UBC autonomous sailboat Raye to embark on maiden journey to Hawai’i

The University of British Columbia’s solar-powered sailboat Raye is prepared to set sail later this month, reports CBC. The 18-foot autonomous boat was designed entirely by students and took six years to build. “We really want to push the limits of engineering, and push the limits of the marine industry; autonomous technology is super ‘in’ right now,” said Asvin Sankaran, co-captain of the UBC Sailbot. The craft is scheduled to set sail from Victoria, BC and travel to Maui, Hawai’i with no captains aboard or navigators directing it. The ship’s predecessor, Ada, attempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 2016, but was damaged in a storm and later found adrift at sea. “Everything that we’re doing for Raye, and for our subsequent projects, is built off of that first step,” said co-captain David Alexander. “And so having kind of unfinished business with a full ocean crossing is a real driving force behind Raye.” Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.