Wave-piercing boat visits area
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Gulf Breeze News franklin@gulfbreezenews.com

Submitted Photo Earthrace is a trimaran, wave-piercing boat powered by bio-diesel fuel. The craft's crew hopes to break the world record for global circumnavigation. The boat's wave-piercing hull is an innovative design that allows the vessel to partially submerge when navigating rough seas. Biodiesel is a low-emission alternative fuel that is made from plant matter and animal fat. EArthrace is set to begin its epic quest in March.

What's silver, jumps through waves and is powered by organic material? A dolphin? No. A sailfish? No. It's Earthrace the powerboat!

The vessel looks like a Nubian spacecraft straight out of Star Wars, but it's actually a wave-piercing trimaran powered by bio-diesel fuel. The predominately New Zealand-born crew is determined to break the global circumnavigation record while raising public awareness about alternative fuels. The vessel passed through the Pensacola Bay area on Jan. 5 through 7 during its 60-day publicity tour.

Earthrace organizers claim they have the world's first powerboat to attempt breaking the current world record of 75 days using only alternative fuels. The boat is powered by biodiesel, a fuel made from plant matter and animal fats that produces low emissions and is biodegradable. Equipped with two low emission diesel engines, and built with high tech composite materials used in military aircraft, the boat has a unique 78- foot wave-piercing hull designed to slice through waves.

"It's a pretty ambitious project, said County Commissioner Robert "Bob" Cole, who is a vocal proponent for alternative fuels in Santa Rosa County. Cole said he first met Earthrace organizers about two years ago at an annual bio-diesel conference in South Florida when they were still trying to keep the project afloat.

"The world's current reliance on standard fossil fuels is unsustainable," says Earthrace CEO Pete Bethune, who also serves as the boat's skipper. "It will take leadership and vision from forward looking companies and individuals to develop and promote cleaner, more sustainable alternatives."

Bethune has a lot on the line to ensure the project's success, as the New Zealander mortgaged his home, sold his business and even went under the plastic surgeon's knife to partially fund the $3 million vessel.

"One of the great things about bio-diesel is it can be made from so many different sources," Bethune said.

To prove his point Bethune underwent liposuction, intending to convert his excess fat into fuel to run in his boat. But he won't get far. Pete, who weighs a lean 158 pounds, has so little fat that all the surgeon could extract was less than half a pound. From this, Pete says he'll get about 100 milliliters (or approximately seven tablespoons) of bio-diesel, which will fuel his boat for approximately 330 feet. He plans to get additional fat donated from other Auckland, New Zealand cosmetic surgeons, with patient consent, and make a total of around two and a half gallons of fuel. While this won't get him around the globe, it will highlight the point that bio-diesel can be made from lots of sources. No one has made bio-diesel from human fat before, but Bethune claims there is no reason why it won't work.

"The dominant molecular structure we expect to be triglycerides which are ideal for biodiesel," Buthane said.

The chemical process is expected to take about two days to complete, after which the fuel will be filtered, ready for the boat.

Earthrace is currently on an 18-month promotional tour of 60 cities promoting the race, while raising awareness of sustainable fuels and to allowing the public and media to view and become involved with an exciting project. Part way into the tour, the record attempt will be made, starting and ending in Barbados.

The world record attempt will be a voyage of an estimated 24,000 nautical miles that passes through the Panama and Suez canals. The current record of 75 days was set by the British boat "Cable & Wireless" in 1998. The Earthrace aims to smash this record by completing the voyage in less than 65 days, weather and crew permitting.

The wave-piercing trimaran was designed by renowned New Zealand navel architect Craig Loomis Design Group and built by Calibre Boats, a builder of high-tech custom yachts. It is a showcase of environmentally friendly technologies such as low-emissions engines, nontoxic anti-foul and efficient hull design. In order to ensure the lowest weight and highest strength possible, the hull is constructed using carbon fiber and Kevlar. The boat is powered by two standard, donated Cummins Mercruiser Diesel (CMD) engines that use only 100 percent bio-diesel fuel. CMD engines were selected for their very low emissions, fuel efficiency, reliability and lightweight attributes.

Earthrace is expected to embark with four crewmembers in March. For more information on Earthrace and to track the voyage visit http://www.earthrace. net.