Earthrace heads towards Valencia finishing line

Earthrace, the world's fastest eco-boat thundered into Port Said, Egypt, at 8 a.m. yesterday, for the final port stop of its world record attempt.

The boat is currently 2,550 miles ahead of the world pace set by the British Cable and Wireless team in 1998.

The boat left its previous stop Salalah Oman last Thursday and has been averaging a speed of some 20 knots.

The weather has improved in recent days and is expected to be quite stable during this final leg from Port Said to the finishing line in Valencia, Spain - skipper Pete Bethune hopes that breaking the world record using a boat powered by bio diesel will demonstrate to the world the potential for this alternative clean burning fuel.

The estimated time of arrival and the crossing of the finish line is projected for Sunday evening.

"If everything goes in our favour we'll be back in Spain in five days, smashing the world record by almost two weeks - breaking the record by such a huge margin using a boat with a net zero carbon footprint really would prove that green does mean skimping on performance," said Mr Bethune.

Pippo Psaila, director, Bio Power, remarked that the boat will be passing within Maltese waters on Thursday in the early hours of the morning, at around 3 a.m. for what will be the final 1,000 miles of the journey.

"This is a strong message which cannot go unnoticed," said Mr Psaila. "The challenge is proof enough that bio diesel is a high performing fuel in all types of conditions."

To date the boat has travelled well over 22,000 nautical miles in some of the world's most difficult seas and oceans battling all types of adversities.