Gideon Goudsmit of African Cats BV was presented with the Royal Thames Mansura Trophy for the remarkable performance of the catamaran Green eMotion, at a ceremony held at the prestigious Royal Thames Yacht Club in London on Thursday, May 12th.

Gideon’s ground-breaking eco-propulsion and generation system developed by the company in The Netherlands and South Africa, was first reported by Chris Beeson Yachting Monthly’s boat tester.

The Trophy, which is presented by the Club in association with Bosch Engineering GmbH and supported by the RYA and Green‐Blue, was inaugurated in 2007 and is the most prestigious international maritime award presented for the development of new forms of hybrid power. Eligible vessels must use at least two independent sources of propulsive power, and the final drive system must be electrical.

The revolutionary “Green Motion” propulsion and generation system was the runaway winner in the Offshore division. Built in Durban, South Africa, by African Cats BV with very lightweight construction and the innovative Green Motion propulsion / generation system, allowing batteries to be recharged while under sail, she completed a long and successful maiden voyage to IJmuiden in the Netherlands via Cape Town, St Helena and the Azores in 2010.

Receiving the award on behalf of his company, Gideon said “We are delighted that the Mansura Trophy Judges recognized the quality of our entry and the attractive combination of innovative features that is embodied in this new class of ocean‐going catamarans for which we have a growing order book.”

See Chris Beeson’s blog at Telltales