Teenager Harry Besley has set off on his attempt to become the first person to circumnavigate Britain in an electric boat
The 18-year-old, who has only just completed his A-levels at Wellington School in Somerset, left Lyme Regis, Dorset, on 13 July in his 21ft (6.5m) RIB.
The route will take him clockwise round Britain via the Caledonian Canal with at least 40 planned recharging stops en route.
The aim of the challenge is to highlight the marine industry’s transition to zero-emissions propulsion. This rules out the possibility of a fossil-fuelled support boat but he does have a shore team that will follow him around the country in a couple of electric vehicles.
The boat he is using is a specially adapted aluminium-hulled RIB built by Galaxy in Ukraine. It is powered by a 90kW (120hp) Evoy electric outboard fed by twin 63kWh Kreisel batteries installed under a slightly raised deck.
It’s capable of 35 knots but Harry is planning to average around 12-15 knots over the course of the 1,700nm voyage, using a mix of planing at 17 knots and displacement cruising at 5 knots to maximise the range between recharging stops.
The batteries can be trickle charged overnight from a standard 6.6kW shorepower cable but faster DC charging will be available in some marinas or via a mobile charger connected to a 32A three-phase supply, which the shore team is taking with them. A petrol generator will be on standby for emergencies only.
“It is likely to take anything from four to eight weeks,” says Harry’s mother and project manager Jaqui Besley. “A lot of time will be spent waiting for suitable conditions, especially when rounding big corners like Land’s End or crossing open stretches of water such as from Anglesey to the Isle of Man.”
Keep an eye out for the full story once Harry’s back home; in the meantime you can follow his progress live at roundbritain-erib.org
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