Earthrace 2008

K1W1 · Sep 1, 2007

Hi,

I found the article below when reading the news from the Motherland

"The New Zealand Earthrace crew will try again early next year to tackle their world speed record attempt.

The team of four will leave from Spain mid-February on a mission to beat the 75-day record to circumnavigate the world.

Earthrace is trying to beat the record set by British diesel-powered boat Cable & Wireless in 1998, which travelled 24,382 nautical miles in 74 days, 20 hours, 58 minutes.

Structural damage and a fatal high-sea collision with a fishing boat 22km off the Guatemalan coast scuppered the trimaran crew's last attempt.

Skipper and former Hamilton man Pete Bethune described this year's attempt as "bloody hard" and a "violent experience" but was always keen to try and beat the record again.

Although the 24-metre trimaran would still be powered by biofuels, next year's theme would be carbon neutral - reducing CO2 outputs as much as possible and balancing what was left through purchasing carbon offsets.

Mr Bethune, who leaves for Europe in two weeks, said many businesses in Europe had already adopted the method and he believed Kiwis should start to do it too.

Although he and his wife Sharyn nearly went broke funding the last race - it set them back $750,000 - he was expecting next year's race to be easier on the pocket.

Holding public tours of the boat, at $5 a pop, not only helped fund the adventure but also spread the environmental message.

"We mortgaged the house too, but we're not complaining about it. It's just what it took to get the boat in the water . . . We still owe money but it's all long-term debt."

The boat will also make appearances during this year's Rugby World Cup which kicks off next Saturday (NZ time).

It will be in Edinburgh when the All Blacks play Scotland in pool play.

If the All Blacks top their pool and advance to the quarterfinals, the boat will be on show in Cardiff where the match will be played.

Then it will be taken to Paris for the semifinals and final. "

Sourced from: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4185848a11.html

Codger · Sep 1, 2007

You have to applaud the man's determination to get the deed done.
If he can avoid even half the crap that messed up the last attempt he should be able to pull it off. I'll sure be watching this as closely as I did last time.

catmando · Sep 1, 2007

Yes it was a tragedy but those fishing boats rarely have lights so you can't blame the helmsman to much. Here's their site;

www.earthrace.net

Codger · Sep 2, 2007

The collision in the dark was unfortunate and Earthrace was absolved of responsibility. I was thinking more of the technical issues with propulsion that caused so many delays.

Codger · Jan 27, 2008

New source of fuel?

".....Bethune's also made a symbolic gesture towards the project undergoing liposuction with two other volunteers which produced 10 litres of human fat.
That's enough to power the boat for 15 kilometres."

http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2007/12/19/Ecoboat_to_attempt_record_breaking_roundtheworld_trip

Kevin · Jan 28, 2008

Codger said:

".....Bethune's also made a symbolic gesture towards the project undergoing liposuction with two other volunteers which produced 10 litres of human fat.
That's enough to power the boat for 15 kilometres."
Click to expand...

Should I forward my ex-wife's contact info to them? She's worth a whole crossing by now, no doubt.

K1W1 · Jan 28, 2008

Kevin said:

Should I forward my ex-wife's contact info to them? She's worth a whole crossing by now, no doubt.
Click to expand...

I take it that your ex wife was or is on the large size then!

hat4349 · Jan 29, 2008

I can see the new fast food chains ads already, go green eat a Big mac, then get liposuction to power your new biofuel vehicle.

AggieH2O · Jan 29, 2008

I am a friend of Pete Bethune. I flew to Charleston, SC to do carbon fiber repair on Earthrace. If you ever get the chance to tour his vessel, it is worth the money, travel expenses included. If you can not afford that or do not have the time, I would recommend going to his website and purchasing his video. It shows the making of Earthrace and very interesting. Best of luck mate from your fellow Texan. Cheers Pete

K1W1 · Jan 30, 2008

Hi,

Where do you get the idea that the Earthrace Skipper Pete Bethune is a Texan?

He sounds like a New Zealander and his Bio shows him to be a New Zealand Citizen

AggieH2O · Jan 31, 2008

When I flew to Charleston to visit Pete and assist with the repairs, I made him eat hamburger combo meal equal to the size we serve here in Texas. Texas has their own size when it comes to servings. After he completed the meal, he looked at me in pain and asked if this made him a Texan. I said sure and it was just a joke between us. When I talk to him I always say that so he will remember that "bloody huge hamburger!"

K1W1 · Jan 31, 2008

AggieH2O said:

I am a friend of Pete Bethune. Best of luck mate from your fellow Texan. Cheers Pete
Click to expand...

This doesn't read like someone who simply shared a burger with the man in any way shape or form

Codger · May 11, 2008

Looks like they've figured out a way to bypass the ... hmmm.... capacity problems, at Panama and are going to get through with little delay.

http://www.earthrace.net/index.php?section=1

Have to support a project where the guys hug and fondle their engines.

http://www.earthrace.net/index.php?section=50

Blog 56: Windows MAC loving those new engines

AMG · May 15, 2008

Here is a tracker: http://earthrace.rushdigital.com/

Codger · Jun 1, 2008

Making good time despite a couple of glitches.
Prop strike but not much detail about it. Considering that the boat was built purely for speed and sound/vibration isolation wasn't a major goal, hitting anything at speed must have produced quite the bang inside there.
Hope they get it all sorted in Singapore.

Codger · Jun 23, 2008

Looks like they'll make it this time. Halfway through the Suez Canal.

Kevin · Jun 27, 2008

THey're nearly there.... about 25 kms left to go.

Codger · Jun 30, 2008

They made it.
Good on them.

YachtForums · Jul 3, 2008

This just in...

Earthrace eco-boat smashes round-the-world speed record by nearly 14 days

Sagunto, Spain, 27 June 2008, 12.24 GMT; 14.24 CET

Earthrace, the world’s fastest eco-boat, has smashed the world speed record for a powerboat to circumnavigate the globe, completing the journey in 60 days, 23 hours 49 mins, and knocking almost 14 days off the previous record.

The boat crossed the finish line in Sagunto at 12.24 GMT (14.24 CET) on Friday 27 June having travelled around 24,000 nautical miles fuelled by biodiesel to demonstrate and draw global attention to the potential for alternative fuel sources.

Earthrace is a 24m tri-hull wavepiercer built in New Zealand, and the record attempt, run by a team of international volunteers from New Zealand, UK, Sweden, Guyana and Hungary, has been completed as a carbon neutral project.

She set off from Spain on 27 April at 13.35 GMT in an attempt to challenge the world record that has remained unbroken since 1998, when it was set by the British boat, Cable and Wireless Adventurer. The finish in Spain by Earthrace was monitored by D. Jaime Pérez López, Presidente de la Federación Territorial Motonaútica de la Comunidad Valenciana.

Earthrace, a not for profit enterprise, has overcome many obstacles during its journey, the most challenging of which were the replacement of the boat’s driveshaft and propeller after hitting sea debris in Palau,
encountering monsoon conditions in the India Ocean, and bypassing a massive backlog of ships waiting to transit the Panama Canal. Despite this, the crew has emerged victorious after almost two months at sea.

Skipper Pete Bethune, a former oil worker, has dedicated the past six years of his life towards reaching his goal of smashing the record in his amazing boat using biodiesel, including an attempt last year, called off after meeting three huge storms in the Mediterranean.

“We’re completely stoked to have achieved something so incredible,” says Bethune. “Earthrace’s success has proved that any form of transport, including marine, can be non-damaging to the environment as well as being high performance. It is still early days for alternative fuel and there are issues that need to be addressed by those with the power to make change happen. But I hope that Earthrace and her adventure highlight to the world the importance of continuing to research and develop alternative fuel sources for global use.”

“This fantastic team of people and this astonishing boat have broken the record by a massive margin, and I finally feel that all the sacrifices made, especially by my family, have been worth it. I’m also enormously grateful to all the individuals and companies that have supported us along the way, some of them since the very beginning. Without them, none of this would have been possible”.

After crossing the finish line at Vulkan Shipyard, Sagunto, the boat will be docked at Marina Real Juan Carlos 1 in Valencia for a few days to allow supporters and the public to go on board and meet the crew.

World record route...

Sagunto (Spain) – Horta (Azores) – San Juan (Puerto Rico) – Colon (Panama Canal, Panama) – Manzanillo (Mexico) – San Diego (USA) – Maalaea Harbor, Maui (Hawaii) – Majuro (Marshall Islands) – Koror (Palau) – Singapore – Kochi/Cochin (India) – Salalah (Oman) – Port Said (Suez Canal, Egypt) – Sagunto (Spain)

Crew for 2008 world record attempt:

Boat crew: Skipper, Pete Bethune (New Zealand); Navigator, Adam Carlson (Sweden); Engineer and first mate, Mark Russell (UK); and Cameraman, Rob Drewitt (UK)

Ground crew:

CEO, Fiona Clark (UK); Operations Manager, Adrian Erangey
(Ireland); Engineer, Tino de Freitas (Guyana). They provided the essential logistical support to the boat throughout the World Record attempt, including: fuel delivery; customs clearance; refuelling; mechanical and engineering maintenance; supplies; media liaison; sponsorship servicing. As with carbon emissions caused by transporting the fuel to the fuel stops (and the biofuel itself), all CO2 emissions from travel by the ground crew were offset through the purchase of carbon credits.

Base crew:

Head of media, Bev Bailey (UK); Administrator in Spain, Karoline
Romanek (Hungary); Administrator in London, Ali Bradshaw (UK); Administrator in NZ, Sharyn Bethune (NZ).

What next for Earthrace?

Following a visit to Portugal to meet fuel sponsor, SGC Energia, Earthrace will embarking on a further tour that will take in more of Europe as well as the Caribbean and Australia, with the boat returning home to New Zealand in 2009. Skipper Bethune is actively looking for new volunteers to travel with the boat as crew during the tour. Keep up-to-date with news and see if the boat will be visiting a town near you on www.earthrace.net
Click to expand...

Kevin · Apr 27, 2009

Here's some updated Earthrace news:

Earthrace to Hunt Whale Hunters

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Earthrace 2008

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