Young skipper to depart on electric Round Britain RIB challenge
The young skipper of an electric RIB (rigid inflatable boat) is preparing to set off on a journey around the coast of Britain, raising awareness of electric propulsion.
The not-for-profit Round Britain eRIB challenge will follow 18-year-old Harry Besley’s odyssey with his support team from Lyme Regis in Dorset.
Depending on weather conditions, the electric Round Britain RIB challenge should start from Lyme Regis on Saturday, 13 July. Besley will travel around the British coastline, stopping for electric charging at more than 40 locations, including Falmouth on 15 July.
Besley, from Taunton in Somerset, says he looks forward to talking to well-wishers and interested parties in his host ports. Besley is a keen sailor and watersports enthusiast who has just finished his A-levels.
“I was fed up with going out in boats and knowing that we are causing harm to the environment,” he says, explaining his reasons for planning this challenge.
“I did some research and found that there were electric engines and I didn’t know why people weren’t using them instead of petrol engines. It’s not just burning fossil fuels which is causing harm with the chemicals produced contributing to the greenhouse effect and global warming: petrol engines also harm water quality and cause noise pollution.”
On his journey, Besley and his team will highlight the opportunities for the use of electric propulsion systems in UK coastal waters. In addition to support from 44 ports around the British coast, he is backed by several key industry bodies, including the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), British Marine, British Ports Association, The Yacht Harbour Association, UK Harbour Masters Association, and The Green Blue.
Sponsors of the challenge include Gill; Harris Maxus, which has provided an electric pickup truck as a ground support vehicle; the Ocean Family Foundation, with a cash donation; and Kempower, which is providing two moveable chargers to support ‘fast’ charging at 44 locations around Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Last July Besley cancelled the challenge, following delays in the vessel’s production schedule.
Falmouth Harbour’s environment manager Vicki Spooner says: “We are thrilled to be one of the charging points along Harry’s route and we look forward to making him welcome on his incredible challenge.
“Falmouth Harbour are keen to support and understand more about electric propulsion, so this challenge is of particular interest as we try to find effective decarbonisation strategies for our own vessels and those of users of the harbour.
“For Harry’s arrival, we have adapted one of our Haven marina charging pillars to enable him to charge overnight in Falmouth before setting off the next morning. By this autumn we will have installed a rapid charger onto the marina, ahead of welcoming our own Falmouth Harbour eRib as part of the Innovate UK-funded Zenow project.”
More information, including updated timings for Besley’s electric Round Britain RIB project and a fundraising page, are available on the project’s website.
