Francis Joyon will attempt to beat Dame Ellen MacArthur’s world solo sailing record, this autumn.

Naval architects Nigel Irens and Benoit Cabaret, embraced the KISS philosophy by keeping things simple. This includes ridding the boat of a diesel engine, which has also saved weight, which will enhance performance.

The 140 odd kilos of diesel engine, will be replaced by about 25 kilos, for the combined weights of solar panels, wind generator and fuel cell. On top of that, there will be no fuel, or fuel tanks on board, another significant weight saving.