In 1982 tom mcclean sailed across the atlantic in the smallest boat to accomplish that crossing the self built boat measured 9 feet and 9 inches and because of the weight of the food took seven weeks to cross his record was broken three weeks later by a sailor manning 9 feet and 1 inch long boat in response mcclean used a chainsaw to cut two feet off his own vessel making it 7 feet and 9 inches long during the return trip he lost his mast and the journey took even longer than his first a