Coolest Boat in the World

New Zealand Earthrace skipper Pete Bethune has circumnavigated the globe in record-breaking time, 11 minutes short of 61 days in a £3 million 24m tri-hull wavepiercer powered on cooking oil. “I am elated,” Bethune told the Guardian, as he thundered the final 50 miles towards the Vulkan Shipyard near Valencia. “We sat around last night getting excited and it was like Christmas Eve. We just can’t wait to get there and celebrate – get into some drink, meet the ground crew and have a party.” Earthrace‘s journey, which began on April 27 and ended in Sagunto, Spain on June 27, was fraught with adventure. The world’s fastest eco-boat and her four-man crew was threatened by pirates, lashed by monsoons and almost sunk by floating logs. “Earthrace’s success has proved that any form of transport, including marine, can be non-damaging to the environment as well as being high performance,” Bethune said. Built in New Zealand, the trimaran is capable of submarining up to 7m underwater and at 6 knots can travel 24,000 km on one tank of biodiesel.