Earthrace team skipper Pete Bethune is calling the proposal by Team Britannia’s Alan Priddy to beat the record for a diesel fuelled powerboat to circle the globe an environmental nightmare
In 2008, Bethune said he lead the Earthrace team in setting a new record for a powerboat to circle the globe, running biodiesel fuel made from waste cooking oils.
“When Priddy recently announced his plans to try and take this record, I sat on the sidelines biting my tongue, not wanting to criticize another man’s dream,” says Bethune.
“His dream, however, has morphed into an environmental nightmare for the planet, and yet he has the audacity to claim it’s an environmental challenge,” Bethune continues.
Team Britannia is a multi-million-pound British bid to design and build the fastest and most fuel-efficient wave-slicing powerboat to circumnavigate the globe for the UIM world record, currently held by Bethune at 60 days 23 hours 49 minutes.
The whole construction process is expected to take four months before a programme of sea trials in the Solent and around the British Isles.
Led by Priddy, Team Britannia will launch the record bid in October 2016.
“Based on data from the challenge website the proposed vessel will guzzle 168,000 litres of diesel fuel in setting the record,” says Bethune.
“Priddy’s plan to use diesel fuel is turning the clock back to the 80s when thoughts were never on climate change, carbon footprints, or looking after our environment. Times have changed from those carefree days,” he says.
“The challenge will add 450 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere from diesel alone, at a time when many countries are desperately trying to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions,all this to get your name in a record book is madness,” says Bethune.
“The type of voyage Priddy proposes should be assigned to history. In 1998, the British boat “Cable and Wireless” went around the world in 75 days running diesel fuel,” he says.
“Some ten years later, Earthrace took their record running biodiesel fuel. A few years after that the vessel Turanor Planet Solar circled the globe completely on Solar power, and a Solar Plane is now circling the globe,” says Bethune.
“Earthrace Conservation, like many other NGOs, is working hard to address environmental issues, and so it is particularly galling to see Priddy making ridiculous claims about being an Environmentalist or running an Eco boat while putting his hand out for donations,” he says.
