6th August 2004
Commando Joe Participates in Safety Testing of New Boat Design

Two members of the Commando Joe team were today invited to take part in tank testing of the new boat. One of the many safety tests that the boat will go through before the race in 2006, this element was intended to evaluate the boat's self-righting ability in the event of a capsize.

"The new boat is fantastic, at almost half the weight of the previous design," said Pete Rowlands. "Both Mark and I were able to get in the boat during the self-righting tests and with only 120kg of ballast on board, the boat righted within eight seconds. Even with more ballast added, the longest time taken to self-right was 35 seconds.

“Safety will be paramount throughout our preparations and during the voyage, so it’s reassuring to be taking part in this testing at such an early stage.”

The boat is lowered into the tank	Self-righting test underway - Pete Rowlands and Mark Waterson in the water