{"id":5874,"date":"2025-03-08T10:02:37","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T10:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=5874"},"modified":"2025-03-08T10:02:37","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T10:02:37","slug":"on-board-with-harry-besley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=5874","title":{"rendered":"On Board With: Harry Besley"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    On Board With: Harry Besley<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    <!-- no image --><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><\/p>\n<div>\n<section class=\"hydra-container\">\n<div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/BTG325-WAV-Besley-1024x768.jpg?resize=800%2C600&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"hydra-image disable-lazyload\" alt=\"Harry Besley eRIB adventurer\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/BTG325-WAV-Besley-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/BTG325-WAV-Besley-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/BTG325-WAV-Besley-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/BTG325-WAV-Besley-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/BTG325-WAV-Besley.jpg 2000w\">                <\/div><figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Harry Besley made an epic voyage around Britain in an all-electric RIB.<\/span><br \/>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Courtesy Harry Besley<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\n<p><iframe id=\"wxuzj5efbz\" src=\"https:\/\/boatingmag.dragonforms.com\/wxuzj5efbz\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>On July 13 of last summer, 18-year-old Harry Besley left Lyme Regis on the English Channel, aiming to be the first person to circumnavigate Britain in an all-electric boat.\u00a0 He and a rotating crew of friends stopped at more than 45 locations in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland before completing the clockwise round trip on August 14.\u00a0 The team covered 1,708 nautical miles in <em>Electra<\/em>, a 21-foot Galaxy P7 aluminum-hull rigid inflatable boat (RIB) modified for electric propulsion and powered solely by a 90 kW (120 hp) Evoy Breeze outboard motor. The Evoy system consisted of two 63 kWh liquid-cooled, lithium batteries, a 6.6 kW AC charger, a DC fast charger, and a battery management system that could be remotely monitored. We caught up with Harry for some insights into his epic voyage. \u2014Capt. John Page Williams<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What prompted you to develop the Round Britain Electric RIB project?<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been on and around boats since I was three years old,\u201d Harry explained. \u201cI love sailing, water-skiing, and exploring along the [English] Channel in powerboats. I\u2019ve also taken advantage of local courses in first-aid, lifesaving, and boating safety. For the past couple of years, I\u2019ve thought a lot about circumnavigating Britain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I didn\u2019t want to burn a lot of petrol making a trip like that,\u201d he continued. \u201cI wanted to show how powerboaters can reduce carbon emissions and promote clean boating. That goal is very important to me as a young person with much of my life on Earth ahead of me. I wanted to show that an electric boat can take this kind of extensive journey now, though I knew that planning for charging along the route would be a logistical challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harry\u2019s mother and project manager, Jaqui Besley, adds: \u201cRight from the start, our intention was to help the marine industry move towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future, accelerating the change and encouraging industry investment. Our world-record attempt showcased some of the technologies which are leading the market in zero emission propulsion and helped develop knowledge, skills and infrastructure at the 40 locations we visited around the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">This expedition required both training and logistic planning. How did you meet those challenges?<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cThe whole process took a couple of years,\u201d Harry told us.\u00a0 \u201cIt was a huge, all-over-Britain team effort. My mother is a deeply experienced project and business manager. Our stakeholders provided invaluable help in planning charging stops. Jim Thomas, a local geography teacher and retired Helm for the Lyme Regis Lifeboat Station for Royal National Lifeboat Institution, was a great help in developing my skills on the water. More than 50 sponsors helped us with everything from seamanship training, electrical systems, shock-absorbing seats, and foul-weather clothing to insurance, fire protection, and funding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Distance between marina-charging stops ranged from 35 to 50 nautical miles. Though the shore support crew carried a petrol backup generator in case charging wasn\u2019t available in an outport, Harry never had to use it.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where did you sleep?<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cMainly in a tent on the roof of the shore-support landrover. The crew had short naps on board <em>Electra<\/em> but I couldn\u2019t! Only eight nights in a real bed on a 32-day trip. To work around weather, tides, and charging availability, we had to start some days well before sunrise. At least <em>Electra<\/em>\u2019s deck was long enough for one of us to nap while we were underway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read Next:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/boats\/decoding-the-horsepower-ratings-of-electric-motors\/\">Decoding the Horsepower Ratings of Electric Motors<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which sections of the trip were your favorites? Which sections challenged your seamanship the most?<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cWe loved the dolphins that showed up periodically to play in our wake, and the seals, and the puffins. The scenery varied, of course, but it was often stunningly beautiful. We had to navigate some serious waves, strong winds, and big tidal currents, but I enjoy it when the water is rough.\u00a0<em>Electra<\/em> is a very able boat, especially with the weight of the batteries that allowed her simply to crush choppy seas. The instant torque of the Evoy electric motor made it easy to handle seas, and our suspension seats helped a lot. Our technical clothing\u2014especially our dry suits\u2014was crucial to both comfort and safety.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe seas were especially rough on the run from the Isle of Man to Northern Ireland, but with such a capable rig, we weren\u2019t worried. The scariest incident came in our attempt to round the southwest corner of Wales, from Milford Haven to Fishguard at night in rough seas, when the electronic display showing charge data cut out. We had to turn back. Otherwise, the trip wasn\u2019t bad\u2014except for the lack of sleep. Balancing daylight, tides, and proper charging availability was a constant challenge, and they didn\u2019t always line up conveniently. Staying sharp when fatigued was not easy; we made some silly mistakes, like tying up the boat overnight with lines too short for the tides. Thank goodness none of those mistakes were too costly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll told, it was a great adventure, but the next time I do this, it\u2019ll be in a boat with a cabin!\u201d\u00a0 [Get a feel for the trip by visiting Harry\u2019s YouTube Channel at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@RoundBritain_eRIB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">youtube.com\/@RoundBritain_eRIB<\/a>.]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What comes next for you?<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cWell, I\u2019m now on my gap year and having spent 3 to 4 months in the Mediterranean, I\u2019m heading off to work in Australia. Then I\u2019m back to London to go to university next year to study paramedic science. Maybe I\u2019ll be able to combine boating with being a paramedic\u2014who knows?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/how-to\/on-board-with-harry-besley\/\">On Board With: Harry Besley<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/\">Boating Mag<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    Capt. John Page Williams<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/how-to\/on-board-with-harry-besley\/\">Go to boatingmag<\/a><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Board With: Harry Besley Harry Besley made an epic voyage around Britain in an all-electric RIB. Courtesy Harry Besley On July 13 of last summer, 18-year-old Harry Besley left Lyme Regis on the English Channel, aiming to be the first person to circumnavigate Britain in an all-electric boat.\u00a0 He and a rotating crew of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2872,126,3023,175,1791],"tags":[127],"class_list":["post-5874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-april-2025","category-boatingmag","category-electric-boats","category-how-to","category-on-board-with","tag-boatingmag"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5874"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5874\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}