| Main Hull (forward of
the mast) The circular piece on the left is called a transducer. It measures seawater temperature and also transmits a signal through the water that bounces off the ocean bottom and back to the transducer. It measures the time lag, and can then calculate the depth of the water. 
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| Propeller and Ground
Plates When sailing, the propeller is not in use. The water flows past it and folds the two blades together to reduce the drag so the boat can sail faster. When the propeller is needed, and the engine is put into forward or reverse gear, the centrifugal force of the spinning propeller opens the blades which then push the boat through the water. Since our voyage is to try to break a sailing record, we will not be using the propeller until we get to our destination! The ground plates connect through the hull to a piece of copper foil tape. The copper tape runs through the boat, connecting each of the ground plates. This is then connected to the ground for each of our pieces of electronics (radios, GPS, satellite transmitters, autopilots, etc.). Port side  Starboard side  |
| Rudder The rudder is a fin that we turn to steer the boat, just as a fish does.  A view of the rudder from the starboard side.  |
| Escape Hatch This is a hatch in the side of the boat that is used to get out of the boat if the boat is capsized. If the boat is upside down, the hatch will be above water level. We hope that we never have to use this hatch.  |