Man builds 65 ft whale-shaped boat called 'Moby' to sail across the Atlantic.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and answer the questions.
1 What was Tom Mclean's job?
2 What does '3,500' refer to?
3 What is Mclean's objective with his journey?
4 What is Tom Mclean's job now?
5 How old is he?
Thankfully this isn't another beached whale on the British coastline… This is a rather unusual boat shaped like a whale and named Moby of all things after its namesake novel by Herman Melville. Former SAS soldier Tom Mclean has spent a mammoth 100,000 pounds and 2 decades building the 65 foot boat in preparation for a 3,500 mile voyage across the Atlantic. The big question is why?
Yeah, maybe why not, I would say. I’m the first man to have rowed the North Atlantic alone and I’ve sailed it and I’ve crossed it in a bottle boat. You can go in many shapes, and I thought, well, why not a whale. I want to clean up the planet, and environmental companies want to be involved with me and well, here we are, Moby.
The boat with the big environmental message will sail down from Loch Nevis in Scotland to London and then New York in stages next year. And it’s guaranteed to be a whale of a time for the retired serviceman.
I’m 73. I feel good. You could say I’m mad but I’m happy with that, I’m getting on doing things. I’m getting off my backside and doing things rather than sitting and watching the telly.
The Loch Ness may have its monster but we reckon Loch Nevis' whale is giving it stiff competition.
Key:
1 (SAS) soldier
2 3,500 mile voyage across the Atlantic he intends to make
3 to clean the planet
4 he's retired
5 73
