Latest NEWS...Press Release from the BELAU ROYAL Yacht CLUB... EARTHRACE returns to Palau, Micronesia,
PRESS
RELEASE FROM PALAU, MICRONESIA!
For Immediate Release from the
Balau Royal Yacht Club
EARTHRACE
returns to Palau,
Micronesia.
What is earthrace?
The goal of Earthrace is to set a new world record
for a powerboat to circumnavigate the globe,
running 100% renewable biodiesel
fuel, and with a net zero carbon footprint.
The amazing Earthrace boat will make the attempt
starting from Sagunto in Spain. Earthrace is also
undertaking a two year promotional tour, visiting 100
great cities around the globe. The crew meet local
people, talk about their experiences, and most of all
connect with people about the need to get renewable
fuels into our energy mix and to inspire them to do
something themselves to minimise their impact
on the environment.
KOROR, PALAU, May 29, 2008:
Earthrace, the world’s
fastest eco-boat returns to Palau on its second
attempt to break the Round-The-World record set by
the vessel Cable and Wireless back in 1998. The
24,000 nautical mile journey began in Spain and has
included crossing the Atlantic Ocean, transiting the
Panama Canal, and crossing the Eastern Pacific
enroute to Hawaii. The current leg of the journey now
underway took EARTHRACE from Hawaii to Majuro,
Marshall Islands with Palau as the next refueling
stop before heading for Singapore.
The complete round-the-world itinerary includes
Sagunto (Spain) – Horta (Azores) – San Juan (Puerto
Rico) – Colon (Panama Canal, Panama) – Manzanillo
(Mexico) – San Diego (USA) – Maalaea Harbor, Maui
(Hawaii) – Majuro (Marshall Islands) – Koror (Palau)
– Singapore – Kochi/Cochin (India) – Salalah (Oman) –
Port Said (Suez Canal, Egypt) – Sagunto (Spain).
EARTHRACE powered in to Hawaii well ahead of the
record time however she suffered a fuel line failure
shortly after departure that reduced her to one
engine, slowing her progress from Hawaii to the
Marshall Islands where repairs were made to get her
back in the race. Even on one engine, EARTHRACE
manages 16 knots so despite the delays, she remains
very much in the race.
Skipper Peter
Bethune
said: “The progress we’ve made so far is nothing
short of outstanding, but it’s nervous times. There
are so many possible situations that can slow
you down when you take on a challenge as ambitious as
this, but the team has so far managed to overcome
every obstacle that’s been thrown at us. “We’ve
conquered the Atlantic and most of the Pacific, at an
average speed of 20 knots. The engine problem is a
setback but we have overcome challenges all the way
through the race so far.”
Earthrace is already beyond the half-way point on its
historic round-the-world record attempt to
circumnavigate the globe in a vessel powered by
renewable bio-diesel, a fuel created from plants and
waste materials. Given diminishing fossil fuel
reserves worldwide as highlighted by rapidly
escalating gasoline costs, EARTHRACES goal to focus
attention on the need to develop renewable sources of
energy makes more and more sense.
EARTHRACE is crewed by skipper Peter Bethune, New
Zealand; Robert Drewett, Britian; Mark Russel,
Britian; and Adam Carlson, Sweden. The Royal Belau
Yacht Club bestowed Lifetime Honorary Membership on
Skipper, Peter Bethune during his last visit to
Palau, recognizing him for his outstanding
accomplishments and contributions to the art of
circumnavigation.
EARTHRACE is scheduled to arrive in Koror, Palau late
Saturday evening, May 31. The public is invited to
join the Royal Belau Yacht Club in giving EARTHRACE
and her crew a warm welcome to Palau at the Royal
Belau Yacht Club, located at Sam’s Tours in Malakal,
immediately following port clearance and refueling,
Saturday evening.
On Sunday, EARTHRACE is open to the public for a
unique opportunity to get a close up view of this
radical wave-piercing high speed craft.
EARTHRACE is scheduled to depart late Sunday, June 1
or early Monday, June 2.
For more information, please contact the
Royal Belau Yacht Club at 488-4382 or contact
Sam’s Tours at 488-7267.
EARTHRACE on-line:
www.earthrace.net
HISTORY of PALAU MICRONESIA also know as Belau...natures best kept secret in the Pacific...Discover the treasure above and below the waves
Website & Blog. Did You Know...?
A little HISTORY of PALAU also known as BELAU,
Micronesia.
© Gunther Deichmann - WWII Tanks on the island of Peliliu Island,
Palau Micronesia, for more info please visit:
http://www.palautours.com/palau-history.html
or click on the image above.
PALAU presents a multitude of recreational alternatives, and
certainly eco-tourism and sports activities are favorites. For WW II
memorabilia, the hills of Peliliu Island are a must to explore, but be
careful; some of the ammunition may still be live. Additionally,
many of the various battle sites feature intriguing, bat-filled caves.
The magnificent islands of the Republic of Palau, fondly called Belau
by its friendly inhabitants, were named by early explorers and have
been known to the outside world at one time or another as West
Caroline Islands, the Palaos, the New Philippines, Panlog, and the
Pelew Islands.
Not with standing Palau's intriguing variety of names, in 1696 survivors
of two canoes full of seafaring natives from the Micronesian island of
Yap told Spanish priests about the islands' existence after they washed
up on the shores of Samar Island in the Philippines. What followed were
several determined attempts to reach them, but only in 1710 did Capitan
Francisco Padilla – in command of the Santissima Trinidad galleon –
finally discover and land on the Palau island of Sonsorol, where they
were met with open arms by friendly natives... visit Palau Tours NEW
Website for more History and information
@ http://www.palautours.com/palau-history.html