2002 Progress Report
Currently Vera Hugh II is stored near Las Palmas and is being prepared for the second stage of the voyage in the Summer of 2002. The next departure point will be Puerto Mogan, Gran Canaria.


Vera Hugh II leaving Gibraltar
The communications system will now also include a Mobiq satellite telephone connected to a Psion Series 5 computer so that emails can be transmitted back regularly to the base station in London, England.


Vera Hugh II undergoing repairs in Las Palmas

For the latest information on Atlantic Challenge, photographic originals or live action Betacam SP video you can contact NGP Productions: dov@btinternet.com

return to top of page

Profile - Tom McNally

Tom McNally is unquestionably the world's leading expert in the navigation and operation of mini-sailing craft.

Since 1973 when he crossed the Atlantic in a homemade plywood sloop, Tom has made a total of eight voyages in an assortment of tiny craft increasing in knowledge and experience with every journey, his last venture in 1993, saw him breaking the world record for crossing any ocean in the smallest boat. Vera Hugh I, Pride of Merseyside measured 5 feet 4 and 1/2 inches, seven inches smaller than himself.

Leaving Portugal in December 1992, Tom successfully navigated the tiny yacht, without any auxiliary power some 5,500 miles over the course of 134 days, arriving in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in May 1993 and fulfilling a lifetime ambition Not content with achieving this record he added a further 1,000 miles to his voyage by sailing for the North American mainland on June 8th 1993 and arrived in Fort Lauderdale 23 days later.

Tom's success was short-lived, within 12 months he had lost his record to the man who he had taken it away from, Hugo Vilhen, who, taking the short route from Newfoundland to Ireland (a comparably shorter journey of 2000 miles) in a boat only centimetres smaller with auxillary power, managed to snatch away the record. Tom's new boat, Vera Hugh II, is a high technology craft with radar reflective sails and a revolutionary new design in rigging. The hull is coated with Kevlar (bullet - proof material) and every possible safety feature is included. It will be satellite linked and will have the very latest tracking equipment which will be able to pinpoint his nautical position at any given time. The 'Vera Hugh II' measures 3 feet 11 inches (1.19 metres) and is the smallest registered sailing cruiser in the UK. As current records stand it is also the smallest ocean-going vessel in the world.

After some initial setbacks, and the long wait for suitable 'windows' of weather, the 'Vera Hugh II' set sail from Cape Espartel, Tangier on the morning of March 4th 1998, on its first stage to the Canarias Islands. Due to the strong prevailing wind the tiny vessel maintained two and one half knots for the voyage - far better than previously expected. Tom set a new record for small craft sailing, reaching Las Palmas on March 24th - a journey of twenty days in very extreme weather conditions.

Unfortunately structural problems in the deck caused by gale-force winds throughout the seven hundred mile journey resulted in almost total battery failure, and it was thought necessary to bring the boat into Las Palmas for vital repairs before Tom attempted the second stage of the voyage to Puerto Rico. The Vera Hugh II is now being prepared to resume the voyage from Gran Canaria in the Summer of 2002.

return to top of page

Media Attention
Atlantic Challenge is the subject of three 30-minute broadcast documentary films produced by NGP Productions - a London-based company with international television experience.

Given the phenomenal media interest in Tom's previous attempts, these films will be networked throughout Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand on the completion of Tom's voyage.


Vera Hugh I at an exhibition in Birmingham in 1994

After his last voyage Tom appeared on numerous television and chat shows in the USA and Britain, TV coverage was beamed throughout the world to Australia, Canada, Japan, Europe and coast to coast USA and major newspapers throughout the world covered Tom throughout and beyond the journey. Several International Magazines such as "Hello!" did substantial features on Tom and his accomplishments, further publicity was gained for his sponsors by his endorsement of their secondary merchandising.


Granada TV News filming construction at Bridewell Studios 1997

This current project has already generated significant media interest, with items on: Granada TV; BBC; Channel One, UK; RAI - Italy; TVE and Sud Canal Spain; GBC Gibraltar. There have been feature articles in UK magazines: 'Loaded'; 'No Limits'; 'Yachting World'; 'Yachting Life'; 'Practical Boat Owner'; Sailing Magazine - USA and 'Motor Boat Monthly'. Newspaper articles have appeared in the Daily Mail; Mail on Sunday; Daily Telegraph; The Daily Express; Daily Star; The Times; The Mirror; Liverpool Daily Post and Echo; Gibraltar Chronicle; Insight and Sud in Spain and City Link in Florida.

click on the image to enlarge
The enormous advantage to sponsoring something like the Atlantic Challenge above all others is its' continual global exposure. Tom's previous major sponsor admitted in a trade magazine to receiving in the region of £1 million worth of free advertising in the Uk alone. We estimate the total world exposure could be valued at considerably more.

return to top of page

The Technological Challenge
The voyage will be a test, not only for Tom McNally, but also for the equipment which will facilitate the project. Thanks to the co-operation and expertise of Thrane & Thrane, GEC Marconi, Telecom Partners, Icom, Atlantic Systems, ICL, Magellan, CAS UK Ltd and Psion, the Vera Hugh II has been installed with a customised satellite-linked communication system, which will relay still digital images to a land station in Merseyside. It will also track down his nautical position within thirty feet at any given time. Pictures from the Atlantic will be transmitted from a boat which is only three feet above sea level. The system was successfully demonstrated for the first time ever on the 18th December 1997 - almost one hundred years to the day of Marconi's first sea-to-land audio link-up transmission using Morse code. The image of Tom aboard Vera Hugh II with the Rock of Gibraltar in the background was transmitted by Immarsat to Goonhilly, Cornwall, then by land line to Marconi Marine in Chelsmford - another world's first in digital technology.


Vera Hugh II is equipped with Mini-M and SAT-C antennae

The communicating and on-board camera systems which are to be used for Atlantic Challenge have been specified by the ITC to be on mini DV format. This will add a further dimension to the media coverage since Digital still pictures can be beamed back, via sattelite, for regular news bulletins, newspaper articles and weather reports.

Due to the size of the boat, space is the most valuable commodity on board, so one of the biggest challenges has been to conserve space while making allowances for sophisticated equipment which is also durable enough to stand up to extremes of climatic and maritime conditions. The very large ocean going battery in the keel, which will power the equipment on board, has been ingeniously adapted to contribute to the balance of the boat. These batteries are powered by a combination of deck-mounted solar panels and wind generators. The cockpit will contain survival equipment, the Inmarsat transceiver, a video recording system plus the latest in laptop computer technology. The mast has been customised to house a digital video camera and the rig sail has been individually designed and made by Chris Jeckells.. The rudder system and furling gear, both constructed from carbon fibre, are two unique features about the boat.

The cost of the boat cannot be quantified, but as a guide if this vessel were to be solely constructed in a commercial boatyard it would cost between £80,000 and £100,000 sterling.

return to top of page