Powerboat adventurer Alan Priddy is back with Team Britannia - a new project to break the round-the-world record in 2015. A British team of 10 adventurers will attempt to smash the record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe in a powerboat next year.
Team Britannia, led by round-the-world veteran Alan Priddy (pictured below), will set off from Europa Point in Gibraltar on 1 November 2015.
The British crew aims to knock ten days off the current record of 60 days, 23 hours and 49 minutes, which was set in 2008 by New Zealander Pete Bethune in his 78ft powered trimaran, Earthrace.
Team Britannia?s, as yet unnamed, fast planing monohull (pictured above) is aiming for an average cruising speed in excess of 16.2 knots.
Speaking at the ?2.9million project?s launch event in Canary Wharf last night (8 December), Alan said: ?It?s time we brought the record back home.?
A project reborn:
Claiming the world circumnavigation record has been Alan?s aim for more than a decade. His previous attempt in 2002 with Spirit of Cardiff ended in failure, after stop-offs in an Indonesian jail and a crewmember suffering a heart attack.
His second attempt has been six years in the making and suffered a major setback in 2012 when a fire at his Birmingham boatyard led to Team Britannia?s first hull being scrapped.
However, the November 2015 start date is now set in stone, with backing secured from the likes of Raymarine, Iridium, Cobweb and SulNOx.
And there is more to it than sheer vanity, as the Royal British Legion has been announced as Team Britannia?s charity partner.
It is not just the vessel that will be different for Alan this time around, as the route has been reworked to ensure a smooth passage across international borders. Each of the seven fuelling points (Puerto Rico, Panama, Acapulco, Honolulu, Guam, Singapore and Oman) have been chosen due to their close diplomatic links with either the UK or the USA.
As if the circumnavigation record wasn?t enough, Team Britannia is also hoping to break the record for the fastest passage of the Suez Canal and the fastest crossing from Puerto Rico to Panama. Each Formula 1-style pit stop will see the 30,000-litre fuel tank refilled in around three minutes. To ensure a quick turnaround, the engines will be kept running at all times.
?This project is the culmination of a lifetime?s work that I hope will highlight the amazing qualities and skills that we have in abundance in our country,? Alan adds.
?I hope it serves as reminder of what this country has and can still achieve.?
