18-year-old Harry Besley from Taunton sets off on his Round ERIB UK challenge from Lyme Regis today (July 13).

With support from the latest round of Sponsors, the Round Britain eRIB challenge departs on Saturday, when 18-year-old skipper Harry Besley from Taunton, Somerset will start his attempt to drive an electric boat around Great Britain.

Setting off from Lyme Regis,  the team can be followed on their website via the Live Tracker. Catch up with the story on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

This environmental challenge stems from the absence of alternatives to fossil fuel propulsion in the small leisure powerboat sector.

The electric RIB, named ‘Electra’, will be used to showcase the capabilities of electric propulsion in UK coastal waters. To see the vessel come down to one of the STOP Locations listed on the website.

Electra is a Galaxy RIB and has a Ukrainian built aluminium hull and Norwegian propulsion system from EVOY. Put together in the Netherlands, Electra carries 126kWh batteries and a 150 peak horse power equivalent motor.

The project has today announced the following Sponsors: Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) is the world's leading shipping law practice and has been advising the industry for more than 140 years.

Zoe Dupuy, Auto & Marine Marketing Manager from Garmin (Europe) SAID: "It was great to meet Harry and the team at Seawork this year and we were delighted to be able to support by supplying of one of our GARMIN screens, AIS Transceiver as well as other items."

The Round Britain eRIB challenge is a not-for-profit environmental project aiming to support leisure and small commercial operators in the marine industry in their transition to a more sustainable future. The Challenge involves a 18 year old RIB skipper attempting to drive an electric boat around the coast of Britain in Summer 2024. This will highlight the opportunities for the use of electric propulsion systems in UK Coastal waters and is supported by several key industry bodies including: RYA, British Marine, British Ports Association, The Yacht Harbour Association, UK Harbour Masters Association, and The Green Blue