Canarian Weekly
15-03-2013, 13:00
IT’S a fun thing that’s been going on for centuries: tossing a bottle into the sea with a message for anyone, anywhere, in the world.
But this particular bottle will have a much bigger impact because it’s said to be the largest ever to set sail, and contains the largest message!
The giant bottle, eight metres long, two metres wide and weighing 2½ tons, was launched by Norwegian explorer Jarle Andhøy in the San Miguel Marina on Wednesday after a few test-runs days earlier.
It’s a gimmick, obviously, initiated byNorway’s soft-drink brand Solo, which wants to spread the name further afield.
Sports-car company Koeningseg built the fibre-glass monster, which has navigational lights, plus solar panels, satellite connections and tracking technology.
It even has a 140-litre fresh-water tank with remote-control nozzles, to clean the lens of a camera which is activated every eight hours to record the epic journey.
Bård Eker, co-owner of Koenigsegg, said: “It just might be the biggest bottle ever made, and probably the most expensive one, too.”
But why launch it inTenerife? Solo chief Joaquim Sande says: “Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl spent his last days there.
“And Christopher Columbus stopped off in the Canary Islands (El Hierro) on his way to discovering the as-yet unknownAmericas.”
Inside the bottle is a container carrying a case of the soft drink and a personal 12sq.m letter for the lucky person who finds it.
The ambitious project took months of preparation and the whole venture can be followed live via Facebook.
“I only hope a tanker won’t run it over on the first day,” joked 35-year-old Andhøy, who is known for his controversial ocean travel on his yacht named Berserk.
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/takes-bottle-launch-message/)
But this particular bottle will have a much bigger impact because it’s said to be the largest ever to set sail, and contains the largest message!
The giant bottle, eight metres long, two metres wide and weighing 2½ tons, was launched by Norwegian explorer Jarle Andhøy in the San Miguel Marina on Wednesday after a few test-runs days earlier.
It’s a gimmick, obviously, initiated byNorway’s soft-drink brand Solo, which wants to spread the name further afield.
Sports-car company Koeningseg built the fibre-glass monster, which has navigational lights, plus solar panels, satellite connections and tracking technology.
It even has a 140-litre fresh-water tank with remote-control nozzles, to clean the lens of a camera which is activated every eight hours to record the epic journey.
Bård Eker, co-owner of Koenigsegg, said: “It just might be the biggest bottle ever made, and probably the most expensive one, too.”
But why launch it inTenerife? Solo chief Joaquim Sande says: “Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl spent his last days there.
“And Christopher Columbus stopped off in the Canary Islands (El Hierro) on his way to discovering the as-yet unknownAmericas.”
Inside the bottle is a container carrying a case of the soft drink and a personal 12sq.m letter for the lucky person who finds it.
The ambitious project took months of preparation and the whole venture can be followed live via Facebook.
“I only hope a tanker won’t run it over on the first day,” joked 35-year-old Andhøy, who is known for his controversial ocean travel on his yacht named Berserk.
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/takes-bottle-launch-message/)