Sailor famous for surviving four days in the ocean in the upturned hull of his boat
Born: January 15, 1939;
Died: July 31, 2018
TONY Bullimore, who has died aged 79, was a sailor and entrepreneur who became world-famous after he survived for four days in the upturned hull of his boat when it capsized in the freezing waters of the Southern Ocean in 1997. In his long career as a yachtsman, he sailed more than 300,000 miles, crossed the Atlantic 30 times, and won over 150 trophies.
The infamous capsizing happened when Mr Bullimore was taking part in the 1996 Vendee Globe single-handed around-the-world race in his boat, the Exide Challenger, and was 2,200km off the coast of Australia.
The then 57-year-old sailor, nicknamed the British bulldog, was feared to have drowned until he was dramatically rescued by the Australian navy. There were no visible signs of life when they arrived, but when the rescuers banged on the boat's hull, they were amazed to hear Mr Bullimore knocking back. Many years later, he recalled his reaction: “I started shouting: ‘I’m coming, I’m coming.’ It took a few seconds to get from one end of the boat to the other. I took a few deep breaths and I dived out of the boat. When I saw the ship standing there and the plane going overhead and a couple of guys peering over the top of the upturned hull, it was heaven, absolute heaven."
Mr Bullimore said he had survived on "a little chocolate, water and sheer determination" while crouched in the upturned hull of his yacht. He suffered a little hypothermia and dehydration but was otherwise well.
Born in Southend-on-Sea in Essex, Mr Bullimore was an ex-Royal Marine and after moving to Bristol in the 1960s was a founding member of the famous Bamboo Club in the city, which he opened with wife Lalel, in 1966. As a mixed race couple, they experienced racism, but the Bamboo Club was one of the first venues in the city to welcome the African-Caribbean community.
The club hosted stars including Bob Marley and the Wailers, as well as Ben E King, before it closed 11 years after opening because of a fire.
In 2007, Mr Bullimore launched an attempt to set a new record for sailing 27,000 miles round the world single-handedly but had to abandon his quest 10 days in after being beset by a series of problems. A huge sail on his 102ft catamaran, Doha 2006, snapped, causing delays as he made emergency repairs. He was then battered by huge waves as storms swept into his path.
At the time he said: "This is not the right weather for breaking records, but these conditions are forecast to continue for another day at least, so I just have to make the best of it. " However, he later abandoned his attempt, which led to the Australian media christening him Captain Calamity.
Mr Bullimore was a patron of MCI (Mine Clearance International), JACC (Jamaican Age Care Charity), and Brainwave (The Kerland Foundation) .
Bristol's Lord Mayor Cleo Lake paid tribute to Mr Bullimore, calling him a legend on the water and on the music scene. She also thanked him for everything he did to break down racial barriers.
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