Earthrace - Biodiesel Rocket

Earthrace, the biodiesel speedboat attempting to break the round the world speedboat record, is half way across the dreaded Gulf of Tehuantepec and thundering north toward her fourth pit stop, located in Mexico.

Earthrace has faced a series of delays early in the race. First, she had fuel issues in Puerto Rico, losing a full 24 hrs of time. Second, Earthrace took over two days to transit the Panama Canal due to arriving at the busiest time of the year. Luckily the team was allowed to jump to the front of the long line of waiting yachts, and transit early.

Yesterday, Earthrace passed the area of water off Guatemala where last year they struck a fishing panga in the dark of night, killing one crewman and injuring another. This year, Earthrace is staying far offshore, due mainly to a good weather forecast for the Gulf of Tehuantepec. Last year's attempt saw the Tehuantepec blowing a full gale, and the crew trying to get inshore to transit the notoriously difficult patch of water.

Earthrace is screaming along at nearly 22 knots in an attempt to make up lost time due to delays in Puerto Rico and Panama. This high rate of speed is a gamble for skipper Pete Bethune. During the last race attempt, Earthrace was running hard and melted a piston costing the team ten days while they waited for parts in the remote island of Palau.

Bethune reports: “There was a bit of downturn in morale over the last few days, with the problems in Puerto Rico and the brief delay in Panama. And things didn’t get better when one member of the crew, Mark, slipped and lacerated his foot. You have to remind yourself sometimes quite how much organisation this project entails – our role on the boat is clearly defined – get Earthrace from A to B as quickly and safely as possible – but the ground crew also have to think about fuel, water, food, customs, immigration, canal transits and anything else that may throw itself at us."

Earthrace had a late start this year due to logistical issues and time needed to finish the refit at the new Vulkan Mega-yacht shipyard in Valencia Spain. This late start means the Earthrace challenges may be just beginning. The last 45 days of the race will be in cyclone prone waters and Earthrace will have to cross the complete Indian Ocean against the coming monsoon season. Stay tuned for more updates.

-Scott Fratcher

Scott Fratcher served as Chief Engineer for the ground team during the first record attempt in 2007, and is the author of Earthrace-First Time Around.

Video: Earthrace Bio-Diesel Boat