Earthrace- aims for 60 day World Record
by Rob Kothe on 27 Jun 2008
Earthrace at speed Jim King
The 74 foot (24 metre) bio-diesel fuelled powerboat Earthrace is set to thunder across the finish line off the Vulkan Shipyard in Sagunto, Spain this afternoon 27th June 2008 local time.
The giant trimaran is powering towards Spain at 24.8 knots, with New Zealand skipper Pete Bethune keen to stop the clock at 60 days and change.
Conditions in the western Mediterrean are favouring them with flat seas and tonight under a crescent moon Earthrace is powering westwards, just 333 miles from the finish line.
She started her attempt to set a new world record for a powerboat to circle the globe from Sagunto north of Valencia on Sunday 27 April 2008, 14.35 local time/13.35 GMT. and the race crew is aiming to finish before 14.35.
The current record for a powerboat to circumnavigate the globe is currently 74 days 20 hours 58 minutes 30 seconds. This record was set by UK boat ‘Cable & Wireless Adventurer’ in 1998.
In the last 24 hours, Earthrace travelled 536 nm at an average of 22.3 knots and is now more than 4,000 miles ahead of the 1998 record.
You can here Bethune’s sat phone report here now
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