Travelling around the world in a boat without fossil fuel - the fact that this is possible with a normal cruising sailboat is something that long-distance sailing icon Jimmy Cornell show. He left Seville yesterday with his "Aventura Zero", a modified Outremer 4X catamaran equipped with electric drives.
There he was given a farewell by official Spanish representatives. Cornell is combining his long voyage with a special project: the founder of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers wants to follow the route of Juan Sebastián Elcanos to mark the first circumnavigation of the world 500 years ago.
It first takes him to Tenerife and from there across the Atlantic to Brazil. There it will then head south towards Tierra del Fuego. Through the Strait of Magellan, the "Aventura Zero" will then set course for the South Pacific as far as the Philippines. Via the Indian Ocean and Cape Town, the route finally follows northwards up the Atlantic back to Spain.
Elcano was a member of the expedition around the globe led by Ferdinand Magellan until his death on an island in what is now the Philippines. He successfully completed the expedition and went down in history as the first circumnavigator.
Cornell mainly generates the energy required for its emission-free sailing catamaran using special drives from Oceanvolt: When sailing, their propellers run and generate electricity, which is used to charge the ship's battery banks. The "Aventura Zero" is also equipped with solar panels.
Cornell will be accompanied by a crew of two or three. The Romanian-born skipper has already sailed around the world himself in his life and, as the founder of the ARC, has inspired generations of sailors after him to also go on long-distance voyages. Most recently, Cornell made a name for himself with his crossing of the Northwest Passage.
Jimmy Cornell will be reporting regularly from the road for YACHT in the coming weeks and months.
