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.
This was our first visit to the area and with 2 15yr old boys needed something exciting to do. This lived up to and surpassed my expectations! We had 30... read more minutes zipping round the bay which was thrilling from start to end. Our captain Will was super friendly and made sure we had a great time, would recommend to anyone
Crennoldson 8/22/2020
Awesome fun experience which never grows old!! If you haven't tried it, please give it a go as soon as possible! Will is friendly and makes sure you are fully... read more enjoying the ride!
arranb0wie 8/21/2020
Awesome fun experience which never grows old!! If you haven't tried it, please give it a go as soon as possible! Will is friendly and makes sure you are fully... read more enjoying the ride!
Arran B 8/21/2020
Great speedy boat trip from Rye to Hastings. 10 year old daughter loved it!
We were even lucky enough to see 5 seals, which was a great photo opportunity.
Would... read more definitely recommend.
jisles2020 8/17/2020
Great fun all the family really enjoyed it ! Well worth the money. We went quite a long way down the coast too
stringerandrew10 8/14/2020
Amazing hour of power and great value. Everything was perfect, our host/captain made sure we all had a great time. Kids loved it and we even saw some seals .... read more Couldn’t have been any better. Thank you
Mottyg123 8/08/2020
Brilliant - Will was excellent, only sorry it took a stay-cation to discover it. Took our girls (7&9) and they loved it, we had great conditions enough to give... read more good bounce and reasonable spray. Yes we got wet but that was part of the point of it. We even saw a seal. Never done before - we will do it again - great thing to try. Parking was free at Rye harbor and it was a quick 5 minutes to the boat, near the RNLI station over the road. Four in the boat due to the COVID restrictions so it was just us, which made it all the more special. Thanks Will - it was a blast.
Rob F 8/07/2020
Booked the 30 mins blast round the bay! Great communication, strict safety procedures and COVID precautions taken. Will was very welcoming and friendly and we were blessed with amazing weather... read more and conditions. Everyone from my 9 year old through the young adults and oldies loved every second. Certainly blew the cobwebs off and got the blood pumping. Great fun and would highly recommend
Our New Charter Rib is being built by 
