Cat powers Atlantic record attempt

by IBI Magazine on 1 Jul 2003 A world record breaking attempt to cross the North Atlantic, led by Britain's youngest conqueror of Mount Everest, Bear Grylls, will be underatken in a small RIB (rigid inflatable boat) powered by a Caterpillar marine engine.

Travelling from Nova Scotia to John O'Groats via a route which passes just south of the Arctic Circle, the five-strong crew are using a 10.85 metre aluminium hulled RIB built by Ocean Dynamics, is a boat which features a Caterpillar 3126B marine diesel propulsion engine rated at 456hp at 2800 rpm, which drives the boat via a Twin Disc TDEJ130 jet drive, and is designed to deliver a cruising speed in the region of 18-25 knots, depending upon fuel and water storage conditions.

The boat will have a top speed of 28 knots at reduced fuel and water levels, but with the longest leg of the voyage - from Greenland to Reykjavik - spanning a distance of over 850 nautical miles, the vessel has additional fuel tanks and an overall capacity of 4,000 litres of fuel. At 94 litres an hour when flat out, this equates to 42 hours' travelling which, at an average speed of 20 knots, would see the boat covering a distance of 851 nautical miles.

The expedition, which will raise around £50,000 for the UK young person's charity The Prince's Trust, has come to fruition following major contributions from a wide range of organisations and will, if successful, be a world first after a previous attempt, in 1997, resulted in an icebreaker needing to be employed to get a different intrepid team out of the polar icepack.

Caterpillar has been established for more than 75 years and recorded 2002 sales and revenues of $20.15 billion.