Record attempt failed: Extreme sailor Bedwell rescued from "Big C" after two days
Ursula Meer
· 08.06.2026
The dream of breaking the world record has been shattered once again: extreme sailor Andrew Bedwell was rescued by the Canadian Coast Guard from his "Big C V2" microboat, which was only 100 centimetres long, on Friday, 6 June 2026. Just 48 hours earlier, the British sailor had set off from St John's in Newfoundland on his second attempt to cross the Atlantic in the smallest boat ever. It is another bitter setback for the 52-year-old adventurer from Lancashire, following the dramatic failure of his first attempt in 2023.
The rescue: "Big C" left alone at sea
The Canadian Coast Guard was alerted at around 9.30 a.m. local time on Friday morning. Bedwell was about 75 nautical miles east of Grates Cove off Newfoundland and needed assistance. A Coast Guard vessel reached the position at around 2:15 p.m., brought the sailor safely on board and returned to Old Perlican. The "Big C V2" had to be abandoned at sea.
On the official Facebook page "Big C Atlantic Challenge", his team simply stated: "Technical problem. Andrew is fine and back on land. More updates as soon as we can." In his last post on 4 June, Bedwell himself had written: "Day 2: Air pressure dropping so I know something is coming, am a bit anxious as I haven't seen a weather report yet." The wind was from the west at 8 knots under blue skies. The Big C Tracking App is currently switched off. It was last seen that the micro-boat is still at sea off the coast of Newfoundland.
2023: When the first dream crashed on harbour concrete
It was a dramatic end: in May 2023, Bedwell had to abort his first attempt after just a few hours due to water ingress. The cause was a fatal mistake: shortly before the start in Canada, a special safety bolt with O-ring seals had to be replaced. The replacement bolt that was floated up also had a rubber seal, but a continuous thread. After just a few hours at sea, the temporary solution proved to be unusable.
"It was my fault, I should have done it," Bedwell explained later. The indentations in the thread allowed water to seep in from below despite the seals. "I could have pumped the water out all the time, but I always said to my wife that if I wasn't happy with something, I would turn back."
The real drama followed the next morning: when the "Big C", which was estimated to be full of over half a tonne of water, was to be craned out, disaster struck. The lifting device failed - according to Bedwell, the ropes broke - and the boat crashed with full force onto the concrete floor. The damage was irreparable.
In an emotional video at the time, a tearful Bedwell said: "I'm beyond 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." He never published any pictures of the wrecked boat.
Phoenix from the ashes: The birth of version 2
But just a few days later, Bedwell announced his intention to attack again. In his hotel room in Newfoundland, he was already sketching out the basic design of a new microboat. "I immediately started talking to various experts, but for months nobody realised what I actually wanted," he said.
When asked why he didn't stay with GRP, Bedwell replied on Facebook: "My gut feeling told me to try aluminium this time." Everything was supposed to be tested and ready to sail by 2025. However, many details and delays prevented a launch last year.
The "Big C V2": Life in the aluminium capsule
The "Big C V2" is the ultimate in space optimisation - and yet it is little more than a floating capsule. At just 100 centimetres long and 140 centimetres wide, it is barely bigger than a bathtub. The 1.83 metre man could only sleep in a crouched position.
The boat is made of aluminium with walls that are only three to five millimetres thick - significantly thinner than the 10 to 20 millimetre thick GRP walls of the first version. Bedwell thus gained 90 millimetres of additional living space. The concept was developed by a French naval architect: "The keel was to be integrated directly into the hull structure so that it didn't have to be welded on later," says Bedwell. In contrast to the first version, the side pods are no longer attached, but integrated directly into the outer skin of the aluminium hull. The solar panels are firmly mounted and better protected from waves. The rig has been made narrower at the base so that the sail can be travelled closer together.
The provisions lie deep in the boat, which increases stability. Two Dacron furling headsails are mounted on an A-shaped rig with outriggers; the skipper operates the rudder from the inside using a cable. The boat rolls in rough seas, which is why a harness is essential. There is a transparent 10 mm polycarbonate dome for all-round visibility. Power is supplied by solar panels and AGM and lithium batteries. A 115-kilogram lead keel ensures stability.
The red miniature capsule is not fast - it remains above all a plaything of wind, waves and currents. Bedwell had reckoned with speeds of up to 2.5 knots. He had estimated three months for the approximately 1,900 nautical mile journey to Cornwall. Now the boat is drifting alone in the rough North Atlantic.
A boat called "Big C" - for cancer research
The boat is named in memory of Tom McNally, the Liverpool sailor who developed the original design. "Big C" stands for "Big Cancer". McNally himself set a record for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic in 1993, but was beaten in the same year by the American Hugo Vihlen with his boat "Father's Day", which was only 1.62 metres long. Vihlen took 106 days to cross from Newfoundland to Falmouth in Cornwall - a record that has now stood for 33 years. McNally died of cancer in 2017.
Bedwell also lost both parents to cancer - his father even died two days before his first start attempt in 2023. With the planned crossing, the sailor wanted to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. Bedwell explained in an emotional statement at the time: "I probably wasn't in the right frame of mind. I was a sobbing wreck and it all came out: the grief for my father, who had died two days before I left." Nevertheless, he had set his mind on not just setting a new record that would be beaten by a few centimetres on his next attempt - his record was to be sailed to Great Britain for eternity.
An adventurer between extreme sports and family
Bedwell explained his motivation for such unusual projects to the British magazine "Practical Boat Owner": "There are a few certainties in life - you are born and you die, but there is a hyphen in the middle, and I want to fill that hyphen with as many adventures as possible."
About his daughter drawing pictures on the hatch, he said, "I want to show her that she should be able to go out and do things. If you don't try, you'll never know what could have been."
Before his first attempt in 2022, Bedwell told YACHT: "This is a long-cherished dream of mine, but I'm under no illusions that it will be easy. The lack of space, a toilet and adequate food will be the hardest thing for me. Add a few Atlantic storms to the mix and it could be interesting!"
The experienced extreme sailor is a veteran of the Jester Baltimore Challenge and previously sailed his 21-foot mini-Transat "Blue One" from Whitehaven in Cumbria to Iceland and the Arctic Circle.
It is currently unclear whether Bedwell will attempt a third attempt.
Read more about the extreme sailor Andrew Bedwell here:
Ursula Meer
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