What is Tony Bullimore up to? Since going incommunicado on the way to Australia in December and arriving into a media storm, the ebullient Bristol sailor has been holed up in Hobart, ostensibly waiting for the end of the Sydney-Hobart race to begin his bid to beat Ellen MacArthur’s solo round the world record.

But the Sydney-Hobart boats are long gone now and Bullimore and his giant catamaran are still there. According to his PR adviser Barry Pickthall, Bullimore is awaiting some bits of gear: a headsail furling gear that didn’t fit, and repair to a damaged runner.

The latest is that Bullimore is aiming to get going in the second week of February. This is nearing the end of the Southern Ocean season, so by then it will be one-shot effort. Next year, his chances of setting a new record will be slender as Thomas Coville and Francis Joyon gallop over the horizon, each in their big new custom-built record-breakers…