WELLINGTON School student Harry Besley set off on Saturday (July 13) hoping to create a world record by piloting an electric-powered boat around Britain.
Water baby Harry, aged 18, if successful, would be the first person to circumnavigate the country in a vessel entirely driven by electricity.
Harry, who has been ‘on the water’ all his life, has grown up sailing, instructing, and driving dinghies, starting out in a 5hp bath tub boat and now driving powerboats.
He said: “Although I am only young, I do have lots of experience and qualifications.
“It is a record that has never been set before, so we will be the first, and the fastest.
“The excitement is building and I am really looking forward to experiencing the whole British coastline as we go round.”
Harry wants his adventure to showcase the technology and raise awareness of how power boat users can reduce carbon emissions.
He said: “It has not been talked about much, electric and sustainable boating.
“I wanted to do something to make people aware of the alternatives.
“It is not just the petrol emissions which are damaging, there is the noise pollution that affects the natural habitats, and air pollution.
“The electric boat, because it is silent, does not cause noise, air, or water pollution, so there are many benefits.”
Harry will start the epic journey in rigid inflatable boat (RIB), named Electra, from Lyme Regis and will call into more than 40 marinas, harbours, coastal villages, and tourist destinations which have permanent fast charging facilities to recharge the engine and promote the technology.
Round Britain eRIB said the environmental challenge stemmed from the absence of alternatives to fossil fuel propulsion in the small leisure powerboat sector.
A spokesperson said: “This project intends to help the marine industry move towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.
“We want to accelerate the change and encourage the industry to invest.
“Electra will be used to showcase the capabilities of electric propulsion in UK coastal waters.”
The boat is a Galaxy RIB with a Ukrainian built aluminium hull and Norwegian propulsion system from EVOY.
It was put together in The Netherlands and carries 126kWh batteries and a 150 peak horse power equivalent motor.
The spokesperson said the secret to covering longer distances in electric boats was a slower speed, so Harry would be ‘taking things steady’ and an escort vessel would be used to keep him safe.
They said: “We will test the capabilities of an electric boat further than ever before.
“In changeable sea conditions affected by wind, tides, currents, and headlands, with non-stop and consecutive charge and discharge cycles.
“This challenge will allow our commercial and academic partners to collect and analyse data to review performance, and input to models and simulations to improve future electric boat systems and designs.”
The electric boat challenge has been more than 18 months in the planning stage and Harry has had to overcome several obstacles just to reach the starting line.