The experienced sailor, who works as a crew on a tall ship in "normal life", spent almost four years building his tiny sailboat. Although "boat" is actually not the right word. While the builders of companions for such extreme achievements tried to give the appearance of a ship's DN, Matthew Kent consistently relies on a design in which the word "washing machine" spontaneously shoots through your head. His "Undaunted" is an aluminum structure six millimeters below the waterline and four above it, equipped with a single, very rudimentary sail. The American has published the first videos of his "Undaunted" on his Facebook page.
The skipper stands or sits halfway in his sail cube, which has an amazing 1.5 meter keel with a 200 kilo lead bomb so that he does not constantly capsize. But even if that should happen, he is sure that the boat will straighten up again. At 1.06 meters in length, it is almost 60 centimeters shorter than the tiny Hugo Vihlen, who has held the record since 2008. Such records are not official, however, all current sailing institutions refuse; to recognize them as too dangerous. Even the "Guinness Book of Records" has so far recorded all of Kent's attempts to document the record attempt that he wants to start in Gomer from the beginning of April (… but not on April 1st!). The goal is to be Florida, a journey of over 4,000 nautical miles.
This will be correspondingly tough with the vehicle: The American expects a maximum speed of 2.5 knots, which means about three to four months of travel time. And that includes 0.5 knots of electricity in the back. With a boat weight of over 800 kilos and an estimated three square meters of sail area, no wonder. More information about the boat gives you an idea of what to expect at the time: Inside, he can only stand or sit halfway. Sleeping is only possible in a kind of embryo position.
One of the biggest problems with such small boats and such long journeys is naturally the storage of provisions. According to Matthew Kent, the size of energy bars actually plays a decisive role in the dimensions. He wants to eat mainly freeze-dried food, which he mixes with water. The boat has two 150 liter water tanks and two watermakers that are operated by hand. There is a view of the outside through a plexiglass dome, which can be closed in bad weather. The cabin is then ventilated through the mast, which acts as a snorkel.
An AIS, GPS and an Epirb are supposed to ensure "safety" on board. Electricity is generated by solar cells and a hand generator.
The YACHT had already reported on the bizarre scene of the "micro yachts" in 2008 (issue 25/2008), at that time there was a small boom in the whimsical vehicles.