I heard this morning that he had his sponsors names put on the hull as well this time just in case his boat was flipped again.

What sponsorship name(s) do you thing would be appropriate?


HOBART-bound British yachtsman Tony Bullimore is lost at sea again, this time with four crew.

Australian authorities fear for his safety, yesterday issuing an all-ships alert off Western Australia to find the 67-year-old adventurer and his crew. Famous for being rescued from his upturned yacht in the Southern Ocean in 1996 by the Australian navy, Bullimore has been out of contact with his team's UK headquarters since November 7.

The satellite phone on his 102ft catamaran failed four days after leaving the Maldives, off the southern tip of India, early last week. Bullimore is heading to Hobart for a 27,000-nautical mile solo non-stop around-the-world record attempt, starting from Storm Bay later this month. He was expected to arrive in Hobart this week. However, strong winds and steep seas in the Indian Ocean are believed to have slowed him down. The cat is thought to be somewhere near Western Australia's Cape Leeuwin. "The biggest problem is we don't know where he is -- he could be anywhere between the Maldives and Fremantle," said Tracy Jiggins, a spokeswoman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. "He's definitely not missing at this stage, he's not overdue and there's been no beacon activation to indicate that there's any sort of trouble," Ms Jiggins told ABC Radio yesterday.

Peter Campbell, Australia's most experienced yachting writer, said Bullimore's catamaran would be bristling with safety gear, including an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. "It would be fully kitted out," Campbell said. "So they would have set off their EPIRB if they were in trouble or had to abandon ship, unless they hit something and went straight down. UK race control centre, said it had been frustrating that the catamaran's satellite communications system had failed. "Tony has been unable to contact us by phone or email, so we expected the crew to make a stop at Fremantle or another port to get the system repaired," Pickthall said. "Since the catamaran should be close to the shipping lanes by now, we have asked the coastguard to alert vessels in the area to report any sightings."

When Bullimore was rescued 10 years ago, he was alone on his 60ft monohull. This time, his 102ft cat has a delivery crew to help handle the giant on its 5000 nautical mile trip across the Indian and Southern oceans to Hobart. Tasmanian Barry Shepherd is Bullimore's official starter. He was appointed by the World Speed Sailing Council, based in London. Shepherd was expecting Bullimore to arrive this week. "We haven't heard anything from him or his team, so we can't do anything until he sails up the (Derwent) river," Shepherd said. The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania will be the official base for the record attempt.

Bullimore's catamaran is called Doha 2006, to promote the Asian Games, hosted by the Gulf state of Qatar in Doha from December 1-15. Before leaving the Maldives, Bullimore said: "Doha 2006 is the biggest vessel anyone has attempted a solo circumnavigation with. We have had to convert the catamaran's giant rig and her systems so I can reef and change sails single-handed. So this part of the voyage down into the Southern Ocean and around Australia (to Tasmania) is a vital part of my preparation". His aim is to be back in Hobart in 70 days to better the record set last year by fellow Brit Dame Ellen MacArthur of 71 days 14 hours and 18 minutes.