Fastest circumnavigation using Biodiesel-Earthrace sets world record

  SAGUNTO, Spain-- Earthrace took 61 days to circle the globe, setting the new world record for the Fastest circumnavigation using Biodiesel .
Photo: Earthrace is a 78 foot alternative fuel powered wave-piercing trimaran, it can carry 3,000 gallons of fuel, and weighs 23 tonnes when fully fuelled. Earthrace which cost about £1.5 million to build, is fuelled on 100 per cent biodiesel and has a net zero carbon footprint. ( enlarge photo )

Earthrace left Sagunto on 27 April and needed to be back by Saturday 12 July to beat the mark of 74 days 20 hours 58 minutes set by British boat Cable & Wireless Adventurer in 1998.

   It is the second attempt the international crew, led by New Zealander Pete Bethune, have made on the record.

  The first, last year, was beset by problems and was ended by heavy storms in the Med.

  The 74ft wave-piercing trimaran started the attempt on 27 April 2008 from Sagunto in Spain.

  The boat is designed to cut through waves rather than sail over which enables the boat to go faster through big seas compared to conventional craft.

    Pete Bethune, the New Zealand skipper of Earthrace , said: “Politicians in Western Europe must be prepared to stand up to the oil industry, and be more supportive of the biofuels industry to make sure the production of biofuels is sustainable.”

  The previous world record for the fastest circumnavigation using Biodiesel
was set by the British boat Cable and Wireless Adventurer which took 75 days in 1998.   
June 27, 2008


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