hydroelectric energy

Man, this thing is about as cool as it gets. It's a sailboat that has a special design underneath to allow it to actually be propelled by the very water and waves it floats on. Using the sails in combo with the underwater wave propulsion technology this puppy will cruise along at about 5 knots top speed.

With a maximum speed of five knots, the Suntory will take two to three months to complete a voyage that diesel-powered craft accomplish in just one. But speed is not the point. The voyage aims to prove that wave propulsion can work under real-world conditions, opening up the technology for commercial applications such as cargo shipping. “Oil is a limited power source,” Horie says, “but there is no limit to waves.”

Ken-ichi Horie, the boat's inventor, is a true pioneer in renewable sailing and a Guinness Book of World Record holder:

In 1996 he set the world record for the fastest crossing of the Pacific Ocean in a solar-powered boat. And in 1999, he made a solo trip across the Pacific in a catamaran made from recycled beer barrels.

Now, using the Suntory Mermaid II, built of durable recycled-aluminum alloy, he plans to set another record: "the longest distance traveled by a wave-powered boat".

Read more about this adventure...

Best of luck and keep up the goods, Ken-ichi Horie!