Alan Priddy and the three crew of the 33ft RIB Spirit of Cardiff are on schedule to start their circumnavigation attempt
After two years of preparation and thousands of miles in sea trials – including an Atlantic crossing – skipper Alan Priddy’s dream of setting out to circumnavigate the world in a specially-designed RIB is shortly to become reality.
“We always declared that we would leave Cardiff on Easter Sunday, 31 March, for our attempt on the world record – and leave we will,” promised Priddy. “We are installing a brand new Yamaha turbo diesel engine, and teams of engineers from Raymarine are running miles of cables for their latest navigation equipment. But have no fear, we will be ready on time!”
Before Priddy, Jan Falkowski, Steve Lloyd and Clive Tully and the 33ft covered RIB Spirit of Cardiff take on the world, you can meet them at farewell party being thrown in their honour on Saturday 30 March at the Waterguard pub on Harbour Drive in Cardiff, next to the Spirit of Cardiff visitors’ centre. Everyone is invited to come along and sample the Waterguard’s bespoke Spirit of Cardiff cocktail, watch the fireworks over Roath Basin and wish Godspeed to the boat and her crew.
The following morning, Spirit of Cardiff will be escorted by a flotilla of small craft (the more, the merrier, just contact Nadia or call heer on 07811-553925) through Cardiff Bay to the barrage, where Priddy will open up the throttle and launch Spirit down the Bristol Channel towards her first port of call, Gibraltar.
Spirit of Cardiff’s 33ft Ribtec hull is designed by Alastair Cameron, built by Northshore Composites and topped with tubes from Henshaw Inflatables. The cabin was added by Priddy’s Offshore Expeditions team and can accommodate six crew. The single 240hp Yamaha turbo-diesel can reach 30 knots plus with the hammer down but will cruise at 20 knots for an incredible 3,600 miles – from Japan to Hawai’i – on its maximum fuel load of 4,000ltr (900gal). The team has recently added a 35hp diesel outboard to Spirit’s inventory for emergency use.
There are still opportunities to sponsor Spirit’s voyage, both privately and corporately, and you can learn more about those on the website www.spirit-of-cardiff.com
