MAYFLOWER TRIMARAN - 1. The solar-powered research boat will aim to traverse the Atlantic Ocean in 2021 with no humans on board. 2. Sea trials are due to commence off the south coast of England in late 2020. 3. The Mayflower was officially unveiled on September 16th 2020, the 400th anniversary of the original Mayflower departure.

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) project is only possible because of the team that makes it happen.

Guilhem Molines is part of the IBM technical crew and a shipmate. He is in Nice, France. He is building the technology that "Captain AI" uses to avoid collisions and follow the rules of the sea.

Guilhem's vision for Mayflower is that if the craft circles the globe, that the vessel will roam the seas by itself, collecting scientific data, and that maybe he will run into it when he's out sailing.

This team member is a scuba diver and a seaman. For that reason being able to apply this technology to ocean exploration and increased sea safety has a deep meaning for him.

The oceans are less understood than space, Guilhem says "we need to explore and protect them." He is confident in the software, but worries more about silly hardware problems, such as the propeller getting caught in fishing nets or ropes. Perhaps a different means of propulsion next time?

We could not agree more about obstructions disabling autonomous craft, especially for workboats like SeaVax. Marine litter is one of the modern scourges of the age we live in.

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