Bullimore still waits for a favourable forecast before he can set off on his global record attempt to break the 70 day barrier for sailing solo non-stop around the world.

Team Bullimore’s weather guru, American forecaster Lee Bruce says the forecast looks bleak for the next ten days.

Bruce said: “The timeline chart shows the wind forecast for a point within a day’s sail to the southeast of the start in Hobart.”

Bullimore would like to start in a north or northeast wind ahead of a frontal boundary. This is to give a good sailing angle for the southeastward heading needed to get around New Zealand, and to help minimize the wave heights.

Instead of favourable winds, the timeline shows several bouts with strong southwest wind over the coming week.

Although that wind direction would put Tony on a reach, it also comes with a longer fetch than the north-quadrant wind, resulting in much more difficult, and slower, sailing due to large wave action. Wave heights in the southwest wind should climb to 6-8 metres.

Bruce concludes that unfavourable conditions look likely to persist through to 5 February at least.