A New Zealand sailor is about to complete a remarkable solo round the world yacht race despite snapping his mast and having to live off rations from his life raft.
Conrad Colman is the first Kiwi to take part in the French Vendee Globe, an event known as the Mount Everest of the Seas.
He's about to complete his third round the world journey - this time solo - and it was rough going from the start.
On day 23 he capsized, but was able to right his boat - the Foresight Natural - and carry on all the way until a week from the finish.
That's when the mast snapped.
He managed to rig up a small replacement but the boat is travelling so slowly it's not generating any power for the batteries and Mr Colman is running out of food.
"I am down to lifeboat rations so I am slowly starving myself. I am down to 700 calories a day which is a third of what I should be eating," he says.
Mr Colman follows other Kiwi sailing legends such as Sir Peter Blake, who won the Whitbread Round the World Race.
The winner of the Vendee Globe finished a month ago, but Mr Colman is refusing to give up.
"The first thing will be to give him some fresh food because he has been living on emergency rations for a week now, so he is looking forward to a salad and a smoothie," says his wife, Clara Hirsch.
Mr Colman is due to finish early tomorrow morning New Zealand time at the French port of Les Sables d'olonne.
"The boat is slowly discharging, I am slowly discharging and I think we are both going to be on our hands and knees when we cross the finish line," he says.
After 110 days at sea the smoothie will be waiting.
Newshub.
