Olympic Boat and Jimi Hendrix Guitar? What Sailing and Hard Rock Have in Common (VIDEO)
A boat made from one of Jimi Hendrix's guitars was set to sail the seven seas Monday, on its maiden voyage. A guitar however, is not the only item that was used to make this one, very unique boat.
Boat builder Mark Covell knows what it is like to come home a winner after achieving a silver medal during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. So just what would it take to take home the gold? Perhaps just a bit of lost treasure.
The Boat Project was launched in London and was meant to be a "living archive of people's stories and lives" according to the organization's website. A small piece of wood off of Jimi Hendrix's guitar is one of many lost treasures that has composed the new sailboat.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"The 30-foot yacht launched Monday in Emsworth, Hampshire on England's southern coast, is made up of hundreds of precious items which have been donated by people across the country's south-east," CNN reported.
Over 1,2000 people offered a wooden donation, to contribute to the boat's build.
"The Boat Project" has been anything but simple according to Covell, who suggested that the boat itself had undergone a regimen equivalent to that of an Olympic athlete.
"It was an enormous task," Covell told CNN. "You needed to go above and beyond."
While the yacht may not actually be headed of for the Olympic games this time, a few lucky folks who secured tickets in time will be able to ride that it on its maiden voyage this summer, before it will be donated for public use.
"The amount of precious things that were given has been really inspiring," says Covell.
With the finished product set to be revealed on Monday, the yacht's new crew is now preparing for the voyage. According to the boat's new captain, Mike Barham, there is more uniqueness to this boat that looks alone.
"She's much faster than a normal 30 ft. yacht," he explained. "She's a cross between a high performance dingy and a high performance sailing boat."
