"The end of a dream" is the title of a video published yesterday on Andrew Bedwell's Instagram channel. In the short clip, the 49-year-old Brit explains in tears that his one-metre boat has been destroyed: "Big C is no more, she can't go on."
The day before, he wanted to start his daring journey 1,900 nautical miles across the North Atlantic. However, when he was already on his way to break Hugo Vihlen's world record from 1993, he noticed a water ingress and turned back. When the micro-boat was to be craned out of the water yesterday for adjustments and repairs, a fatal accident occurred.
"As the boat was full of water, we had to lift it out by the frames instead of using straps under the hull," explains Bedwell. However, these could not withstand the weight - the adventurer estimates over half a tonne of additional water. "Big C" crashed to the ground in the harbour. There is no footage of the apparently completely destroyed boat yet.
Project on the brink of cancellation: "I am more than devastated"
Even if you get the impression that giving up is hardly an option for Bedwell, the project now seems to have finally failed. In the abruptly ending video, the adventurer thanks all his supporters and apologises: "I can't do it, I'm sorry." He is even clearer on Facebook: "I'm more than devastated. I had hoped to fix it and then either move on or bring it back to the UK for a later attempt. Unfortunately none of that is possible now."
The Brit ended his statement with a quote from his wife: "It's better to see you angry than me making a video crying because you're not coming home."
Here is the emotional statement:
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