Amongst the Rolex Fastnet Race fleet on the start line this coming July, there will be an entry with a difference, one quietly trying to change the world. ‘Nazca’ is a 1984 Contessa 34 OOD upcycled to pure electric and biocide-free in 2020 and she will be the first yacht to compete without any fossil fuels onboard. Her crew are using Nazca’s story to give the ocean a voice, make the unseen seen and raise awareness for their charity partners, the Ocean Conservation Trust and Seaful.
Nazca has spent the past four years as a marine science research and development platform, trialling her electric propulsion, servo prop and power management systems, an electric galley and various biocide-free bottom coatings. She is powered entirely by nature using solar, wind and hydro-generation. Over 5,000 nautical miles of sailing, entirely on renewable energy, in the Bristol Channel, Celtic Sea and along the South Coast of the UK has proven the technology works and she can voyage safely and effectively without a diesel engine in those waters, arguably some of the toughest to navigate in the UK. But the Fastnet race will be the ultimate test; when the start gun fires there will be no choosing the weather window, Nazca and her crew will be forced to deal with whatever the North Atlantic throws at them and manage the power and endurance requirements to get them to the Fastnet Rock and across the finish line in France.
The campaign website – www.nrae.org – gives more information on Nazca’s transformation from a 40-year-old production cruiser-racer to a leave-no-trace-at-sea offshore racing and expedition vessel and her small, but mighty crew of three.
The campaign has secured support from Oceanvolt and Victron Energy along with support partners Padstow Boatyard and Sail Shape and are now seeking equipment and financial sponsors, as well as a media partner.
The Fastnet is the immediate goal to push the technology and the methods to the limit, setting Nazca up for future expeditions as she heads North to explore marine science and adventure sailing further off the beaten track.
“We don’t have all the answers, but we are here to explore, discover and raise awareness for the ocean.”
If you would like to be a part of the journey, please contact Bee Woodland on beetoosea@gmail.com.
