Solar boat trip in heatwave not all smooth sailing
1 hour ago
Torkmar
Making the most of the ongoing sunny weather, a married couple are attempting to travel 124 miles (200km) down the River Thames – all in a solar powered boat
Tim Knox’s vessel is using only the power of the sun to travel from Lechlade, in Gloucestershire, to Teddington in South West London
Having set off on Monday, Knox and his wife Sue are now travelling along the river through Oxfordshire, before making it into Berkshire towards the end of the week
Knox said he had been building solar powered boats for the past 15 years, and that the main reason behind his latest creation was “my wife doesn’t like solar [energy]”
“I wanted to build a boat that she really liked going on, because I absolutely adore being on the water – I’m one of the water people,” he said
The couple are taking on the journey as the UK experiences yet another heatwave, which should provide the vessel with plenty of energy for its solar powered battery
But just days into their expedition, Knox said the weather had also hindered the trip
“The water shortages are causing a little bit of an issue, which is adding a little bit of a stress to the whole thing – it’s become a torture test for the boat, and for me and my wife,” he said
Torkmar
He said timetabled lock opening times, implemented due to low water levels, had left the boat needing to “rush between them”
“The mad thing about the boat is that if you go at a gentle speed, you can easily do it on solar power, but we’ve had to rush between locks,” he said
“So just like with a car, if you go fast, you use more fuel – which is eking into my battery power.”
Knox said the days on the water had been “more gruelling” than he had predicted
During their voyage, the couple will take in famous towns along the Thames – including Wallingford, Henley and Eton
The boat – which Knox has named Dayboat 1 – is set to reach Teddington on Sunday, at which point, its captain said he “might be silly enough” to carry on to the tidal Thames in central London
Solar power
Renewable energy
Berkshire
