Simon and his father built this catamaran using solar panels from their solar company AKT Solar. The date was chosen as the longest day of the year so as to get the most sunshine possible. They wanted to break the Solar powered Channel crossing world record. Amazingly the weather was perfect not a breath of wind and perfect blue skies. These conditions are very rare in the channel so luck was on their side. Leaving Dungeness early morning we set off into the channel.
The cat was able to hold an average speed of 4 knots which is a good pace and the same speed that most kayak crossings average.
Mid channel the wind started to pick up from the East tossing the catamaran around a bit but it just ploughed on through the half way point. Still perfect conditions re the sunlight and we were on target for a 7 hour crossing.
After 6 hours and 59 minutes Simon steered his solar catamaran into Boulogne harbour in France. A great job and well done.
If your looking family days out activities in Sussex then why not try our new boat attraction a go. Suitable for all ages we can run you up the coast from Eastbourne towards Beachy Head and the best part is you and the family get to drive our powerboat!The boat can seat four passengers and we have the following 2 activities available:
The 1/2 hour speed boat trip where the skipper takes you for a cruise up the coast towards Beach head past Eastbourne pier and back again to Sovereign Harbour cost £17pp or £60 for the whole boat.
This trip is where you get to drive our race prepared Honda Powerboat.You don’t need to have any experience of boating or driving to enjoy this activity. The cost is £45 per person or £135 for the whole boat.
Some photos of a customer rowing himself across the channel in a converted Pico sailing dingy. A mixed day with quite a lot of fog making the navigation very important. We now run an AIS transponder to increase safety which allows the ships in the shipping lanes to see us what ever the weather.
Planning your route can be quite technical as you can see from Robins course plot pre journey. The current runs up and down the Dover straight at up to 5 knots. Hence the banana shaped course. He stuck to the plan and timing and hit the coast in France perfectly. If you want to cross yourself we will help you to plan the route and course.
The Pico all ready on Folkestone beach. The safety boat met up about 1 mile into the trip. Started off great weather with a gentle NE wind to help push the boat along at up to 5 knots. Safety boat rendezvous between Dover and Folkestone with Will and Henk onboard to help Robin navigate the busy shipping lanes and the ferry traffic.. Plenty of massive ships passing just before the fog came in for the rest of the journey to France. You can just see Cap Griz nes in the distance below and we are only half a mile off the coast! The return Journey to Folkestone took 45 mins and just before we hit the English coast the fog bank lifted revealing the bright day we had left behind earlier that morning.
Eastbourne Extreme will be hosting a round of the P1 Superstock Powerboat race series. On the weekend of the 14th & 15th of July. Eastbourne is round 3 of five in the one make series.
We will be offering boat trips out to see the racing up close. We will have 9 seats on our RIB available each race. These boats powered by Evinrude 250hp two stroke outboards can reach speeds of up to 65mph. The seas off Eastbourne should make for good racing.
Check out the boats in action below. Details of prices & availability will be updated soon. Like our Facebook page or Follow us on twitter to hear first & get 15% discount on your seat.
We can help you Kayak the English Channel using our local knowledge and cross channel experience. From you first ideas to planning the trip we can make your crossing happen.
We have RIB safety boats to escort you across the worlds busiest shipping lanes. This is quite a challenge when your in a Kayak that can only travel at 2 -5 knots. Some of the large ships travel at 20 knots so timing is everything. Our ribs have Radar & AIS (Automatic Identification system) which allows us to track oncoming ships from up to 100 miles away.
If your thinking of crossing & require a kayak for the job then contact Epic Life in Hastings who have great experience in Kayaking across. Even if you have never paddle before Cliff will be able to train you up in a very short time. The last person to cross in August last year had only been kayaking for 3 months. He got across in 6 hours. Contact us to discuss your trip ideas.
Our New Charter Rib is being built by Redbay Boats of Northern Ireland. The new boat is 7.4 meters long & powered by a Mercury Optimax 250HP outboard.
With seating for 10 passengers and a long range fuel tank holding 320 litres it has a range of 300 miles. Equipped with all the toys such as Garmin 750 touchscreen plotter with HD Radar. Icom AIS ship tracking system & VHF DSC radio. Onboard ipod docking stereo.
Half term boat trips will be running from Rye Harbour. Children aged 8 upwards can have a ride & drive trip in our Honda Powerboat. No experience necessary. Each group must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is £25pp for 45 mins out on the boat. Normal RRP is £45pp. Each trip can take four passengers and you all get to drive. To book your boat trip you can Contact us here
Organising a Stag or Hen activity in Sussex or Kent then we have the day out for you.
You Drive
Take our race prepared Honda Powerboat for a spin around the coast in Rye Bay. You all get to drive and ride – no experience necessary. Everybody has done go-karting & paint-balling so why not try something different. Each trip lasts an hour. Prices from £45pp
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Rib Charter
If you just want a blast then charter our rib for your stag & hen activities. We can take you round the bay or up the coast for lunch in Eastbourne or Brighton.
We are now offering trips from Rye Harbour to the Royal Sovereign Lighthouse off Beechy Head in East Sussex.
The trip takes half an hour each way and can be combined with a visit to Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne with its shops and restaurants. To find out when the next trip is running contact us or call 01424 442 729
For the first two weeks of November two of our skippers Will and Henk have been chartered to drive safety and camera ribs in the Royal docks for an up coming Charles Dickens Film. the crew converted a Tall ship into a paddle steamer which looked fantastic seen below going under the Dartford crossing in the fog Filming mostly took place in the dark so night shift action was required. Will was driving Marine Film Services 1, an 8.8m Ribcraft coded to cat 4 with a 250hp Suzuki four stroke hanging off the back, seen below.
Henk was driving a 6m Valiant with a 115hp Yamaha on the back. A great work boat for all sorts of camera operations we ended up filming in daylight in the medway seen below.
Totally recommend doing this, it was great fun! So much so, my friend and I did it again :). Life jackets were provided and we felt completely safe at all times.
KarenS404 9/30/2019
We booked a return trip from Rye to Eastbourne Marina, stopping for lunch. The whole day was fabulous. Will, the skipper makes it such fun. We all thoroughly enjoyed it... read more and will definitely be going again. Lots of laughs, a great experience... a bit of...More
katycamel 9/23/2019
Arranged this as a family treat and weren’t disappointed. Great value. First trip was rearranged because of weather but admin was great and easily rescheduled. Everything went to plan on... read more the day, the sun even appeared. Great fun, adrenaline was running and only a bit...More
heathermcnamara23 9/23/2019
I wasn’t sure what to expect or if I would get sea sick. But as soon as the throttle is opened up you giggle like little kids. It’s a... read more mix of trying to ride a horse but with the added fun of seeing your friends...More
ianattw00d 9/22/2019
Will was great, from arranging the trip, to the day itself, highly recommend and we will be back , thank you
kym0rgan 9/22/2019
Half hour ride with my 11 year old and we both loved it. Exhilarating and great fun! Skipper was great, life jackets provided and felt very safe.
P4158KOcraigm 9/03/2019
One of the best experience ever.all the kids love it and will like to be back again.i will definitely recommend.
Floricana 8/31/2019
Will definitely be going back. Great fun for everyone. Took 3 teenage girls and they loved it nearly as much as their mums.
Our New Charter Rib is being built by 
