French woman to cross Atlantic in a solar-powered sail balloon

The first woman to row the Atlantic solo now plans to enter the record books again next year by crossing it in a solar-powered sail balloon.

London, Aug.27 : The first woman to row the Atlantic solo now plans to enter the record books again next year by crossing it in a solar-powered "sail balloon".

Backed by French industry, Peggy Bouchet, 34, plans to undertake a 3,000-mile-long journey from West Africa to the French West Indies, reports The Time.

Windream One, as her 90-foot craft is known, is reminiscent more of a giant air mattress than a helium-filled balloon.

In a crisis such as an unscheduled landing on water, the gondola suspended beneath it would double as a survival capsule.

The most unusual feature, however, is the chien de mer ("sea dog"), a curved, carbon-fibre fin which, when lowered by rope from the gondola into the ocean, acts as a ship's keel, enabling the balloon to travel almost into the wind.

Solar panels and wind turbines power Windream One.

"With any luck, this will help to raise people's awareness of the possibilities of renewable energy," The Time quoted Bouchet, as saying.

A graduate of Plymouth University, where she studied logistics and shipping management in 1994, Bouchet made her mark in 2000 by rowing the 2,485 miles from the Cape Verde Islands to Martinique.

This time she will be flying between 150ft and 300ft above the waves at about 17mph. She and co-pilot St�phane Rousson expect the journey to take 8-12 days.

ANI