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Earthrace - Call For Help!

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  • Earthrace - Call For Help!

    Dear All,

    Earthrace is a bid to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat, using only renewable fuels. She runs solely on Biodiesel B100 sourced from sustainable feedstocks.

    Pursuing our dream of promoting renewable fuels and breaking a word record has left us with a few problems I am hoping you can help us out with.

    1. We need to find Biodiesel B100 in Egypt and the Canary Islands, do you know of any suppliers? Ideally we are looking to get the fuel costs sponsored by the supplier.

    2. We are also looking for sponsors and donations for the project at the time of writing have $200 in the bank and still have a good way to go.

    Any help or advice you can give would be appreciated.

    Presently the boat is half way through the race and docked in Korror awaiting engine repairs she should be underway by the 26/4.

    Follow this link to make a donation or follow our progress:- http://www.earthrace.net

    If you would like to get involved in the record attempt or wish to offer sponsorship please e-mail: earthrace@hotmail.co.uk

    Please note Earthrace is a non-profit organization.

    Thanks in advance
    Earthrace
    Biofuels Forum Newbie
    Last edited by Earthrace; 27 April 2007, 08:58 PM.

  • #2
    Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

    While I can see some benefit in the publicity for the biofuels cause, I cannot but be appalled at the utter waste of energy, money and biofuels in this pointless exercise.

    Am I the only one?

    Tony
    Life is a journey, with problems to solve, lessons to learn, but most of all, experiences to enjoy.

    Current Vehicles in stable:
    '06 Musso Sports 4X4 Manual Crew Cab tray back.
    '04 Rexton 4X4 Automatic SUV
    '2014 Toyota Prius (on ULP) - Wife's car

    Previous Vehicles:
    '90 Mazda Capella. (2000 - 2003) My first Fatmobile. Converted to fun on veggie oil with a 2 tank setup.
    '80 Mercedes 300D. 2 tank conversion [Sold]
    '84 Mercedes 300D. 1 tank, no conversion. Replaced engine with rebuilt OM617A turbodiesel engine. Finally had good power. Engine donor for W123 coupe. (body parted out and carcass sold for scrap.)
    '85 Mercedes Benz W123 300CD Turbodiesel
    '99 Mercedes W202 C250 Turbodiesel (my darling Wife's car)[sold]
    '98 Mercedes W202 C250 Turbodiesel (my car)[sold]
    '06 Musso Sports Crew Cab well body. [Head gasket blew!]
    '04 Rexton SUV 2.9L Turbodiesel same as Musso - Our Family car.
    '06 Musso sports Crew Cab Trayback - My hack (no air cond, no heater).

    Searching the Biofuels Forum using Google
    Adding images and/or documents to your posts

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

      If this gets into the media and makes more people aware of biodiesel, is it a waste?? I tend to think publicity is a good thing and even better if its pulled of.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

        Originally posted by Tony From West Oz View Post
        While I can see some benefit in the publicity for the biofuels cause, I cannot but be appalled at the utter waste of energy, money and biofuels in this pointless exercise.

        Am I the only one?

        Tony
        You aren't the only one, Tony. It's sucking up local, limited resources. I'd prefer to see a cargo ship race around the world on biodiesel/WVO (if it was making the trip anyway).

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

          Whilst I have to applaud the use of biodiesel in this publicity stunt I wonder what the actual publicity benefit really is.

          And it is just a stunt. What worldly benefit can man achieve by being able to produce a boat that can travel around the world in 76 days??????????

          Walk into the street and ask the first stranger what he knows about Earthrace. If you get 1 in 1000 you would be doing well.
          Slippery
          Small steps taken one at a time.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

            Being a Top Gear fan, I found this fascinating.
            Renewable fuels need to have high profile successes like this to change the perception of biofuels being a realistic alternative.
            George

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

              Very well put George.

              Personally, I can’t see a problem with it.
              I’m not a believer in pushing a very limited solution like veg oil use to all and sundry but looking objectively at what this guy is doing, I’d have to say he is doing it well.


              The guy is asking for donations and trying to raise Bio awareness on a world scale.
              If you don’t want to support the effort, that’s fine, you don’t have to.

              All the time on the various bio forums I see people championing the cause of getting Bio in every fuel tank in the world. When someone tries to do something tangible to that end and puts more effort into it than just talking about it, people call it pointless and a waste that is using resources. The guy has come up with a way of raising Bio awareness around the world and getting interest from people who likely don’t know about it rather than preaching to the converted like so many of these initiatives do.

              Of course it is a publicity stunt, and full marks to the people with such a razor sharp perception for picking up on that. “Stunt’s” are the most effective type of publicity there is and this is why so much effort is put into them in the first place. Racing a high speed powerboat around the world in 76 days has huge "WOW" Factor and sure beats the **** out of the normal Bio Boredom stories we see constantly like some County in the back of buggery, population 76, has converted its 37 yo garbage truck to run on old vegetable oil they collect from the local truck stop out on route 95.
              That will get a run in mainstream international media slightly ahead of farmer Browns 10 Pound turnip or Mavis Jones 3 legged cat that can still catch mice.

              A guy racing round the world in an ultra modern boat that looks like something out of the century after next on REKNEWABLE fuel is way up the newsworthy and interest scale than that. I imagine this is the whole reason they planned this adventure instead of converting a garbage truck or something equally efficient at curing insomnia.

              As the Boat is running Bio, part of the fuels attraction is that it is renewable. That being the case, it’s a different thing to if the fuel was fossil derived and could never be replaced. The Bio isn’t being used to power a boat around the world, it is being used to power interest and awareness of bio fuels on a huge scale. If the guy gets the interests of a decent number of people just in the boating market, he will have done something significant for the cause. My brother in law’s boat holds 4000L of fuel and gets through it frighteningly quick. I figure most people wouldn’t use any more that that amount of fuel in a year. If the Earthrace guy can convert some people in the pleasure boat market, he will have saved the use of a LOT of fossil fuel just in that one interest area alone.

              If you ask people in the street about Biodiesel, I’m not sure you wouldn’t find many more than 1 in a 1000 know about it either.
              Perhaps this is why the guy is doing what he is?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

                Earthrace - sorry I can't help you with your specific requests (most of us in this forum are based in Australia) but I think what you are trying to do is amazing, and I applaud your efforts to not only attempt the round the world record but to doing it as ethically as possible and drawing attention to biofuels in a positive way.

                When ThrustSSC went supersonic on land and broke the outright land speed record (in 1997 IIRC) I followed it avidly - partly because I'm a Brit, but also because I think the world needs adventurers and people who are prepared to stick their neck out to attempt something just "because it's there".

                So shame on the dissenters in here saying it's a waste of resources or money. If you think like that then surely you must think that in the name of preventing global warming we should stop all space/polar/underwater exploration, etc. Or how about major sporting events e.g. Formula 1? I can't think of anything much more wasteful and pointless than that, and they aren't even attempting to be green.

                It's one of the things that defines us as human beings - taking on epic challenges for no other reason than because it hasn't been done before. And it is one of the things that contributes towards the advancement of mankind.

                If this sort of endeavour becomes a thing of the past, I for one think the world will become a much less interesting place.
                Sean

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

                  My point was that as an advert for biodiesel this stunt is a failure. I asked a dozen people in the office what they thought of "Earthrace" and none new a thing about it.

                  It is only news to people like us who have a lean towards renewables that have seen the web page and read the bloggs.

                  A bigger understanding of where biodiesel comes from could have come from those millions of dollars going into building a massive production facility and fueling a city's bus fleet.
                  Slippery
                  Small steps taken one at a time.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

                    Originally posted by Slippery View Post
                    My point was that as an advert for biodiesel this stunt is a failure. I asked a dozen people in the office what they thought of "Earthrace" and none new a thing about it.
                    I would suggest that if you asked some people in a country where the boat had been and recieved some press coverage, people would have heard of it and this is exactly why the guy is sailing the boat around the world.

                    Perhaps you should ask the people in the office if they would prefer to see some news coverage on a Hi tech boat using Biodiesel racing around the world in 76 days, or a story on an industrial plant that makes Biodiesel for government busses.

                    You could also show them a Picture of this:


                    OR This:


                    And tell them you have a couple of stories about biodiesel, and ask which one would they be most interested in hearing about?

                    I'd be up for putting money on which one will have more people interested and theirin lies the effectiveness of the earthrace exercise.

                    I notice on their website they have 12 videos of the story being featured on the news around the world. I have my reservations as to how many news stories a Biodiesel plant making fuel for government busses would be featured on.
                    The media section of the earthrace site is excellent and so are the photographs. Any journo looking to do a feature on this story has all the info they want and need and it has all been laid out by someone who is obviously an experienced publisist who has done an excellent job.

                    With so many different causes all trying to get a run in the media these days, it is a challenge and an achivement to get some ink or airtime but the rewards are huge. News editors are picky on what they run because it is all about ratings and a boat that looks like something from outer space will get a lot more interest from the general public than any fuel refinery or government bus story.

                    Rather than the stunt being a failure, I would suggest the failure is in peoples lack of understanding of marketing and promotion principals not to mention how the media works.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

                      When I posted the following:
                      Originally posted by Tony From West Oz View Post
                      While I can see some benefit in the publicity for the biofuels cause, I cannot but be appalled at the utter waste of energy, money and biofuels in this pointless exercise.

                      Am I the only one?

                      Tony
                      I had not seen the website or the photos of the boat.
                      I agree that it will provide an interesting story and may increase the general knowledge of some members of the public on biodiesel.
                      I believe that there are some "means to an end" issues which I had not considered.

                      Regards,
                      Tony
                      Life is a journey, with problems to solve, lessons to learn, but most of all, experiences to enjoy.

                      Current Vehicles in stable:
                      '06 Musso Sports 4X4 Manual Crew Cab tray back.
                      '04 Rexton 4X4 Automatic SUV
                      '2014 Toyota Prius (on ULP) - Wife's car

                      Previous Vehicles:
                      '90 Mazda Capella. (2000 - 2003) My first Fatmobile. Converted to fun on veggie oil with a 2 tank setup.
                      '80 Mercedes 300D. 2 tank conversion [Sold]
                      '84 Mercedes 300D. 1 tank, no conversion. Replaced engine with rebuilt OM617A turbodiesel engine. Finally had good power. Engine donor for W123 coupe. (body parted out and carcass sold for scrap.)
                      '85 Mercedes Benz W123 300CD Turbodiesel
                      '99 Mercedes W202 C250 Turbodiesel (my darling Wife's car)[sold]
                      '98 Mercedes W202 C250 Turbodiesel (my car)[sold]
                      '06 Musso Sports Crew Cab well body. [Head gasket blew!]
                      '04 Rexton SUV 2.9L Turbodiesel same as Musso - Our Family car.
                      '06 Musso sports Crew Cab Trayback - My hack (no air cond, no heater).

                      Searching the Biofuels Forum using Google
                      Adding images and/or documents to your posts

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

                        Originally posted by David View Post
                        Perhaps you should ask the people in the office if they would prefer to see some news coverage on a Hi tech boat using Biodiesel racing around the world in 76 days, or a story on an industrial plant that makes Biodiesel for government busses.
                        And therein lies my point. You can ask the people what they would LIKE to see but that is not what they ARE seeing. The press is not getting the story in front of the general population and the publicity stunt is a failure on that point alone.

                        However if the BD plant produced fuel for buses and a brochure explaining it's benefits was distributed in the bus, don't you think it would have a far bigger impact. How many buses run in places like London, New York, LA, Sydney and even little old Brisvegas.
                        Robert
                        Administrator
                        Last edited by Robert; 1 May 2007, 01:27 PM. Reason: fixed up the quote
                        Slippery
                        Small steps taken one at a time.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

                          Sadly, it's all a bit of a moot point now anyway, as the poor bastard has had to can the trip. (Strangely no update of this on the earthrace site yet.)

                          It was a cool boat. Personally, as a windsurfer, I've always frowned upon motor boats, but this one is OK...

                          I had followed the story in the news a few times (and it was not just in the "minor media blogs for those in the know style media" either) and I was saddened to hear of the setbacks along the way, such as the tragic crash with the Guatemalan fishing boat. That certainly made the mainstream press and I had people at work mention it to me as they know I'm into biodiesel and thought I would have heard about it.

                          I only hope that the negative press about this does not do any harm for the good press that Earthrace were trying to do for biodiesel. I also hope that people don't think that the failure had anything to do with biodiesel either, but the public's mind is a fickle thing and I would not be surprised.

                          My heart goes out to Pete Bethune who must have taken this quite hard. Being a Kiwi, he's always welcome in this forum.
                          Robert.
                          Site Admin.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

                            As the Boat is running Bio, part of the fuels attraction is that it is renewable. That being the case, it’s a different thing to if the fuel was fossil derived and could never be replaced. The Bio isn’t being used to power a boat around the world, it is being used to power interest and awareness of bio fuels on a huge scale. If the guy gets the interests of a decent number of people just in the boating market, he will have done something significant for the cause. My brother in law’s boat holds 4000L of fuel and gets through it frighteningly quick. I figure most people wouldn’t use any more that that amount of fuel in a year. If the Earthrace guy can convert some people in the pleasure boat market, he will have saved the use of a LOT of fossil fuel just in that one interest area alone.

                            If you ask people in the street about Biodiesel, I’m not sure you wouldn’t find many more than 1 in a 1000 know about it either.
                            Perhaps this is why the guy is doing what he is?
                            I'm quite interested in the potential use of biodiesel in marine engines. I think it could have a real benefit or niche market in sensitive ecological environments like the great barrier reef, as it is biodegradable, and also increases the rate at which petrodiesel is degraded. Imagine the impact if say, the queensland government banned the use of anything but biodiesel in boats travelling in the barrier reef national heritage area.


                            A real shame about the earthrace boat. I hope he is able to give it another try later.


                            To all those who felt it may have been a pointless waste of fuel. Think about that next time you go for a drive just for fun, or drive anywhere you could have walked or ridden a pushbike to.
                            Please click below for info on how you can help the victims of spinal injury, or just spread the word.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Earthrace - Call For Help!

                              People waste fuel and energy every day. I don't see that expending this energy and effort for education is a waste.

                              Pete Bethune got off his butt and did something for that which he believed in and had I the funds I would help. Those Palm Oil people have a website and are always publicity hungry. They have significant funding available too.

                              Comment

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