Andrew Bedwell is aiming big as he attempts to gain the Guinness world record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean in the smallest vessel. 

Entrepreneur and professional sail maker, Andrew who has appreciated the enjoyment and challenges of sailing from childhood, will embark on the most challenging venture of his lifetime; the ‘Big C Atlantic Challenge’. This will see him attempt to secure the Guinness World Record for the smallest vessel crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, sailing from St John’s, Newfoundland to the UK. 

The vessel itself although only a little over 1 metre long is ultra-seaworthy and safe, with 12 separate compartments to maintain floatation. However, it can only accommodate one person so conditions will be very cramped with no room for luxuries just the bare essentials.

As Andrew will be sitting for long periods in a fixed and relatively immobile position, he has been advised by his medical team that he will be at significant risk of developing pressure injuries. In addition, because of the environment that Andrew is going to be operating the vessel in, there are considerations for friction and shear forces as well as microclimate considerations, which also contribute to the development of a pressure injury.

Understanding that anyone can get a pressure injury and considering the increased risk to Andrew when undertaking the expedition, he is embarking on, we decided to support Andrew by sourcing a seating solution that would stand up to the rigours of the journey from a clinical and technical perspective. 

As exclusive UK distributor, Invacare and Vicair have come together to support Andy in this epic venture with a specifically designed Vicair seating system with the Vicair SmartCell technology. 

Andrew will be setting off around mid-May using the trade winds and gulf stream to sail to the UK, a passage of 1900 miles across the North Atlantic, traversing very unpredictable seas.  The vessel will be tracked with onboard transponders allowing Andrew to keep in contact with his crew on shore.  He will be undertaking this journey alone with no support crew at sea. The expected passage is likely to take 70-90 days, at a speed of roughly 2.5 knots.

He plans to post regular updates to his social channels where you can follow his progress:

Facebook – Big C Atlantic Challenge

Youtube - @Adventure101

LinkedIn – Andrew Bedwell

In addition, you can also follow Andy on a specially designed app that's currently being developed by one of his key sponsors.  Here's a link to a webinar which gives you insight into how its created:

https://youtu.be/QajFkuzCyds