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Eco-boat powers on round the globe
The Earthrace eco-boat has successfully avoided delay in its attempt to beat the round the world speed record and completed its transit through the Panama Canal. Earthrace is a 24m tri-hull wavepiercer that is currently attempting to smash the world record for a powerboat to circumnavigate the globe, running renewable biodiesel fuel, and with a net zero carbon footprint. The Panama Canal Authority ensured a swift journey through the canal for Earthrace, which completed its 12 hour transit on 10th May. The boat then moored at Rodman’s Dock awaiting refuelling on Sunday morning, as local licensing restrictions forbid refuelling during the night. Earthrace set off on the next leg of its journey to Mexico on Sunday afternoon, guided by a pilot boat. “We’re all really grateful to the Panama Canal Authority for speeding up our route through the canal,” says skipper Pete Bethune. “This is high season in the canal and demand to get through can often result in a backlog of a number of weeks, so to only lose a day is a massive boost for our world record attempt. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without the amazing local support we have received. “The boat’s running fantastically and we’re now thundering up the coast of Costa Rica and looking forward to arriving in Manzanillo for a speedy refuelling on Wednesday.” Earthrace is a 24m (78ft) tri-hull wavepiercer that has been designed and built specifically to get the record for a powerboat to circumnavigate the globe. She is an advanced endurance vessel, capable of submarining up to 7m (23ft) underwater as she powers across oceans. The goal of Earthrace is to set a new world record for a powerboat to circumnavigate the globe, running 100 per cent renewable biodiesel fuel, and with a net zero carbon footprint. From the start in Sagunto, the boat will cross the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans and travel through the Panama and Suez Canals as it thunders around the planet’s circumference at a maximum speed of 40 knots, attempting to break the round-the-world speed record. |
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