Cork-based marine company attempting trans-Atlantic record in Bond-esque boat

Tue, 28 Aug, 2018 - 16:30

Greg Murphy

A Cork-based boat building company is attempting to set a new trans-Atlantic world record in their newest vessel - the XSV20 Thunder Child II.

Established in 1996, Safehaven Marine has supplied over 130 vessels to 26 countries across the world.

In 2017, the team set a record in their Thunder Child boat for the circumnavigation of Ireland via Rockall, an islet 500km into the North Atlantic, one of the most dangerous seas on Earth.

The 2,167km route took 34 hours to complete, travelling at an average speed of 34 knots.

In 2019, the team from Cobh is planning on setting an even more extreme record by crossing the Atlantic in a bigger and faster vessel, the XSV20 Thunder Child II.

The route will take them from St John's in Newfoundland to Ireland via Greenland and Iceland on a Northern Arctic Circle passage.

The voyage will be 4,500km long and take them into dangerous waters where they will face some serious challenges.

They will pass through Hurricane Alley where storm fronts form in the North Atlantic and home to some of the world's biggest waves.

They will also have to contend with icebergs as seas around Newfoundland and Greenland are filled with ice for 10 months of the year, which will present a challenge when speed and time are of the essence.

The route will also take the crew beyond the reaches of search and rescue organisations and into some of the most remote regions in the world.