Hopefully, this trip will be a bit more successful. I like that they're making their first fuel out of human fat! Sounds like a business opportunity to me! "Lose weight and fuel your car at the same time!" Link here.

Eco-boat to attempt record breaking round-the-world trip

19/12/2007 10:03:00 AM.

A New Zealand built boat that runs exclusively on biodiesel will kick off an attempt to break the world speed record for circumventing the globe in a motorboat next year.

The 24-metre Earthrace, skippered by New Zealander Pete Bethune will set off from Spain in March and traverse the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans as well as the Panama and Suez canals.

Earthrace, which can submarine under big waves will try to break the current world record of 74 days, 20 hours and 58 minutes set by the Cable and Wireless Adventurer boat in 1998.

Bethune believes his trip can help promote biodiesel as a viable alternative to petroleum diesel.

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.

I continue to be opposed to this publicity stunt; conservation is eco-friendly, and this endevour is the opposite of that. I really hope they don't have the misfortune of slicing though any fisherman this attempt.

 Yeah, I really hope they're a bit more cautious, and I do agree that it does give too much emphasis on speed instead of conservation. That being said, people like big, fast, shiny things, and this is all of that. It could bring a lot of attention to biodiesel.

I'd still love to build the attachment that goes from one's gut to their fuel tank. That'd be really cool. 

Yet another EarthRace article. 

Earthrace skipper off again

5:00AM Monday February 11, 2008

Earthrace skipper Pete Bethune says he hopes to settle down back in New Zealand after his next attempt at a high-speed sustainable voyage around the world.

Bethune is to relaunch the $3 million biodiesel-powered speedboat, this time from Valencia, in Spain, on March 1.

His first gut-wrenching bid for the round-the-world record last year was dogged by bad luck and trouble - some of it self-inflicted - and detention, death and disappointment.

He acknowledges that first attempt failed partly due to insufficient work on logistics and simple oversights such as setting off without vital spare parts. But next time will be different, he says: "We will be better prepared".

And after he's flung over 165,000 litres of biodiesel - from a new Portugal-based fuel sponsor, SGC Energia - and a completely reconstructed crew, four instead of three, and ground-support team into the high-speed boat ride, Bethune plans to step back from the brink.

The former oil industry executive has written a book on the first record bid, Earthrace, Futuristic Adventures on the High Seas.

 

But before Bethune succumbs to the attractions of his home and family, he wants to finish his mission of promoting awareness of the environment and the sustainable use of resources.

A successful attempt by Earthrace would mark the first time in history that an official powerboat world record has been broken using only renewable fuel.

He will drive the carbon-fibre, wave-piercing boat west from Valencia, stopping off at the Azores and Mexico before going through the Panama Canal, back into the Pacific and past Palau, Singapore and India to return to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal - a round trip of about 42,000km.

The Earthrace team has announced they are moving the start of their round the world speed record attempt to 29th March.

Skipper Pete Bethune explained, “We’ve been alerted to the impact that La Nina might have on our round the world record attempt.  Bob McDavitt, our MetService Weather Ambassador from New Zealand, has told us that we could risk affecting our progress through the Pacific Ocean if we continue with the original start date of the beginning of March.  We also want to ensure that Earthrace is in her optimum state for speed and efficiency by carrying out extensive sea trials following the major refit that she has been undergoing in Spain.”

Pete continued, “We are fully committed to beating the round the world speed record this time, and we do not intend to leave anything to chance.  There have been five attempts, including our own first attempt last year, since the current record was set in 1998 and we will do everything we can to mark this tenth anniversary by beating it!”

 

According to Captain Pete Bethune, the biodiesel supply planned for their stop in Portugal has been held up in customs so they will delay the start until April 15th or 20th. The refurbished boat has even more eye-popping looks with its new paint and electronics. The high speed time trials have gone well although Pete indicated that there was still a slight propeller shaft vibration on the port engine which they will continue to work on. 

At least they are actually planning ahead this time!

Wonder if the delay has any impact on the various weather patterns they will be sailing thru. Can a month's time mean the difference between fair seas and heavy weather anywhere along their route, sailors?

 At the speed of their desired rounding they should miss the nastiest of tropical storms, but much more than a month they'll increase the risk.

Update:
Scheduled restart from Spain is now for Sunday April 27th. They are waiting on shipment of biodiesel to get in place so as not to delay the record attempt along the circumnaviatoin route. Earthrace experience a steering pump failure in a 12 hour high speed trial and it is being replace and they are still experiencing some vibration on the port engine. 

 

 hope they leave this country soon without making too much noise and smell.

Rolf 

I've heard that Americans visitors can overstay their welcome in different places around the globe, so in a way I'm glad to know that New Zealanders are seen as just as obnoxious.

Its great that they draw attention to biodiesel ... although for some I suspect that there are too many negatives to the publicity oriented project? 

Earthrace has crossed the Atlantic (May 5) and has had a great run. They are 800+ nautical miles ahead of record time although they spent several days bashing through (literally through) seas. Yesterday the seas moderated and were following which made for more comfortable travel. Perhaps the latest pains have been comfort ... one which includes a "plug bog" (inoperable toilet). The have resorted to a bucket as sailors often do ... and have done for thousands of years. 

 

Here's a bit from Captain Pete Bethune dealing specifically with 'biodiesel'

“This weather looks crap”, Rob says to me as we come crashing through another wave.  The seas have been relentlessly on our bow for the last six hours and the strain is just starting to show on the crew.  I glance down at Adam who is trying to sleep but without success.  He’s bouncing up and down on the bed as we crash through each wave.  Down beside him is a small puddle of what looks like orange juice.  Who’d be stupid enough to take liquid down there, I wonder to myself.

A few minutes later I glance back down, and the small puddle has suddenly morphed into two inches deep of bright yellow liquid sloshing all through the sleeping quarters, and rising steadily.  Within seconds we discover one of the inspection hatches on the main fuel tank has pulled and biodiesel is gushing out.  The challenge though is the hatch is very low, and if we pull it off to fix it, we’ll lose half our total fuel all through the boat.  Which would also leave us stuck in the middle of the Atlantic with insufficient fuel tPuertoto Puerto Rico”.

“Get me some wood” I yell at Mark, who still seems half asleep.  He scurries off to the engine room, while Adam and I work at holding the lid down as best we can.  Meanwhile biodiesel continues to leak, covering our legs, arms and clothes.  GrabbingMakitaew Makita cordless saw we cut a couple of pieces of wood and chock them between the lid and the bunk, providing a temporary fix at least.  A little bit of fuel still sneaks out the side, but noting like what it was.

We then get the sidewinder jack and brace it between the lid and the bunk.  Within seconds of cranking the handle the flow stops, and the lid is sealed.  That was close, I think to myself.  If it had happened at night you might not know about it until the fuel made its way to the bilge pumps, which would involve a huge amount of fuel.  I look around the carnage in the sleeping quarters.  Bedding, clothes, shoes, tools, spare parts and equipment are all covered in biodiesel.  The slippery liquid is all through the boat, making our floor a health and safety officer’s worst nightmare.  Adam has already started cleaning up.

It’s an hour later before we finally stow away the tools as best we can.  “”Thank God it wasn’t normal diesel”, Adam say to me with an exhausted look on his face.  I look up at him.  He is completely covered in the fluid, and his face is bathed in sweat  You need people like him on a boat.

The Earthrace crew is almost to the Panama as of the evening of May 7th (MAP) after a bad fuel stop in Puerto Rico. The ship carrying the biodiesel fuel for Earthrace had mechanical problems and was able to make it to port. The talented groundcrew scrambled to find a new source of biodiesel on Puerto Rico, unfortunately the best they could do was to find a company to make some fresh biodiesel. The process took time and kept them in port for 30 hours (28 more than planned). The “crew are all just flat and disappointed” after this stop and Captain Pete Bethune continued to express concern in his latest radio report about a Panama Canal strike which could slow their transit through the Central American canal. Stay tuned. 

 Earthrace is ahead of record time with a much more focused and experienced crew. Captain Pete Bethune has the team working well and adapting to the few issues they have had up to this point. The fueling related problem is behind them (and hopefully for the balance of the trip) and the minor issue over the "Panama Canal strike" was over blown. (it didn't affect ship and boat transiting the canal ... and in fact the only concern was the amount of traffic waiting to go through) One big problem while preparing was a nasty gash on Mark Russell's foot - he's the Chief Engineer. During the short time in Panama the hospital was able to stitch up the foot and although he is not able to "monkey his way" down into the sardine can of an engine room, he is on board and able to take his turn at the helm. 

I'm enjoying following the trip with a few of my biodiesel oriented nautical types and will pass along whatever 'inside' details I hear. Here's an image of their tracking map ... click to go real time. 

Earthrace had an enjoyable stop on the west coast of Mexico with a receptive and welcoming crowd. (the biggest they have had on this record attempt) The media, town officials and locals made the most of the "cool biodiesel powered boats" stop ... Pete's story made me smile (here's part of it):

“Como diamis? (what is your name?)”, I say to one of the kids watching us intently from the dock.
“Manuel”, he replies shyly, shuffling his feet.  His friends are all looking at him.
“Es possiblay visitar elbarco Earthrace (is possible to visit the Earthrace boat)”, I say to him.  His face lights up, and next thing he and his mates are all running across the gangplank and hooting as they scarper into the helm of the world’s coolest boat.

An hour later and there is still a constant stream of people wandering through.  “Ees very nice you let us look your boat”, says a father, who has just managed to drag his kids back onto the dock.  It’s funny how I’ve been on Earthrace for two years now, and I still really enjoy letting the public on-board.  It is the only asset we have…and thinking about it, the only reason the boat exists is because of the generosity of so many volunteers, sponsors and family members who still work endlessly to support us.  So the least we can do is be generous with the boat.

Also, our job is to connect with people - sometimes on a superficial level, like today through media.  Millions of Mexicans will see the images of Earthrace on their TV screens tonight, and a proportion of them will remember a little about what we do and the messages we carry.  There are other people we connect with more strongly however.  Like the kids who went aboard in our brief refuelling stop.  Some of them will remember today for a long, long time.

The flotilla is there to escort us out, and amazingly, the entire breakwater is now lined with locals all waving and cheering us as we idle out into open water.
“What an amazing sight”, Adam says, as he’s tying off the last of the ropes.  I look over to the end of the breakwater, and there amongst the crowd, I spot the father, with his two kids waving furiously at us.
“Yes mate.  We are indeed blessed to experience this.”

They are off again and heading north-west for their scheduled stop in San Diego ... hoping the fuel will arrive in time. (ETA: Friday evening May 16th) Adrian from the Earthrace ground crew relayed his concern.

I got another one of these famous emails again from our shipper which goes something like 'the fuel was delayed by the shipping line the Bahamas. There is nothing I can do its out of my hands' again I think to my self here we go again!!!

 I am informed that its going to be extremely tight to get the fuel off the ship in LA for San Diego and also for Maui. I need to pull a rabbit out of the bag again. Days of customs and paper work are ahead of me trying to tell pen pushers in these offices that I am on a mission to save the world and break a world record. I have no choice but to get out of lovely Mexico and get a plane to San Diego via Houston. Ground crew form a plan and split up.

 I have to stay well ahead of the boat and chase this fuel which is turning out to be a bigger mission than anything else. The boat is fast and making great time but the world of international shipping is getting slower and slower. It really is a joke how these big brand companies run……

 

I'm glad this is working out for them.