On the 15th of June 2021, another attempt at crossing the Atlantic is underway, in a much larger boat than previous attempts. This is the first day of the expedition. This is a more professional project backed by several companies, with adequate funding. Other projects such as the Scout Atlantic, have been very low budget and largely self-built. Thus, the IMB/Promate project stands a significantly higher chance of success. With our fingers crossed for them.

New York, NY, June 15, 2021 – Ocean research non-profit ProMare and IBM (NYSE: IBM) have announced the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS400) is now in international waters as it attempts to cross the Atlantic ocean and reach the United States.

MAYFLOWER PILGRIMS VOYAGE - MAS's direction of travel is the reverse of the Scout and Voyager autonomous Atlantic attempts that took advantage of trade winds. The Mayflower will be heading into prevailing winds. If sail powered, she would need to tack. But powered by a diesel engine, there is no need for that. Energy from nature is used to power the onboard AI and satellite communications. Any surplus could aid propulsion.

Following daily briefings led by IBM’s The Weather Company, the ship departed with the prospect of favourable weather from Turnchapel Wharf, Plymouth, U.K. at 4:00 a.m. GMT on Tuesday, June 15th.

With no human captain or onboard crew, the research vessel uses IBM’s automation, AI and edge computing technologies to assess its status, environment and mission and make decisions about what to do next while at sea. People from all over the world can follow the ship’s progress via the mission dashboard which includes live video, maps and data streaming. Though is sometimes unavailable, so be patient.

The journey across the Atlantic ocean is expected to take approximately three weeks. If successful, the ship is expected to land in Provincetown, MA, then make its way to the U.S. port of Plymouth.

The pioneering mission is the result of years of work and a global collaboration between marine research non-profit ProMare, IBM and dozens of partners from across industry and academia. Designed to forge a cost-effective and flexible platform for gathering data about the ocean, MAS400 will help scientists gather the data they need to advance understanding of key global issues affecting ocean health including ocean acidification, microplastics and marine mammal conservation. One of the pieces of scientific equipment on MAS is Hypertaste – an ‘electronic tongue’ developed by IBM Research.

The project aims to aid the development of fully autonomous AI systems and applications for use in a variety of industries such as shipping, oil and gas, telecommunications, security and defence, fishing and aquaculture.

The Mayflower 400 will have to travel approximately 3160 nautical miles (5,000 kilometers). Obviously, the team will want to set a good speed, but not make the mistake of the Titanic captain and try too hard. Hence, best to avoid iceberg season, excepting that the Mayflower's lookout is awake and using more than binoculars in the crow's nest.

TOUGH ENOUGH - The 5083 alloy construction looks up to the job. The trimaran configuration is very close to the Cable & Wireless Adventurer, designed by Nigel Irens many years ago to set a new diesel powered circumnavigation record.

ROUGH GUIDE

@ 20 knots (480 day/ave) the 3160 NM journey will take 6.58 days (claimed top speed)

@ 15 knots (360 day/ave) the autonomous  attempt will take 8.78 days

@ 14 knots (336 day/ave) the voyage will take 9.4 days

@ 13 knots (312 day/ave) the adventure will last 10.13 days

@ 12 knots (288 day/ave) the voyage will take 10.97 days

@ 11 knots (264 day/ave) the trip will take 11.97 days

@ 10 knots the journey will take 13.17 days.

@ 9 knots (216 day/ave) the passage will take 14.63 days

@ 8 knots (192 day/ave) the journey will take 16.46 days

@ 7.5 knots the voyage will take 17.56 days

@ 7 knots (168 day/ave) the passage will take 18.8 days

@ 6.5 knots (156 day/ave) the advanture will take 20.25 days

@ 6 knots the voyage will last 21.95 days

@ 5.5 knots (132 day/ave) the voyage will last 23.94 days

@ 5.3 knots (127.2 day/ave) the trip will last 24.84 days (current solar powered record)

@ 5 knots (120 day/ave) the passage will last 26 days

TRANSATLANTIC EVENT CALENDAR 2021

The IBM Mayflower MAS 400 is an autonomous trimaran powered by a diesel engine, piloted by a solar powered artificially intelligent computer system developed by IBM called 'AI Captain.'

JOURNEY TIME

The original wooden 30-meter Mayflower took 66 days to carry the Pilgrims, Founding Fathers from the U.K. to what is now the U.S. The voyage would have involved a lot of tacking, because sailing ships cannot sail directly into the wind. But the new sail-less aluminium boat should take two to three weeks (14-21 days) depending on how strong the prevailing trade winds are.

LINKS & CONTACTS

https://newsroom.ibm.com/2021-06-15-Mayflower-Autonomous-Ship-Begins-Transatlantic-Crossing

https://mas400.com/

http://www.promare.org/projects/
https://newsroom.ibm.com/then-and-now