New Zealand trimaran

Whether you’re searching for that elusive present for someone who already has everything; you need to find something really special for a friend; or if you want to take on a once-in-a-lifetime travel challenge yourself, then you’ll need to start saving now for a trip on Earthrace!

One of the fastest and most eco-friendly powerboat boats in the world, with the ability to submarine seven metres underwater, she will set off from Valencia, Spain in March 2008 in an attempt to set a new powerboat speed record to circumnavigate the globe.

This amazing, New Zealand designed and run trimaran, which resembles a sea-faring spaceship, operates on 100 % biodiesel with a net zero carbon-footprint, making her not only the coolest, but the greenest boat in the world! Earthrace skipper, Pete Bethune, has just announced that he is willing to share the experience with others by adding one extra person to the four man crew for each leg of the race, chosen from members of the public who are willing to join in and work hard.

Prices start from $20,000/£10,000 for one of the shorter legs, not including transfers to and from ports. Some legs will be auctioned in the international press to raise additional funds for Earthrace, which operates as a not-for-profit, promoting renewable energy. All 'guest' crew will be invited to the victory party in Valencia.

A successful attempt for Earthrace will mark the first time in history that an official UIM* Powerboat world record has been broken using only renewable fuel. The current record was set by British boat, Cable and Wireless Adventurer in 1998, taking 75 days to complete the journey; Earthrace plans to take just 65 days!

Provisional record route: Valencia – 3 days -Tenerife – 8 days - Puerto Rico – 3 days - Panama Canal – 4 days - Acapulco – 4 days - San Diego – 6 days - Hawaii – 5 days - Marshall Islands – 5 days - Pulau – 5 days - Singapore – 4 days - Kochin – 4 days - Salalah – 4 days - Suez Canal – 4 days - Valencia

Pete Bethune said, “Circumnavigating the globe represents the pinnacle of powerboat challenges, and at more than 24,000 nautical miles, is also the world's longest race. I’d be delighted to hear from anyone who wants to be part of our amazing experience…it will be hard work, people will need to be fit and healthy, and sleeping on board isn’t exactly five star accommodation, but it will be a trip they will never forget!”

Family and friends will be able to follow Earthrace’s progress, live, via the TracPlus GPS positioning system on www.earthrace.net – “Where is Earthrace?” Following the record attempt, Earthrace and her crew will begin on a new tour of further cities in Europe and Asia, before returning home to New Zealand in late 2008. This will allow the team to continue using Earthrace’s unique environmental attributes to increase awareness of the use of biofuels and sustainable energy.

 To find out more about Earthrace and her eco-friendly world record bid, go to www.earthrace.net.

Official website and European tour sponsor: www.deutsche-med.de