M/V Earthrace, the bio diesel-powered, wave-penetrating
trimaran, was lost in the Southern Ocean on Jan. 5 after a collision
with a Japanese whaling ship. Earthrace was designed by Craig Loomes,
skippered by Pete Bethune and held the UIM round-the-world speedboat
record. I served as Chief Engineer for Team Earthrace during her record
attempt in 2007.
Writing a eulogy about Earthrace feels like writing about the loss
of a famous relative. I knew her well, but she touched many more lives
than I’ll ever know.
If the Japanese were seeking to reduce media exposure of whaling, they
picked the wrong boat to eliminate. Earthrace, the world’s most
high-profile powerboat, has been toured by more than 200,000 visitors
in dozens of countries. Her loss has been viewed around the world, on
every major news channel, by tens of millions of people.
The sinking of Earthrace symbolizes the end of an era. The end of a
piece of history that many were hoping would land on the walls of the
National Maritime Museum rather than the floor of the Antarctic Ocean.
Without a doubt, Earthrace suffered much drama during her short life.
The news reports only told part of the tale. Take a look at some of
the more memorable Earthrace moments with an insider's eye.
Funding
From its inception, Team Earthrace was desperately low on funds. Undaunted
by the lack of a major cash sponsor, owner Pete Bethune capitalized
on the idea of a thousand small-time funders. Opening up Earthrace for
day tours at $5 a head, money trickled in and Earthrace formed a “hands
on” public support group.
This simple concept of thousands of small day-to-day donations became
the main funding source for Earthrace expenses and showed how a grassroots
organization can effect change on a global scale.
Record attempt No. 1
In a crushing blow to the 2007 race effort, the main biodiesel sponsor
pulled out (due to financial constraints) just a month before race start,
leaving Earthrace with empty fuel tanks and 25,000 miles to go.
Bethune kept the boat on schedule while the ground team ran its own
race seeking biodiesel donations tank by tank, often succeeding with
just hours to spare. This saga climaxed in the remote island of Palau
where Earthrace arrived with a broken engine, no biodiesel and no cash.
Carbon prop failures
On the unsuccessful 2007 record attempt, Earthrace tried to gain a
tactical advantage with the use of carbon fiber props. Eighteen hours
into the first leg, the high-tech propellers simply fell to bits, leaving
Earthrace limping toward Panama and causing the team to seek an instant
donation of new propellers.
Hytorq stepped
forward and supplied Earthrace with props for the remainder of her race
career. Fed Ex diverted a plane and delivered the new props at cost
while Panamanian customs stayed open past midnight to ensure their safe
arrival.
The props were changed at the dock while team members stood guard,
keeping crocodiles at bay. Amazingly Earthrace was only delayed two
days
.
Guatemalan collision
The most famous incident in Earthrace's history was the nighttime collision
with a Guatemalan fishing boat. In the dark of night, Earthrace struck
an open 22-foot, unlit, drifting fishing boat, causing the death of
one Guatemalan crew member and injuries to another.
The five-day old props were destroyed and Earthrace was detained in
the Puerto Quetzal military base for 10 days until a Guatemalan court
found Bethune not guilty for the tragic accident.
Insurance helped to compensate the families for their loss and
Hytorq kept technicians working round the clock building another
set of propellers.
The boxes were air shipped to southern Mexico where team member Allison
Thompson, escorted by a Guatemalan tourist office representative, crossed
the border to a remote Mexican air strip past midnight, only to be told
the airport was closed. Pleading their case they succeeded in collecting
the props and drove through the night to return to the waiting Earthrace.
San Diego
Team Earthrace was faced with more delays due to after-collision repairs
at the dock in San Diego. Crew members pulled both props and one bent
3-inch shaft while Earthrace floated at the dock.
The shaft was delivered to a machine shop minutes before it closed
for a three-day weekend. Taken with the Earthrace project, local technicians
stayed open through the night to straighten the shaft.
Palau
A piston failed half-way between the Marshall Islands and Palau, one
of the world’s most remote islands, causing a 10-day delay while
the team waited for parts to find their way through the complicated
air routes.
During this time, Earthrace ran completely out of cash. To buy enough
fuel for departure the team started a radio campaign and sold seats
aboard the infamous boat.
India
Yachts rarely visit India, due partly to the complex bureaucracy involved.
Initially asked to wait on an offshore buoy for 48 hours while paperwork
was processed, Earthrace was eventually allowed to dock directly at
the main shipping pier in Cochin, South West India.
Inside the Earthrace engine room, repairs were desperately needed.
In the rough crossing from Singapore, the flexible engine mount studs
had sheared, leaving the port engine hanging by the shaft and nearly
lying in the bilge.
Meanwhile the Earthrace crew had arrived without visas and were restricted
to the hot, stuffy boat. They soon became ill with “Dehli-belly”.
The biodiesel delivery was detained at the state border for four days
till it finally arrived only to be found unusable after failing onboard
quality tests.
Mediterranean
Earthrace found some of her roughest weather just south of Italy. The
steady pounding caused a forward transducer to implode, which opened
a tear in the Earthrace bottom two meters long.
Earthrace arrived in Malaga, Spain, in sinking condition. In the belief
an “in the water” repair might be possible, the bottom had
some “quick fix” epoxy laid over the cracks and Earthrace
departed only to return hours later leaking worse than ever.
Thus ended the 2007 recorded attempt.
Repairs
Out of funds and with Earthrace broken at the dock, Pete Bethune returned
to New Zealand to recover. Luckily, the America’s Cup was taking
place just 400 miles away. Earthrace limped into Valencia, Spain, just
in time for Team NZ to win the Louis Vitton cup.
Photos of Earthrace next to the Team NZ boats circulated around the
world and gave Earthrace needed publicity. The press clippings were
shown to the newly opened Vulkan Shipyard with its extra-wide travel
lift, one of the only haulouts suitable in all Europe.
A sponsorship package was made with Vulkan Shipyard to supply a free
haul and a safe haven to make repairs. With help from members of South
Africa’s Team Shosholoza, Earthrace was re-launched a month later
and departed for Ireland.
Stuck in Cork
Earthrace started her European “comeback tour” in Cork,
Ireland. Trying to pass under the historic Eamon de Valera Bridge at
low tide, she became wedged. With the tide turning and the threat of
being crushed under the bridge imminent, the relief skipper gunned the
engines and burst free to a hero's welcome in a cloud of cement dust
and carbon fiber particles.
Cash sponsorship
Earthrace finally found a cash sponsor at the Rostock sail festival
in the form of a German businessman. As a test of her advertising potential,
Earthrace was re-branded with a large banner placed over her bow after
which she lead the opening ceremony of Europe’s largest tall ship
festival.
In the two-hour parade, the DucheMed sticker produced an incredible
50,000 Web site hits. For the remainder of the European tour, Earthrace
showed off the new logo, providing needed resources for the 2008 record
attempt.
Record attempt No. 2
Earthrace started her 2008 recorded attempt from Vulkan Shipyard, making
good time till she arrived at the entrance to the Panama Canal. A “work
to rules” work stoppage was in effect by canal employees causing
a predicted two-week delay. After two days, canal authorities bowed
to public pressure and allowed Earthrace quick passage across the isthmus.
Palau disaster
Earthrace arrived in the dark of night to the reef-strewn waters of
Palau. After fueling, Earthrace departed into the darkness following
a pilot boat where she struck a propeller on an unknown object, destroying
a prop and shaft and cracking the P bracket. The team was devastated,
and the record attempt again in peril. Earthrace departed on one engine
for Singapore.
Emergency repairs
The Earthrace ground crew arrived in Singapore four days ahead of Earthrace
with no funding and no haul-out plans. Throwing themselves on the good
graces of the Singaporean business community, they arranged a haul out,
new shaft, and P bracket repair mostly locally sponsored. Amazingly,
Earthrace only suffered a two-day delay while round-the-clock repairs
were completed.
Valencia and a new record
Earthrace crossed the finish line setting a new UIM record for the
circumnavigation of a power boat, of 60 days, 23 hrs, 49 minutes, beating
the old record time of 74 days, 23 hours, 53 minutes (held by Cable
and Wireless). She brought home to New Zealand another noteworthy record.
Victory tour
Earthrace began a round-the-world victory tour drawing large crowds
to visit the famous boat and hear lectures of education, individual
responsibility, alternative energy and biodiesel. Dogged by heavy debt,
Earthrace was put up for sale and eventually purchased by the Sea Sheppard
Conservation Society, a radical anti-whaling group that practices direct
action.
In other words Earthrace, renamed Ady Gil after the entertainment industry
executive who donated the money to purchase her, was to be put “in
harms way” in an effort to slow the Japanese whaling of the Antarctic.
Her sinking
Earthrace was refit for the Southern Ocean with extra layers of Kevlar,
a powerful new radar, and painted black. Renamed Ady Gil she departed
Australia for the Antarctic in an attempt to dissuade the Japanese whaling
fleet.
After days of harassment from both sides, Earthrace was rammed by the
whaling ship Shonan Maru No. 2, and sunk.
Filmed from three angles in the remote Antarctic Ocean, the ship-to-yacht
collision footage on YouTube was viewed more than 2 million times in
the first three days of posting.
Thus ended the glorious life of one of the world’s most controversial
boats.
Conclusions
Some say Earthrace being dramatically rammed by a Japanese whaling
boat on live TV is a fitting ending to the world’s most high-profile
powerboat. During her race career, Earthrace was larger than life and,
constantly displayed to a worldwide audience. How could her final moments
be any less grandiose?
Scott Fratcher served as Chief Engineer for the 2007 record
attempt and has authored six books including “Earthrace-First
Time Around”
