Eathrace is a 78ft silver trimaran that didn’t just look futuristic – it lived a life of pure cinematic drama. We add it to our list of the World's coolest boats
Lets face it, this boat could have done absolutely nothing and it would still be deserving of its place on the Cool Page because, well, just look at it!
A metallic silver 78ft wave- piercing trimaran built of composite carbon fibre and Kevlar, it looked like an alien spaceship had touched down, seaplane style. That, however, would have been a short story and one thing that this boat does not have, is a short story.
Conceived and developed by New Zealander Pete Bethune, this incredible looking vessel was built to break a world record, literally, because the aim was to be the fastest motor boat around the globe. If that wasn’t enough, it was to be done in the most eco-friendly way possible to prove that performance could be green.
Everything was designed to be as eco-friendly as possible
The original idea was to be electrically driven, with the electric motors powered by low-emission generators, an idea eventually scrapped in favour of conventional marine diesels running on pure biodiesel with the aim of the project being (apart from claiming the record) to raise awareness of alternative fuels.
Three years and two re-mortgages later the boat was finally on the start line in Barbados in 2007. And that’s when the problems really started. From the fuel sponsor backing out to new propellers delaminating, issues came thick and fast, the very worst of them being running over a 26ft fishing skiff in the dark resulting in two of its occupants being seriously injured and one missing presumed dead.
Earthrace was impounded in a Guatemalan military base with the crew in court just days later. They were absolved of responsibility when it became apparent that the fishing boat had no proper lighting and all the crew were asleep. The attempt restarted but eventually failed after the boat (and crew) received such a beating in heavy Med storms that it began to crack up.
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A year and a refit later they were back, and though numerous technical problems had to be overcome, the record was finally achieved, with the vessel making the return to Sagunto, Spain after just under 61 days on 27 June 2008.
The story doesn’t end there because, painted black and renamed Ady Gil, the boat joined the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, eventually sinking in 2010 after a collision with a Japanese whaling vessel.
Eathrace specifications
Year: 2006
LOA: 78ft (24m)
Beam: 23ft (7m)
Power: Twin Cummins Mercruiser 540hp diesels
Speed: 32 knots
Price: $2.5M (according to Wikipedia)
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