thank God for Reader’s Digest. 21 June 1968 – Florida It was Friday night, and after 85 days at sea, I was home, and happy. Many times, while at sea, I had wondered how long it would take me to get used to sleeping in a bed again. I went to bed that night and slept straight through until the next morning. The voyage was over.

Origin : Coconut Grove, Florida, USA

• http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/hugo-vihlem-april-fool-scale-5253.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Vihlen

Old Salt Blog

A virtual port of call for all those who love the sea , hosted by nautical novelist rick spilman.

Hugo Vihlen & the Voyage of the April Fool

Hugo Vihlen sailing April Fool

On April 1, often referred to as April Fool’s Day, it seems fitting to recount the voyage of Hugo Vihlen in his micro-yacht April Fool . In 1966, Hugo Vihlen sailed from Casablanca to Florida, aboard his 5’11” sailboat. In 84 days he sailed 4,100 miles and got within 6 miles of Miami, Florida before being stopped by contrary winds and current. He was finally picked up by the US Coast Guard.

The micro-yacht April Fool   now resides at the I nternational Small Craft Center at The Mariners’ Museum  in Newport News, VA.  Their web page features excerpts from Vihlen’s book, “ April Fool or, How I sailed from Casablanca to Florida in a Six-Foot Boat .”  My favorite is from June 9, 1968 after 71 days at sea:

“ Catastrophe. I ran out of toilet paper today. Thank God for Reader’s Digest .”

This log entry may point out an unexpecting shortcoming of ebooks on longer voyages.

Hugo Vihlen & the Voyage of the April Fool — 2 Comments

FATHER’S DAY – http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/fathers-day.html

Yes, apparently April Fool was too big, so Vihlen sailed the other way across the Atlantic in Father’s Day, a boat 7″ shorter.

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MONTEREY LIFE

Hugo vihlen and the april fool.

Did you know April Fools’ Day—or some variation of the day set aside for pranks on family and friends—is celebrated around the world, or that it’s been around in some form since medieval times? While you may want to use the day to play tricks on your family and friends (and who could blame you?), we thought we’d share a story about Hugo Vihlen, an American sailor who traveled from Casablanca, Morocco all the way across the Atlantic… and he did it all in his six-foot sailboat, April Fool.

Vihlen, at the time a Delta Airlines co-pilot living in Homestead, Florida, was an adventurer at heart. He embarked on his sailboat—technically, April Fool measured in at five feet, eleven inches—from Casablanca, Morocco, on March 29 th , 1968. Over 84 days, Vihlen was able to sail 4100 miles, all while struggling with wind and strong ocean currents. He almost made the entire trip, but at around six miles off the shore of Miami, Gulf Stream currents pushed April Fool and himback out to sea, where Vihlen accepted food and water from a fellow boater; but he refused to quit his journey just yet. The United States Coast Guard Cutter Cape Shoalwater eventually picked up Vihlen and his boat, allowing for his safe passage back to Florida.

While Vihlen made his first journey in his famously-named April Fool, he returned to the ocean for another transatlantic trip in 1993, aboard his even smaller sailboat, Father's Day, which he sailed all the way to England.

When you find pictures online pertaining to Vihlen’s journey, you may be surprised at what you see—his boat was shorter than he was!

Does Vihlen’s adventurous journeys across the ocean inspire you to pursue your own record-setting trip? Tell us about your own crazy ideas are in the comment section.

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April Fool: Or, How I sailed from Casablanca to Florida in a six-foot boat Hardcover – January 1, 1971

• Print length 216 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Chicago, Follett Publishing Company, [
• Publication date January 1, 1971
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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0006C0NIQ
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chicago, Follett Publishing Company, [ (January 1, 1971)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 216 pages
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
• Best Sellers Rank: #3,092,711 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books )

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Man who traveled across Atlantic in tiny boat to give talk Man who traveled across Atlantic in tiny boat to give talk (September 10, 2004)

Cost: For security purposes, pre-registration is preferred in order to expedite the lines. Tickets are $10 per person if pre-registered. Deadline for pre-registration is Sept. 21. Tickets are $15 at the door. For information and registration, visit www.devans.com/smallboatrecord.html or call 941-5466. E-mail a friend a link to this story.

Crossing The Atlantic In A Small Boat, The April Fool

This  was  before the days of constant electronic contact. He had no GPS, no satellite phone, no GoPro to document the voyage. He couldn’t press the button of a PRB. He was responsible for his own bailing. No chase vessel accompanied him. He set sail with little fanfare, no one thought much of his chances for success, and wasn’t greeted with a ticker tape parade, close only counts in horseshoes. Given the paucity of his resources it was striking he is remembered at all.

One couldn’t say things went well . The ocean, the currents, the wind, the weather and even the rays of the sun can be heartless and fickle. Suffice it to say he was scorched and wind burnt. He went hungry, his thirst was critical, he was tossed about relentlessly by never ending waves that threatened his tiny boat at every trough and crest. But he persevered and only fell about six miles short of his goal, Miami, Florida before the dangerous gulf stream currents and offshore breezes caused his parents enough concern to call in the Coast Guard. At thirty seven it’s a little embarassing to have your parents call the Coast Guard when you could almost swim to your destination.

So today is a good day to think of the the intrepid, the April fools, they are those that set a bar maybe too high for us to jump over but give us something to jump at, like the moon. People like the afore mentioned John Waters, who we may only think of as an overly fashion conscious cult movie director, take on a new luster when they dare. People who are beaten back six miles from achievement after a hundred day, 4000 mile pounding by the cruel Atlantic ocean only to attempt the feat again twenty five years later in an even smaller craft and succeed , well those should be remembered. We hope Mr. Vihlen, who is still alive in Florida, and Mr. Waters, who is still showing up in unexpected places, are good examples for all those who tell us what not to do.

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Crazy or sane? Record attempt for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic

• Katy Stickland
• May 18, 2022

Andrew Bedwell is planning to smash the record for sailing the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic. His vessel, Big C is just over 1m/3.2ft long

The smallest boat to cross the Atlantic was 5ft 4inches, sailed by American sailor, Hugo Vihlen in 1993.

Many have tried but failed to break this record. But sailor Andrew Bedwell believes he can regain this most unusual of crowns for Britain.

The 48-year-old solo skipper is no stranger to sailing in small craft or pushing the limits.

In 2015, he finished the Jester Baltimore Challenge aboard his 23ft Hunter 707, Outlaw .

The following year, Andrew sailed around Britain singlehanded in his 6.5m (21.3ft) Mini Transat 241 Blue One.

Big C will be sailed using dual furling headsails, outriggers and an A frame mast. Credit: Andrew Bedwell

This was eclipsed by his most extreme challenge to date – sailing 241 Blue One from Whitehaven in Cumbria to Iceland and into the Arctic Circle and back in 2019.

The yacht has no creature comforts – which Andrew actually prefers, being of the Roger Taylor school of ‘back to basics’ sailing.

He slept no more than 20 minutes at a time on a beanbag (the boat had no bunk) and had a bucket as a toilet.

In May 2023 he plans to push himself further and attempt the record for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic.

The 1,900 mile voyage will start in St Johns, Newfoundland and finish off Lizard Point in Cornwall.

He expects it to take 60 days (that is what he has told his wife) but admits it might take longer, as he will be at the ‘mercy of the weather ‘.

‘There will be days when the wind s are not favourable and I just have to chuck out a sea anchor which is mounted on the bow and just furl everything in and sit there. These will not be the pleasant days,’ he noted.

For now, Andrew is concentrating on finalising his vessel – Big C, which was designed and built by Liverpudlian sailor Tom McNally, a legend in micro-yachting who died in 2017 from cancer.

Tom McNally with his boat Big C which he planned to sail across the Atlantic and back. Andrew Bedwell has now modified the boat to make his own record attempt. Credit: Lorraine McNally

Tom set the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic record in 1993 in his 5ft 4.5 inch boat, Vera Hugh . It was broken by Hugo Vihlen.

Andrew, who has run a boat repair business, has modified Big C himself. The boat is built out of GRP with a foam core. He has modified McNally’s plans, making the boat smaller and essentially custom building the vessel for his height.

Even so, at 6ft tall, he still can’t stand up in the craft when the dome is down and will have to follow exercises provided by a physiotherapist to keep his legs functioning.

‘When my backside is sitting on the floor, my head is literally an inch away from the dome at the top and being just over a 1m long, I can only stretch my legs out about two-thirds of the way,’ explained Andrew.

‘I do appreciate the nice things in life but I prefer to rough it and making my life harder for myself; this seemed the ultimate challenge, especially as it is my 50th birthday next year. There is no toilet on board so in fact my only comfort on board Big C will be a flannel, which will be heavily tied on to the outside and hanging overboard.’

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The boat has 12 watertight compartments – eight internally and four externally – as well as open and closable vents. Once fully sealed, Big C only has 40 minutes of air inside before Andrew would pass out.

Food has been worked out by a nutritionist and will be made by Andrew’s wife, before being packed into the craft.

‘I don’t want to say vile, but the food is not the most flavoursome. We will pack it outside of Big C in the external tanks to increase stability and internally, using the external food first.’

Big C ‘s keel will hold 5 litres of drinking water and there is a manual watermaker to top up the tank which will be operated by Andrew’s right hand.

Power will be provided by solar panels on the back of the craft, and there will be a hand-cranked generator which will be operated by both Andrew’s left and right hand.

The main compartment will have AIS, VHF radio and a small chartplotter to keep power consumption down.

Big C will begin sea trials in mid-June ahead of the challenge in May 2023. Credit: Andrew Bedwell

Big C is a ‘downwind, tradewind vessel’. She has twin rudders (in case one breaks) dual furling headsails, outriggers and an A frame mast.

‘We have twin furling headsails, you can furl them or unfurl them. I can unfurl them from inside, I can sheet them from inside. We will be relying on the tradewinds,’ said Andrew, who is from Scarisbrick, Lancashire.

In heavy weather , Andrew will use a full harness to strap himself to Big C . He will also have a full support crew to track and guide his passage.

Andrew Bedwell will be trying to break the record set by American sailor Hugo Vihlen in 1993 in his 5ft 4in boat, Father’s Day . Credit: Tom Meaker/Alamy Stock Photo

Big C will start sea trials in mid-June, and Andrew has several longer passages planned before the record attempt.

He is also looking for sponsors. He had hoped the drinks firm, Red Bull would back him but the firm declined saying of the challenge it was ‘inspirational, but mad’.

‘My 9 year old daughter thinks it is incredible. I hope she is proud. My wife thinks I am absolutely crackers,’ said Andrew. ‘But you have to push yourself. Life is about challenges and there are an awful lot of people going through life thinking ‘I wish I had done…’ I’ve gone the other way and say I will do it.’

The Big C Atlantic Challenge will be raising money for Cancer Research in tribute to Tom McNally.

Who was Tom McNally?

Liverpudlian Tom McNally was intent on setting records for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic.

He achieved his goal in July 1993 when he sailed the 5ft 4.5 inch boat, Vera Hugh , from Lisbon, Portugal to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida via Puerto Rico, despite a cracked hull and having run out of water and food.

The boat was partly built out of an old discarded wardrobe and the hatch was made out of an old washing machine door.

Tom beat the world record set by American sailor Hugo Vilhen in 1968 after he crossed in April Fool, which was 5ft 11in.

But Tom’s glory was was short lived when Vilhen sailed the 5ft 4in Father’s Day from Newfoundland to Cornwall in 105 days, reclaiming the crown in September 1993.

Tom McNally designed Big C himself. Credit: Ajax News & Feature Service / Alamy Stock Photo

Undeterred, Tom tried to take it back.

In 2002 he attempted, but failed, to cross the Atlantic in the tiny 3ft 10.5in Vera Hugh – Cancer Research. Having sailed 800 miles from Gibraltar to Gran Canaria, the boat and all his equipment was stolen from the harbour at Mogan.

In 2009, he planned a double Atlantic crossing in his purpose-built 3ft 10inch boat, The Big C , to raise money for Sail 4 Cancer.

His route would have seen him sail from Cadiz to the Canary Islands, and on to Puerto Rico. Tom was then planning on sailing north along the eastern seaboard of the USA before heading back to him home port of Liverpool.

Sadly, illness thwarted his plans.

After battling cancer for more than eight years, Tom McNally died on 12 June 2017 at the age of 77.

Enjoyed reading Crazy or sane? Record attempt for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic?

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One-off sailing boat “Father’s Day” – BC23

27.04.16  –  By: Lindsey Skinner  –  In: Boats , National Small Boat Collection

In September 1993, lone sailor Hugo Vihlen stepped ashore at Falmouth after a solo Atlantic crossing which lasted 105 days.

Others have also made that perilous crossing – the difference with Hugo’s achievement was that he made it in the smallest boat, measuring 5ft 4inches.

A Korean War fighter pilot and former Delta Airlines Captain, Vihlen previously made an 85 day crossing in 1968 in what was then the smallest boat to have made the journey, the 5ft 11inch sailing boat April Fool . To Hugo’s dismay his arch rival Tom McNally seized the World Record in 1993 by making the Atlantic crossing in in a 5ft 4½inch boat.

Determined to reclaim the record Hugo set out alone later that same year to cross the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Falmouth, having been banned from launching in the United States by the Coastguard, who declared his boat unsafe. This time he was in his plywood and fibreglass vessel Father’s Day , his second home-built boat, which was half an inch shorter than McNally’s.

During the crossing he had to sleep on his back with his knees bent: he woke every hour to check his heading and general sailing conditions, as a consequence of which he never drifted more than 10 miles off course. After facing everything the Atlantic could throw at him, and some close encounters with large ships, Hugo arrived in Falmouth 105 days later. He could hardly walk, having been unable to stretch out properly in his tiny craft, and he had lost 34 pounds in weight, but he had recaptured his record. Later he commented that there were times when he thought he would never see his wife and family again.

His reception on arrival in Falmouth was hardly a hero’s welcome. One of the waiting journalists found him a pasty to eat while his boat was towed to a local yacht club. When the party arrived at the yacht club for a celebration tea they found it closed as he wasn’t expected, so a member of the public produced a bottle of champagne to toast his success.

Father’s Day was donated to the Museum in 2006 and is now a part of the Boat Collection.

or, How I sailed from Casablanca to Florida in a six-foot boat.

By hugo vihlen.

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The Smaller The Better? Meet the latest contender on a quest to sail the shortest boat across an ocean

Andrew Bedwell's inspiration to tackle the record for the shortest-boat-ocean-crossing comes on the heels of a 54-year-long story between two rivals: an American and a Brit

There is something delightfully silly about wanting to sail shorter and shorter boats over long distances. As I interview fellow Brit, Andrew Bedwell, I find myself smiling a lot. “It’s the ridiculousness of it,” Bedwell says when I mention the effect. 

Bedwell is talking to me about his plan to depart from St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, to sail the 1,900-mile distance across the North Atlantic Ocean to Falmouth Harbour in England in a boat only 3 foot 3 inches long. 

Courtesy of Andrew Bedwell

In an effort to get a sense of the living space in such a tiny boat, I look around for size-equivalent objects. Thirty-nine inches is three-quarters of a standard 60-inch bathtub. His boat has similar dimensions to a large trash can with wheels; the footprint of a small shower stall. As a former professional sailor-turned ocean rower, I am no stranger to going on long voyages in small boats. Even for me, the scale of Bedwell’s boat is mind boggling.

Departing in May 2023, Bedwell expects his voyage to take him up to 100 days. His objective is to set a new record for the shortest wind-powered vessel to cross the Atlantic and to get the record he must sail within “50 miles west of the most westerly part of Ireland.” Bedwell would like to avoid getting towed from there to land, but the record is the primary goal. 

If successful, he will break the current record held by a boat 5 foot 4 inches long and with considerable margin. Bedwell’s boat is a whopping 2 feet and 1 inch shorter.

His inspiration to tackle the record for the shortest-boat-ocean-crossing comes on the heels of a 54-year-long story between two rivals: an American and a Brit. Their quest, like Bedwell’s, was to be the person who had crossed the Atlantic in the shortest boat. 

The first to claim the record was the American, Hugo Vihlen, in 1968, who sailed from Morocco to the East Coast of the U.S. in a time of 84 days. Vihlen was 36 years old at the time of his voyage, working as a co-pilot for Delta Airlines and living in Homestead, Florida. His boat, April Fool, was 5 foot 11 inches long and the voyage was the subject of his first book, “April Fool, or How I Sailed from Casablanca to Florida in a Six-foot Boat.” 

Twenty-five years later, Vihlen, by then a captain for Delta Airlines and age 61, took to the Atlantic once again. He chose a northern route from west to east and his new boat, Father’s Day, was 5 inches shorter. The boat measured a mere 5 foot 6 inches long. 

On his first attempt in 1992, Vihlen was stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard a few miles off Cape Cod. They declared his boat “manifestly unsafe.” Vihlen’s second attempt was from Canada, departing from St. John’s Harbour in Newfoundland. 

The change of location offered key advantages: a shorter distance to England, closer proximity to the Gulf Stream and no U.S Coast Guard interference. In the harbor he met Tom McNally, a former fine arts lecturer from Britain who, at that time, owned a boat measuring 1 and 1/2 inches shorter than Vihlen’s Father’s Day. Vihlen and McNally become friends.

Light and variable winds scuppered Vihlen’s attempt to depart from Canada that year, so he returned home and set about lopping 2 inches off his boat’s rudder, in order to better McNally’s shorter boat. 

McNally had already attempted to cross the North Atlantic 10 years earlier in 1983. He had departed from St. John's Harbour, Newfoundland, bound for Falmouth, England, in his first mini sailboat Big C. The boat measured 6 foot 9 inches. 

McNally in his 6-foot-9 boat Big C, before departing Newfoundland in 1983. Photo by Alamy Stock Photo 

Strong winds blew out his sails toward the end, and he drifted for two weeks until a Russian trawler came to his rescue off the southern coast of Ireland. A crew member had picked up a message, which he interpreted as “look out for six men in a boat.” The actual message read, “look out for a man in a six-foot boat,” but this was too unbelievable. In high seas and winds gusting over 35 knots (40 mph), recovering McNally and his boat proved no small undertaking. 

One of the trawler’s idling propellers struck and holed Big C. McNally lost his grip and hung suspended by a rope tied to his boat’s mast. Plunged underwater, the pockets of his pants filled with water and his pants slipped off. The boom operator responded to the situation by swinging Big C and McNally — now semi-naked and upside down — toward the trawler. Thankfully a hefty Russian sailor on the upper deck was able to grab McNally in a bear hug and Big C was brought to rest onboard. Much laughter ensued. 

As Vihlen prepared for another attempt at the North Atlantic in 1993, Tom McNally decamped to Lisbon, Portugal, with his second boat, the 5-foot 4.5-inch craft, Vera Hugh. Low on funds but ever resourceful, McNally had built Vera Hugh using part of an old discarded wardrobe. As a cabin hatch he used the transparent door from an old side-loading washing machine. 

The wind direction was unfavorable; violent storms battered northern Portugal throughout December 1992 and 20-foot king tides made navigation hazardous. McNally took local advice: he had his boat trucked to southern Portugal and the small fishing port of Sagres. Here he met the same problem as Vihlen off Cape Cod. Local police would not grant him permission to sail in what they deemed to be an “unquestionably unseaworthy craft.” The Portuguese ‘Guarda Fiscal’ kept a watch on his boat continuously. 

When the wind direction finally shifted, McNally placed two bags of unusable gear on the dock and asked the Guarda to watch his belongings while he tested his boat. He would be right back, he told them. Needless to say, he was not. 

McNally continued on after being hit by a freighter on Day 2. He bailed his boat for six days to the island of Madeira where he could repair the crack. On the next leg of his voyage, he was forced to drink salty water, which was only partially desalinated by his ailing water maker. Eventually he rounded the citadel of El Morro and entered Puerto Rico’s San Juan harbor. This was 113 days after leaving Sagres in Portugal. His kidneys were near failure, but he recovered and sailed on to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His voyage was over 5,500 miles in total, and in a boat 5 foot 4.5 inches long. He was finally the record holder of the shortest wind-powered vessel to cross the Atlantic and as an added bonus, the first person to cross an ocean in a vessel shorter than himself. He was 50 years old. 

McNally only held the record for a matter of months. Later the same year, Vihlen returned to St. John’s and reclaimed the title when he successfully sailed his 5-foot 4-inch boat across the North Atlantic to Falmouth. His boat, Father’s Day, remains a centerpiece in the Maritime Museum in the town of Falmouth where he arrived, and the story of this 115-day odyssey was chronicled in Vihlen’s second book, “The Stormy Voyage of Father’s Day.”

Andrew Bedwell standing on ‘Father’s Day,’ with permission of the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, England on Jan. 5, 2023. Courtesy of Andrew Bedwell

Not to be outdone, McNally mounted an attempt to to cross the mid Atlantic in 2002 in Vera Hugh – Cancer Research, a smaller iteration of his original 5-foot 4.5-inch Vera Hugh. The new version was a mere 3 foot 10.5 inches long. He managed to complete the first 800 miles from Gibraltar to the island of Gran Canaria without any issues, only for the boat and all his equipment to be stolen from the harbor in Mogán. 

Undeterred, McNally geared up for an ambitious double Atlantic crossing in 2009. He had a new, purpose-built 3 foot 10 inch boat, The Big C. His plan was to raise money for the charity Sail 4 Cancer by sailing from Cadiz to the Canary Islands, and on to Puerto Rico; sailing north up the eastern seaboard of the U.S. before heading back across to his home port of Liverpool. Sadly, illness frustrated his plans. For almost nine years he battled with several cancers including kidney cancer, which doctors believe may have been caused by drinking salt water during his voyage at sea. McNally passed away in June 2017. 

After McNally’s death, Andrew Bedwell came across Vihlen’s story. Nearing 50 years of age and married, with a daughter aged 9, a big challenge in a small boat appealed to Bedwell. As a professional sailmaker with a penchant for sailing small boats, he was gripped by Vihlen’s account of micro-sailing the North Atlantic. He contacted McNally’s daughter Lorraine. Her late father’s boat Big C had been in her garden behind a shed for almost 10 years. She was willing to sell. 

Bedwell is 6 feet tall. At 3 foot 3 inches, the boat is roughly half his size. I can’t help myself but ask, “What does your wife think about this?” Bedwell replies, “She thinks I am crackers, but she knows why I am doing it. I have always aspired to do challenges, always loved the sea.”

Big C has a sail area of 50.4 square feet. Courtesy of Andrew Bedwell

Only 80% of the boat is original but the challenge of space is the same. For power, Bedwell has two 30-watt solar panels affixed to the back of the boat, plus a 50-watt portable panel he can attach on deck in good conditions during the day. A hand-operated generator and a hand-operated water maker will keep his biceps busy (1,800 pumps will convert 1.3 gallons of seawater into drinking water). For the rest of his body, a physiotherapist has devised a program of exercises to stave off muscle wastage and deep vein thrombosis. He plans to take blood thinners as well, just in case. 

Bedwell’s diet offshore will consist of pemmican, a food that has seen a recent resurgence in popularity among doomsday preppers. A long-proven survival food that keeps for years, pemmican is made from beef fat, dried berries and dried beef. It’s a protein-rich substance that has historically been an important part of indigenous cuisine in certain parts of North America. For Bedwell, the challenge is not only calories per weight, but also calories per space. With its high fat content, pemmican can be heated and molded to fit around the inside of Bedwell’s boat. “How’s that on the gut? I ask. “It’s alright,” he says.

To sleep, he will curl up in a fetal position. Except when conditions are rough. On those days, he will be seated and strapped into his full-body harness. To pee, he can sit up with his head in the dome of the cabin hatch, but to poop, he plans to hang himself over the side. On learning this, I felt genuine anxiety. 

Before exiting the cabin he must first inflate the airbag at the back of the boat to give the vessel added stability. This can be done from inside. Next is the challenge of opening the hatch without shipping a wave into his living space and finally, comes the scramble on deck and onto the air bag so he can close the hatch. To get back onboard if he goes for a swim, there are handrails on the boat and a small step halfway up the back of the keel. 

As long as he stays attached to the boat, he should survive. 

Bedwell’s cabin. Photo shot from above, looking down inside. Courtesy of Andrew Bedwell

I have seen the diminutive 3-foot-3-inch McNally-Bedwell boat, Big C, as I was lucky to meet Tom McNally at the Southampton boat show in England in 2005. When I asked McNally how he had passed the time on his larger 5-foot 4.5-inch boat, he told me a funny story. 

An expat living in Portugal generously offered him a box of books, but only delivered the box on the morning of his departure. He left land sitting on the box without checking its contents. (This was at the beginning of his voyage from Portugal to Florida in 1993, so before mp3 players first came out in 1997.) When McNally’s boat was struck by a freighter and took on water, he discovered the box contained the complete works of Mills and Boon, originally published as escapist romance fiction for young girls and women in the 1930s. I laughed, so did McNally. He dried out the books, he said, and over his 113-day journey, he read every single paperback and then chucked the books into the sea!

In a boat 3 foot 3 inches, Bedwell won’t have the luxury of books. Without much power to charge his satellite phone or play music for long, he will rely on the ocean for entertainment. 

“It’s going to be like crossing the ocean in a trash can with wheels, while being strapped into the world’s best roller coaster for probably 70 days!” Bedwell exclaimed. 

Lia Ditton is an author and former professional sailor-turned-ocean rower. In 2020 she rowed a 21-foot boat solo and unsupported across the mid Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Hawaii and broke the women’s world record by 13 days. That was her 14th ocean crossing. She has sailed across the North Atlantic twice.

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Undaunted – the 42-inch yacht still hoping to become the smallest boat ever to cross the Atlantic

• May 19, 2017

Matt Kent, age 33, turned back just 24 hours into his first attempt to sail across the Atlantic aboard the "stern-faced" tub Undaunted. Ryan Langley takes a close-up look at this tiny little ocean-crossing capsule.

Just 24 hours into his first attempt to sail solo across the Atlantic in Undaunted , his 42-inch yacht, Matt Kent had to turn back.

He set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on 6 April, but returned after concerns about his boat’s seaworthiness.

He explains: “I wasn’t really in too much danger, [but] there was a weak point in the boat that was concerning me. The emergency floatation system component that was on the rudder assembly was getting hammered so hard in these really close together waves. The float was getting jammed upwards so fast and so often the boat’s movement couldn’t keep up.

“It was the worst, most unpredictable and erratic conditions I have ever sailed in with that boat. When it started gusting 45 knots I decided that I shouldn’t keep going with such an obvious weak link.”

Kent estimated his crossing time at some three months, so Undaunted cannot be fixed in time to avoid the hurricane season this year. He therefore plans to postpone his next attempt until the autumn.

He still hopes to set a record for the smallest boat ever to cross the Atlantic. “Both of the guys that held this record had to wait months or even years as setbacks took their toll.”

Where it all began for Undaunted

Skipper Matt Kent was working on a 200ft tall ship when he pondered what the smallest boat ever to sail around the world had been. On discovering that a 5ft 4in yacht had crossed the Atlantic, a seed was sown which resulted in the custom-designed Undaunted.

In 1965 Robert Manry sailed his 13ft 6in Tinkerbelle from Massachusetts to England (see video clip below), and the modern ‘microyacht’ trend was born. Tinkerbelle was followed by the 12ft Nonoalca and 8ft Bathtub across the Atlantic.

By 1968 Hugo Vilhen had made the smallest ocean crossing yet, sailing his 6ft April Fool from Casablanca to Miami. Vilhen went on to cross the Atlantic in his 5ft 4in Father’s Day , while in 2002, Tom McNally attempted, but failed, to cross the Atlantic in the absurdly tiny 3ft 11in Vera Hugh II .

Now Matt Kent, a 33-year-old professional tall ship sailor originally from Oregon, is preparing to cross the Atlantic Ocean aboard his three-and-a-half foot aluminium microyacht Undaunted . He expects the 4,700 nautical mile voyage to Florida, to take four months.

“ Undaunted is 42in long and 42in wide with a 5ft draught, 700lb lead ballast and a 40-gallon emergency water tank slung off the bottom of the keel,” explains Kent.

“Undaunted is designed to pitch rather than roll. That is counter to most boat designs. With better roll stability it will slip off the wind less as it leans forward. If it was more inclined to roll it would move forward and spill the wind from side to side, and be less efficient with more movement.

“Large twin rudders for low-speed efficiency and redundancy also help straighten the boat’s movement, along with a full keel.”

A test sail on Lake Erie demonstrated the unique handling of the boat Kent calls ‘a grumpy little man’.

“He sails downwind like a champ, self-tending downwind by sail angle alone due to the high mast being all the way forward. With a hull speed of just 2.5 knots he is not quick but he is stable and his square dimensions means he is affected by waves from any angle the same.

“He just bobs up and down. With a balance point about 16in above the keel and a 5ft draught he has a stability profile most designers would kill for.

“ Undaunted is a terrible boat, but he is a great storm shelter. A sailing capsule ready for the worst and also able to do the easy part, sailing in a straight line.

“We couldn’t make it go any faster, we couldn’t make it longer for the record. So we focused on safety and stability and through that our stern-faced grumpy little man was born.”

The emergency flotation system can be inflated three times using onboard CO2 canisters, or hand-inflated. Kent has calculated that one tube can support the entire boat, while three can lift the hatch out of the sea even with the boat full of water.

Capsule living

“Sailing it is quite simple, living on it is harder,” Kent comments. He cannot lie fully flat on board. “The boat is designed around my dimensions.

“We have enough space for me to sit upright, and lay my neck and spine out to decompress on the diagonal. The hatch I stand up in is just above my hip bones to prevent me from getting flipped out of the boat, though I will have a harness and tether on all the time.”

The boat is painted white to reflect heat and fully insulated above the waterline, Kent explains. “Below the waterline was left bare so the conductive nature of the aluminium hull will create a cold pocket for me to be in. For ventilation my dorade is at the top of the mast along with my running lights, AIS antenna, and radar reflector.

“However, if I have to keep the hatch shut, I have a neoprene mask with two one-way valves in it. One breathes in from the cabin down the mast and the other breathes out into a flexible hose attached to the inner tube going back out of the mast.”

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Provisions are stowed under Kent’s feet. “I have enough food – half freeze-dried – for six months at 1,500 calories a day. I have intentionally put on 20 extra pounds for the trip as well.

“My diet consists of nuts, dried fruit, protein powder, nutrition bars, a variety of soups, stews, pasta, peanut butter, Nutella and so on. I have a huge variety as well as 64,000 extra calories in the form of two gallons of olive oil to add to my food.

“None of my food needs cooking but I do have a 12V/120W heat coil wand to heat water for dinner or tea or coffee, if I can afford the power. With a two-minute boil time I should be able to use it often. All of this fits in the bilge and down the keel.”

Rather than carry a liferaft, Undaunted has its own emergency flotation system. “I had a white-water raft company make three inflatable tubes that will be rolled up and attached to the port, starboard, and bow of my boat. If I get swamped, holed or have an emergency I can turn a valve from inside the boat to have CO2 fill the tubes and float the boat until I fix it, or pump out,” explains Kent.

Undaunted has no engine, so the watermaker and battery charger will be operated by hand and foot pumps.

“I have two 1.2-gallon manual reverse-osmosis desalinators. One would be more than enough, but water is nothing to mess with.

“I will also have one month’s worth of water on board and one month of food that doesn’t need to be rehydrated if the watermakers fail or if I am injured and can’t pump. Making water and electricity will be part of my daily exercise.

“Also I will be able to swim behind the boat with a dual tether and harness system.”

The keel fresh water tank is divided into four ten-gallon compartments to avoid loss of stability in the event that Kent uses the water. Each can then be separately refilled with seawater.

Permission to land

When Vilhen crossed the Atlantic in 1993 in his 5ft 4in Father’s Day , his original plans were thwarted by the US Coast Guard and he eventually departed from Canada. Kent says this was one of the drivers in choosing a west-about route.

“Not only is the thought of coming home better than showing up someplace else after a long voyage alone, but it means that by the time I am in US waters I will have just crossed 4,600 miles of open ocean.

“If I can, I will pull into port, raise my Q flag and wait for Customs there. If I am near shore and I become too much of a traffic hazard, we will have a small boat come retrieve me.

“We are trying to make sure we don’t get in the way of other people’s livelihood or put anyone at risk with a needless rescue operation.”

His safety equipment includes AIS and an EPIRB.

“I have a satellite phone and a shore support team watching weather and my progress, giving me daily weather reports and receiving my location and status updates directly. I will also be tracked by my AIS system.

“I have a standalone GPS, GPS on my radio, GPS on my sat phone and on my smartphone and chartplotter, as well as redundant clocks and a sextant, and paper charts of the Caribbean and mid-North Atlantic.”

Kent says he is unconcerned about the psychological challenge of living in such a small space for four months.

“I have spent weeks alone in the Guatemalan Highlands, and lived alone in the woods for years. I have never been so alone or for so long, but few have.

“With plenty of digital media, books, daily check-ins and phone calls on the sat phone I will hardly be alone. Meditation has been a big part of my life, so the loneliness of the trip is not my biggest concern.”

Specifications

Length: 1m (42in) Draught: 1.5m (60in) Weight: 544kg unladen (1,200lb), or 816kg laden (1,800lb) Hull Speed: 2.5 knots Sail area: 49.5sq ft  (square sail) plus 27sq ft (rafee)

Undaunted has a modified square rig. “I have three identical yards and two sails, one square and one rafee [triangular topsail set above] a lower yard. One will be inside the cabin while the other is set.”

The boat has two watertight hatches: a small one set into the large one. The large hatch opens and locks over the back of the boat to act as a work table and guard against getting pooped. The small hatch has a lookout dome and is just big enough to allow Kent to get in and out.

Two 16-gallon polyethylene tanks or ‘saddle-bags’ are lashed to either side of the boat under a 4in port. They will hold lighter supplies like clothes and extra line, says Kent. “They are also reserve flotation in the event of flooding.”

The rudders are attached to the transom by two 4in piano hinges. Attached to that rack is a third tiller that travels through the transom inside a rubber boot to keep it watertight for steering from inside the vessel. There is no autopilot or wind vane self-steering.

Two roll-up solar panels can be deployed or stored down below.

The keel incorporates a 40-gallon water tank.

A large waterproof case houses all electronics, bolted to the port bulkhead. This includes breakers attached to the 105 amp-hour battery in the bilge.

You can learn more about Undaunted and Matt Kent’s Atlantic crossing on his Facebook page Little Boat Project or the website littleboatproject.org

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April Fools megathread

• Thread starter Phil Herring
• Start date Mar 18, 2019
• Forums for All Owners
• Ask All Sailors

Phil Herring

A Jackalope, a friend of mine has one on his wall...rare animal. Cheers dj  

DaveJ said: A Jackalope, a friend of mine has one on his wall...rare animal. Cheers dj Click to expand

If only the weather was warmer up here, and some boats were in the water. I'd walk around the docks and throw random SS screws, bent fittings, and lock nuts on people's decks. I'd spend an enjoyable couple hours on-deck watching sailors stare into the rigging to figure out what fell off.  

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

Oh @Parsons there is an element of diabolicalness in that trick.  

Packing peanuts in large volume coming from the ceiling panels above someone's desk can be fun. The mechanism to release them can be as Goldberg as you want. Then again returning from vacation and finding every desk drawer and file cabinet topped off with them can look like evil retribution. Not sailing related but may be adapted as such, and this is not an admission of guilt. Ken  

ted_relinda

The Chunnel to Cuba in gthe local Key West Newspaper a couple years ago. Headline and full story caught a lot of people.. We still have a copy we show to gullibles... Ted  

If you say 'Chunnel to Cuba' 3 times really fast, it sounds like gullible....  

Our local paper used to do a special front page story each year. One year was a photoshopped picture of a Boeing 737 on floats taking off of our lake. It spoke of daily service. Another year a report of the Seattle Space Needle being moved to Lake Stevens. I suspect it stirred up a few people. Ken  

Rich Stidger

Parsons said: If only the weather was warmer up here, and some boats were in the water. I'd walk around the docks and throw random SS screws, bent fittings, and lock nuts on people's decks. I'd spend an enjoyable couple hours on-deck watching sailors stare into the rigging to figure out what fell off. Click to expand

Well it wasn't April Fool's Day but I was helping a friend install a Strong Track on his mast. This track is cut to length precisely so that it reaches the very top of the mast and down to the sail gate. You only get one shot at this so you measure twice, or three or four times, mark it carefully and cut. Sliding the track into the mast is a two person job- one pushing at the bottom and one pulling at the top. I was the top person. After the track was fully put into position, my friend asked how it looked. I told him "You have another 18 inches to go. Keep pushing." "WHAT??" he yells! He comes running up to me, looks at the track perfectly in place, and sees me just grinning. He swore revenge. I have been repaid with interest many times.  

Pirate Dave

Years ago soundings published a report that cutting holes in your props would increase speed and efficiency. They did show a study that was done by a respected DR. People were actually drilling holes in their props. The Dr's Name? Dr Sloof L Irpa  

Several years ago NPR reported that a company was going to start projecting advertisements on the full moon using a laser. The story was told on April 1. My wife thought it was the truth. To my knowledge NPR never fessed up.  

Parsons said: If only the weather was warmer up here, and some boats were in the water. I'd walk around the docks and throw random SS screws, bent fittings, and lock nuts on people's decks. Click to expand

Kermit said: Several years ago NPR reported that a company was going to start projecting advertisements on the full moon using a laser. The story was told on April 1. My wife thought it was the truth. To my knowledge NPR never fessed up. Click to expand

I think I'll channel my softer gentler side today... "Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.” -Ruth Ann Schabacker Maybe have yogurt or quiche for breakfast.. No maybe I'll make it. Fresh.  

While driving through a large neighborhood with my sister in our teens, we would drive a block, stop, drive a block, stop... Getting annoyed with this, I said, exasperated, “Joanne, the stop signs with the white borders are ‘optional stop’ in residential areas! For God’s sake, just keep going!” She did... She happily blew through the next couple of stop signs! I could not help it, I gave in and told her the truth! She still remembers this, 35 years later.  

nat55 said: My favorite was the NPR April 1st story a few years ago about the whale farm in Kansas! "RAY STUBBS: Nothing's really wasted. I mean, you know, nothing goes to waste. I think it's great. You know, it's good eating. We get oil for heating and lighting. And the skeletons, we can use those skeletons for doing home improvements. I built a back porch using some whale bones the other day." https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102618951 Click to expand

Peggie Hall HeadMistress

Y'all are diabolically wicked! And really CREATIVE...I'm envious! --Peggie  

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$10 million price drop on superyacht April Fool at Burgess and Merle Wood

Hot news of another large price cut from Burgess as they tell me of a $10 million drop on Feadship’s 60m motor yacht April Fool , a joint listing with Merle Wood & Associates.

She has recently emerged from winter maintenance at STP Shipyard, Palma, where she completed a full repaint from stem to stern. Having also completed her Lloyd's Class 5 year survey in 2011, this yacht is perfect for a new owner to step on board without needing to invest another cent.

April Fool has been run to the very highest standards with no expense spared, has had one meticulous owner since new, has never chartered and has seen very low levels of private use. Pedigree build and design and exceptional engineering combine with very spacious, sophisticated interiors and ample outdoor decks designed for maximum comfort. A host of features include a sauna and a gymnasium while practical design ensures guests can relax at leisure uninterrupted by the crew.

Built in 2006 by the Van Lent yard, April Fool was a winner at the 2007 World Superyacht Awards and is now down to $59,950,000.

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