Second Round the World Record bid on the cards
The Earthrace project is on the verge of announcing a second attempt at the Round The World Speed Record, MBY can reveal.
The attempt is “sponsor-dependent” and the details have yet to be finalised, but hopes are high the boat will be back under starter’s orders sometime next year, at the end of its European promotional tour.
The first Earthrace bid to break the record failed earlier this summer after heavy storms in the Med caused cracks in the boat’s hull.
The damage was the final straw after a catalogue of mishaps and disasters. Skipper Pete Bethune almost called the attempt off after the Earthrace accidentally rammed a fishing skiff off Guatemala, killing one local man.
And the boat’s biodiesel credentials were undermined when the crew failed to source the alternative fuel in a remote Pacific archipelago and had to use traditional diesel instead.
Now, with the wave-piercing hull repaired and more promotional duties under their belts in Northern Europe, the team are ready for another attempt on the 75-day mark set by British boat Cable & Wireless in 1998.
Earthrace visits London in early September and other UK ports later in the month.
Watch www.mby.com for updates.
Picture: The boat moored in Germany recently.
