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New Round the Island record for electric power boat

BBC SpiritBARTech35EFBBC
The boat has been designed by BAR Technologies, launched off the back of Ben Ainslie Racing's (BAR) America's Cup team

An electric power boat designed using "cutting edge technology" has set a new Round the Island record.

SpiritBARTech35EF has been designed by BAR Technologies - a company launched off the back of Ben Ainslie Racing's (BAR) America's Cup team in 2016.

The foiler vessel, designed to look like a 1930s Rum Runner, can reach speeds of up to 30 knots.

It completed the race in one hour and 56 minutes. The previous record was just under six hours.

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The boat, which is worth £2m, started the Round the Island route off Cowes on the Isle of Wight at 11:00 BST.

The Island's Royal Yacht Squadron fired a cannon across the Squadron Line to kick off the record attempt.

BAR Technologies SpiritBARTech35EFBAR Technologies
The foiler vessel, designed to look like a 1930s Rum Runner, can reach speeds of up to 30 knots

In a statement from BAR Tech, the company said the vessel is the first fully-electric yacht with a range of 100 nautical miles between charges.

Chief technical officer, Simon Schofield, and head of vessels, Ollie Pendleton, are at the helm for the record attempt.

Mr Schofield said: "The vessel is the embodiment of our pioneering approach for the luxury yacht sector, which is overdue more efficient designs that don't compromise the needs of comfort and performance."

BAR Technologies SpiritBARTech35EFBAR Technologies
The vessel is the first fully-electric yacht with a range of 100 nautical miles between charges

The vessel has been designed using the latest foiling technology, which increases a boat's speed by installing hydrofoil under the hull to help lift it out of the water and reduce drag.

BAR Tech CEO, John Cooper, added: "We firmly believe that the future of this sector will be defined by developments in the sustainability and efficiency of vessels.

"In particular, we recognise that there are new hull forms that can be designed to achieve this and we want to be at the forefront of this development.

"The electric flyer will be the first of a series of boats we design to break new ground as we move into a greener generation of leisure yachts."

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