Monday 1st November 2010

Bentley Boys In Atlantic Pedalo Crossing

£250k charity bid pushes the envelope of pedalo design....

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The Torpedalo - virtually at least...

Two Bentley engineers are planning to cross the Atlantic - naked - on a pedalo. Well, inside a pedalo actually, which in the light of the 'naked' thing is probably all for the good.

Mark Byass and Mike Sayer will be pedalling in turns for an estimated 40 days in their space-ship like Torpedalo, which will make the crossing as part of the flotilla competing in the Atlantic Rowing Race.

The Torpedalo is a nine metre carbon fibre vessel that the intrepid pair describe as a 'state of the art' pedalo. Frankly, we think it's about time that somebody updated a concept that's been pretty much undeveloped since first conceived by Leonardo da Vinci. (Which, sadly, is pretty much all that Wikipedia offers on this fascinating subject.)

Apparently a pedalo has only ever crossed the Atlantic once in 1994, when the journey took 111 days. The Torpedalo, which aims to do it in barely more than a third of the time, is claimed to be the most technologically advanced human-powered boat ever built.

Its speed, balance and hydrodynamics have undergone extensive simulation and testing at Newcastle University's hydrodynamic towing tank, and the high-tech, totally self-sufficient vessel will be constructed entirely of carbon fibre. Features include integrated solar panels for electricity generation, a desalination system for making fresh water from the ocean plus GPS, radar and satellite phone systems - although oddly there's no mention of a bespoke leather and walnut interior, or even a cocktail cabinet.

In anticipation of the journey, Mike and Mark have constructed a web site - www.Torpedalo.com - to chronicle their adventures in fundraising, designing and building the boat, and to update followers once they set out on the Atlantic on December 4th, 2011.

The Torpedalo's journey will be a distinctly perilous one, with commercial shipping vessels, bad weather, huge waves, and even sharks posing a significant threat. The pair intend to operate a shift pattern, so the boat is always moving, and will change places between the pedalling position and the sleeping cabin every two hours. To avoid salt sores, like the rowing crews, they'll be naked for the entire journey.

The Torpedalo project was started in January this year, with the principle aim of raising £250,000 for two charities - the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association and Make-A-Wish Foundation UK.

Our heroes. Only with clothes on.

[louismchuge]

Wow!

Brave chaps, good luck to you

[Tonto]

Why naked I wonder.

[sneakypete]

I'm not knocking the senitment but how much did the carbon-fibre pedalo cost?

[GKP]

Naked is to stop chaffing.

[Fury1630]

Think I'd want air-con ....... or at lease one of those pine tree things. It's going to get smelly in there isn't it?

[wab172uk]

The one at the back, will have a Bum ride.

Or should that be the one at the front?

[TheEnd]

A couple of naked sailors in a boat, doing something that was already done in 1994.
The whole sponsored by watch company, made of carbon fibre, and based of CGI images seems very familiar.

The gay sailor bit is new though.

[BoRED S2upid]

The naked bit is all about column inches surley? No need to be naked all the time.

[RB Will]

BoRED S2upid said:

The naked bit is all about column inches surley? No need to be naked all the time.

Saves weight. No need for suitcases.

[Roberty]

Would it not make more sense for the sponsors Bentley, Breitling, Autodesk and others to just give the charity the £250K rather than wasting at least this much if not more building the thing and then these two guys risking their lives out at sea!

[tomv1to]

I don't think companies would just give money away to charity without the possibility of some high profile advertising. This will provide exactly that.

I hope they make it and I wish them all the best, its a fantastic idea, I'd be worried at going a bit loopy though trapped in such a small device for such a long period of time.

[AndrewW-G]

Roberty said:

Would it not make more sense for the sponsors Bentley, Breitling, Autodesk and others to just give the charity the £250K rather than wasting at least this much if not more building the thing and then these two guys risking their lives out at sea!

And where exactly would the fun be in that? . . . . . . . Your version is like Sir Edmund Hillary telling Tenzing "fk it mate, let’s not bother going up Everest, after all we're just going to have to come back down again"

[pokethepope]

Roberty said:

Would it not make more sense for the sponsors Bentley, Breitling, Autodesk and others to just give the charity the £250K rather than wasting at least this much if not more building the thing and then these two guys risking their lives out at sea!

Glad to see your sense of adventure and achievement is alive and well

[Roberty]

AndrewW-G said:

Roberty said:

Would it not make more sense for the sponsors Bentley, Breitling, Autodesk and others to just give the charity the £250K rather than wasting at least this much if not more building the thing and then these two guys risking their lives out at sea!

And where exactly would the fun be in that? . . . . . . . Your version is like Sir Edmund Hillary telling Tenzing "fk it mate, let’s not bother going up Everest, after all we're just going to have to come back down again"

Oh sorry I didn't realise Sir Edmund Hillary did it for charity!

It's a pointless pursuit, fun maybe if you like sitting butt naked in a sweating cabin with your best mate! But ultimately pointless.

[soad]

Who's that pair who done something similar few years ago?
One was TV Presenter chap?

[JonRB]

Roberty said:

It's a pointless pursuit, fun maybe if you like sitting butt naked in a sweating cabin with your best mate! But ultimately pointless.

In the grand scheme of things, isn't everything we do ultimately pointless? Even existence itself?

Are you telling me that absolutely everything you do in life has a point? You've never done anything in your life just for sts & giggles? What a boring person you must be.

Edited by JonRB on Monday 1st November 13:23

[lionrampant]

Real Bentley Boys would have dropped a V8 in there and sat back smoking cigars as they cruised into NY harbour.

[AndrewW-G]

Roberty said:

Oh sorry I didn't realise Sir Edmund Hillary did it for charity!

http://www.himalayantrust.co.uk/


Do you have sex with women, or do you simply throw your hands up in the air and proclaim that its all pointless as you can have a testube baby without all the effort!

[AndrewW-G]

lionrampant said:

Real Bentley Boys would have dropped a V8 in there and sat back smoking cigars as they cruised into NY harbour.

straight four or six old boy

[JonRB]

AndrewW-G said:

Do you have sex with women, or do you simply throw your hands up in the air and proclaim that its all pointless as you can have a testube baby without all the effort!

Not to mention that his profile pic is an Elise at a track day. What is the point in that? It's just going round in circles. He could have given the money to charity.