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The Figure 8 Voyage

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Yachting Monthly

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Figure 8 voyage: 40,000 miles around the world

• Katy Stickland
• November 13, 2019

Randall Reeves has become the first person to solo circumnavigate the American and Antarctic continents in one season. He talks to Yachting Monthly about the highs and lows of his Figure 8 voyage and what he is planning next

Randall Reeves navigates in shifting wind patterns a thousand miles north of Bermuda. Credit: Randall Reeves

American solo skipper Randall Reeves has made history after successfully finishing his Figure 8 voyage around the American and Antarctic continents in one season.

The 57-year-old sailor completed his circumnavigation in his 45ft, flush deck, aluminium expedition sloop, Mōli in 306 days, leaving San Francisco Bay on 30 September 2018 and returning on 19 October 2019, having navigated the Northwest Passage and rounded Cape Horn twice.

Reeves has previously completed a two year, solo cruise of the Pacific in a 30ft ketch in 2010-12, which took him to Mexico, French Polynesia, Hawaii, and Alaska.

‘Most thrilling to me were the month-long leaps rather than the exotic ports on either end. To witness this vast, watery world being its wild self, to be fully and completely on one’s own, to successfully plan and execute a long passage–these things are very rewarding. I returned to San Francisco in 2012 hungry for more, much more,’ he told Yachting Monthly .

Moli and Reeves encounter rought seas in the North Atlantic. Credit: Randall Reeves

He said it was his wife ‘who laid down the challenge for the Figure 8.’

‘She insisted that if I were to take off again, the endeavour had to be a big one. Of course, like many sailors who grew up reading about Sir Robin Knox-Johnson and Bernard Moitessier, I had wanted, since childhood, to experience the extreme difficulties of the Southern Ocean; and at about that time I read of an American, Matt Rutherford, who in 2011 completed a solo circumnavigation the American continents non-stop, including a very difficult transit of the Arctic’s Northwest Passage.

Randall Reeves and Moli enconter rough seas after passing Cape Horn for the final time. Credit: Randall Reeves

‘That’s when it clicked: what if a person could weave these two historic high-latitude routes into one, extraordinarily long singlehanded voyage. Was that even possible and if so, could I do it? The idea bit me hard, and I started planning almost immediately,’ he explained.

Second time lucky

This year’s successful completion of the Figure 8 Voyage was his second attempt.

‘The first attempt began in October of 2017 and taught me some rather forceful lessons as I achieved southern high latitudes. In late November, Mo and I had just made 56 degrees south and were about 500 miles west of Cape Horn when we were overtaken by a large low.

‘At the height of it, winds were 50 knots gusting 70, and the large seas resulted in a knockdown that disabled both automatic steering devices and forced an emergency change of course.

‘For a week I hand steered 12-18 hours a day, a difficult thing given Mo ‘s short tiller and barn-door rudder, and toward South America’s lee shore, finally making Ushuaia, Argentina nearly undone,’ explained Reeves.

After making repairs, he continued with the voyage when another low in the Indian Ocean ended his dreams.

‘We were above the Crozet Islands where currents from the Agulhas and the rather shallow water causes seas to stack up and break furiously. In the latter phases of this low, Mo was spun around and thrown to the bottom of a particularly large snorter, the force of which shattered a window in the pilothouse, filled the boat with water, and drowned most of the boat’s electronics.

‘Again, I made for port, in this case, Hobart, Tasmania.’

Now behind schedule, he abandoned the voyage, returning to San Francisco to prepare for a second attempt.

‘This failed attempt was a full, solo circumnavigation of the globe in three stops, which I like to think may be the longest shakedown cruise in history. After return, I had a scant three months to be ready for the second attempt.

‘When I departed on the first attempt, the fear I felt then was based on ignorance, but when I departed for the second time, I was afraid because I knew what I was getting into,’ explained Reeves.

Preparing for the Figure 8

He said he had to do little to prepare  Mōli as the yacht was already set up for solo, high latitude passages.

Built in 1989 by Dubbel and Jesse, a yard in Norderney,  Mōli was initially owned by the German journalist Clark Stede, who used her to circumnavigate the Americas (through the Arctic, around Cape Horn) over two years.

He then sold her to Canadian Tony Gooch, who, for 16 years, cruised her every summer in high latitudes.

Randall Reeves surveys the pea soup fog from Moli’s pilothouse , 670 miles from his next stop in Nuuk, Greenland. Credit: Randall Reeves

In 2002, Gooch departed Victoria, BC for a solo, non-stop circumnavigation via the five capes and was the first to successfully make this passage from a west coast of North America departure.

Reeves bought the boat from a couple who had just completed an east-to-west Northwest passage.

‘ Mo is uniquely suited for solo, high latitude ventures. Her hull is incredibly strong; she has three watertight bulkheads; her full keel provides stability in large seas and protects the rudder and propeller from the ice in the north,’ said Reeves.

‘She’s very simply set up as well, having no watermaker, no fridge nor freezer, no electric pumps. She’s tiller steered, which makes the use of a windvane simple and efficient. Her cockpit is small; her rig simple, and her capacity for water (nearly 1000 liters in two tanks) and food carry is more than ample for one guy, even if his needs are a full year’s worth of provisions.

‘Because she’s been sailed constantly since her launch date, and often solo, I had to make very few changes. Standing and running rigging were renewed as was the suit of sails HOOD sails; main systems were overhauled; the Monitor windvane was rebuilt, bottom paint refreshed, and that was about it,’ said Reeves.

Rough seas in the North Atlantic. Credit: Randall Reeves

There were many memorable moments during the Figure 8 voyage, but Reeves particularly loved spending such an extended time at sea.

It took him 237 days to sail non-stop and solo from San Francisco to Halifax, with much of that time spent in the Southern Ocean.

The Figure 8 Voyage required a full circuit below the five capes and two roundings of Cape Horn – 110 days and 15,000 miles at roughly 47 degrees south.

Randall fixes an oil leak in Sisimuit, Greenland. Credit: Randall Reeves

‘Being embedded as I was in such a remote and wild place, living for months in strong winds and among seas the size of three-story houses, sharing the air with Wandering Albatrosses–for a guy like me, this was a slice of heaven,’  noted Reeves.

‘And of course, it was also incredibly difficult. Constant wind and sea changes, lack of sleep, biting cold, all wear after months, and by the time of the second dip under the big cape, I was ready for a relaxing run through the Atlantic’s SE trades.’

Ice challenges

Ice also caused difficulties.

He wisely decided to ‘hang back’ during the 500 miles of the Northwest Passage between Peel Sound and Cambridge Bay in the Canadian Arctic.

‘The boats ahead of me had been having a terrible time with the ice. Imagine two crew at the bow poling as the crew at the wheel attempts to wedge and pivot the boat through the ice to make a lane, and all that for a mere 20 miles of southing a day.

Navigating through the ice of the Northwest Passage (near Peel Sound, Arctic Circle, above Canada) . Credit: Randall Reeves

‘It wasn’t something even possible for a singlehander. So, when I began to make my southward drive, it was with a lot of apprehension. Luckily, my strategy of hanging back and waiting paid off. By the time I got to the worst of the ice pack, there had been enough thaw that I could work Mo through with relative ease,’ he explained.

‘Still, we left a lot of bottom paint in the Arctic this year. There was one time when I’d been hand steering for nearly the whole day through 4 and 6/10ths ice and was just blisteringly tired.’

Reeves said the biggest challenge in the Arctic was sleep.

Randall Reeves commemorates completing the Northwest Passage and is in the home stretch of his Figure 8 voyage. Credit: Randall Reeves

‘If there’s light (and at that time of year, there’s always light) and any chance of headway, you are driving the boat forward. In this case, I saw an opening in the ice, a longish extent of blue water with the white of more ice way ahead on the horizon. I dashed below, flipped on the autopilot and set the alarm for a five-minute nap.

‘On the fourth minute of my five-minute nap, I was awakened to a crashing sound. Mo stopped in her tracks and the engine ground right down.

‘We had rammed a bergy bit the size of a school bus. How I didn’t see it before going below is a mystery…and that it didn’t even dent the boat, even more so,’ he reflected.

Future plans

Reeves admits he pressed hard to complete Figure 8 in 306 days, and would now like to take things more slowly.

With Cape Horn in the background, Randall Reeves marks the final of two Cape Horn passages during his Figure 8 voyage. Credit: Randall Reeves

‘I’d love to return to the south, to take it more slowly, to visit the many remote islands like the Crozets and Kerguelen. And too, I’ve transited the Northwest Passage twice now, but have been in a hurry both times. So, I dream of exploring slowly up there, even to freezing in for a winter,’ he said.

‘But most of all what’s next for me is time at home with my wife; as you can imagine, my honey-do list is quite long…’

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Randall Reeve’s Figure 8 Voyage: American and Antarctic continents

SAN FRANCISCO) On Saturday, October 19, 2019, bluewater explorer, Randall Reeves, navigated his 45-foot aluminum sloop, Mōli, under the Golden Gate Bridge and into the record books, becoming the first person to solo-circumnavigate both the American and Antarctic continents in one season, a feat he calls the Figure 8 Voyage. Randall has now completed his first book, a coffee table style picture book.

http://figure8voyage.com/run-away-to-sea-with-the-figure-8-voyage-book/

“It’s been a thrilling, exciting and altogether lovely adventure, but I am so eager to be back home,” said Reeves upon arriving in port. “People often ask me about the interesting places I’ve visited when cruising, as if a long sea passage is about getting to the other side. But for me, it’s the ocean itself that fascinates me—not the destination, per se.”

Reeves is no stranger to the treachery of this voyage. His first attempt, embarking in the fall of 2017, was met with a confluence of challenges–he ultimately limped into port in Hobart, Tasmania, navigating with rudimentary gear, water-logged paper maps and a sextant, putting an end to his first attempt.

Spending months at sea and sleeping no more than 90 minutes at a stretch, Reeves had limited voice and data contact, no hot water or refrigeration, limited solar power and had packed onboard all the food and water he needed. For a period of time the nearest humans were on the International Space Station and the only life he encountered were the sea birds that inspired the name of his vessel.

About Randall Reeves

Born and raised in Northern California, Randall Reeves, 57, grew up reading and dreaming of the sea. He learned to sail on the rivers of central California and often “borrowed” the family sailboat for solo ventures to the San Francisco Bay.

Reeves’s bluewater sailing began in 2006 when he crewed on a 40-foot boat for a 26-day, 3,000-mile passage from Hawaii to British Columbia. Future adventures included crewing the Northwest passage and solo voyages from Alaska to Hawaii and back to his home in San Francisco.

Throughout his travels, Reeves shares his stories in the hopes of inspiring others to do more than they ever thought possible.

Prior to making adventure his full-time pursuit, Reeves served as a general manager for Millennium Restaurant and other Joi de Vivre properties in San Francisco, spent 11 years at OpenTable and held a C-level position at a company building tech solutions for the food service industry.

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An interview with Randall Reeves on his successful Figure 8 Voyage

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Man completes 'figure-8' sail around the world in one season.

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Randall Reeves was destined to be a seaman.

His father was a naval captain, and Reeves, now 57, grew up surrounded by sea lore. His childhood home was decorated with his father's sextant and other navigational tools and charts, old uniforms and an underlined copy of Herman Melville's classic 1851 seafarer novel "Moby Dick."

The family bought a boat when Reeves was in high school and the first time he rode on it, he remembers, "It was this epiphany, this physical feeling of, 'Oh. Oh! This is what I'm supposed to do.'"

Based in Oakland, California, Reeves is fulfilling that heritage now, 40 years later. On Oct. 19, Reeves sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge and into Sausalito, where he stepped off his 45-foot sailboat, Moli, completing his year-long journey: a solo "figure-8" sail around the world.

Record-making

The finish marks a world record, the sailor says: Reeves claims to be the first person in the world to complete this difficult route alone. (There's no certifying body that regulates voyages of this type, but an international community of sailors, the Ocean Cruising Club, commemorated Reeves with a plaque after his landing.)

He departed from San Francisco down the Pacific past South America, made a hard left through the Southern Ocean above Antarctica and went once around the globe, before turning north.

Reeves sailed through the Atlantic and into the Arctic Ocean, and circled the globe once more before heading back south toward home in California.

He rounded the American and the Antarctic continents and approached both the North and South Poles in the span of one calendar year, but over just the summer season, as this kind of journey couldn't be made to either pole in the winter.

This is the second time Reeves has attempted the figure-8 in the past two years -- his previous attempt in 2017 ended with an overturned boat post-storm in Tasmania. Only one other sailor has attempted a similar figure-8 route, but didn't complete it, Reeves says.

35 pounds of coffee

Leaving home in northern California on Sept. 30, Reeves completed the 40,000-mile journey without power winches or power sails, refrigeration, or on-board water purification; he carried all his food on board -- including 365 Clif Bars, 35 pounds of coffee, 36 pounds of powdered milk, and 84 cans of stewed tomatoes -- and water for the year.

Truly a solo adventurer, Reeves subsisted 200 days without human voice contact, and 230-plus days of sleeping in only 90-minute stretches -- he figured out quickly, by trial and error and starting with only one hour at a time, that 90 minutes was the minimum duration necessary to avoid hallucination.

The brief periods of rest allowed for him to still maintain the boat on course. Before embarking on the course, Randall says, he was fit from regular walking and running, though not "marathon fit."

Describing his days on the precarious Southern Ocean, where the waves can be as high as two-story houses and winds can reach 50 miles-per-hour in stormy weather, Reeves explained the draw to CNN Travel, "There's no coastguard down there. No one's going to come pick you up if you have problems. You have to figure it out on your own. To put yourself into a part of the world that is absolutely and utterly wild, to be in a place where humans simply aren't, to deal with what nature dishes you, it's a huge privilege."

One thrill of the journey was viewing Cape Horn on the southern tip of South America, close up and unobstructed, twice -- the only two times Reeves saw land in 237 days -- from a sailor's perspective, which he describes as "like looking at Mount Everest from the peak."

Related video: 77-year-old woman sets record for oldest person to sail around the world

One with nature

The sailor was also awed by his solo encounters with pelagic birds, those who, like Reeves this last year, spend most of their time on the ocean. He recalls during a storm, a bird crashed into his boat and got stuck in the cockpit. To help it back onto the sea, Reeves picked up the bird. "I'm holding this wild animal in my hand, thinking it's probably never seen a human before. To be able to let it go back into its environment was amazing."

As to what journey Reeves and Moli will take on next, he isn't sure. He dreams of undertaking the figure-8 route again, but more slowly, "say, in five years as opposed to one," Reeves says.

"It would be grand to just explore the route. There are a great number of islands spread out between Antarctica and the continents that I didn't get to see. I didn't get to stop where the seals and walruses and penguins live. But that's a big commitment. We'll see how that flies when I get home."

Published on October 21st, 2019 | by Editor

Completing the Figure 8 Voyage

Published on October 21st, 2019 by Editor -->

Bluewater explorer Randall Reeves navigated his 45-foot aluminum sloop, Mōli, under the Golden Gate Bridge on October 19 and into the record books, becoming the first person to solo-circumnavigate both the American and Antarctic continents in one season, finishing where he started in San Francisco, CA.

Calling the feat the Figure 8 Voyage, the successful completion covered nearly 40,000 miles since his departure September 30, 2018, traversing two of the world’s most treacherous passages, nearing both poles and rounding Cape Horn twice.

“It’s been a thrilling, exciting and altogether lovely adventure, but I am so eager to be back home,” said Reeves upon arriving in port. “People often ask me about the interesting places I’ve visited when cruising, as if a long sea passage is about getting to the other side. But for me, it’s the ocean itself that fascinates me—not the destination, per se.”

Reeves is no stranger to the treachery of this voyage. His first attempt, embarking in the fall of 2017, was met with a confluence of challenges–he ultimately limped into port in Hobart, Tasmania, navigating with rudimentary gear, water-logged paper maps and a sextant, putting an end to his first attempt.

Spending months at sea and sleeping no more than 90 minutes at a stretch, Reeves had limited voice and data contact, no hot water or refrigeration, limited solar power, and had packed onboard all the food and water he needed. For a period of time the nearest humans were on the International Space Station and the only life he encountered were the sea birds that inspired the name of his vessel.

Born and raised in Northern California, Reeves, 57, grew up reading and dreaming of the sea. He learned to sail on the rivers of central California and often “borrowed” the family sailboat for solo ventures to the San Francisco Bay.

Reeves’s bluewater sailing began in 2006 when he crewed on a 40-foot boat for a 26-day, 3,000-mile passage from Hawaii to British Columbia. Future adventures included crewing the Northwest passage and solo voyages from Alaska to Hawaii and back to his home in San Francisco.

Throughout his travels, Reeves shares his stories in the hopes of inspiring others to do more than they ever thought possible.

Prior to making adventure his full-time pursuit, Reeves served as a general manager for Millennium Restaurant and other Joi de Vivre properties in San Francisco, spent 11 years at OpenTable and held a C-level position at a company building tech solutions for the food service industry.

Additional details at http://figure8voyage.com/blog/

Tags: Randall Reeves , records

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A gripping account of Captain Cook’s final voyage

‘the wide wide sea,’ by hampton sides, recounts cook’s search for the northwest passage.

I’m grateful to the Santa Fe bookseller who put Hampton Sides’s “Blood and Thunder” into my hands some years ago. With Kit Carson’s death-defying exploits at its center, the book revolutionized my concept of America’s westward expansion. Sides’s latest effort, “ The Wide Wide Sea ,” is a gripping account of Captain James Cook’s final voyage.

Cook is a controversial historical figure, especially in light of increasing consciousness about the evils of colonialism. Yet he continues to evoke curiosity and attention. As recently as last month, Popular Mechanics published an article about the rediscovery of his curated shell collection.

Sides does not skirt the rapacious appetites of the British and other European monarchies. The magic of this book, however, is in the details of the explorer’s life at sea. Sides relies on Cook’s writings as well those of other sailors on the voyage. Based on the selected bibliography he includes, Sides’s research was voluminous.

Cook had made two world voyages by the time the book opens. He was a celebrity, having “risen from virtually nothing.” At sea, he’d bucked the Royal Navy’s tradition of violence and cruelty. He’d figured out how to avoid scurvy and brought home information of incomparable value, had mastered new nautical instruments and served as an expert scientist, anthropologist and navigator. His mapmaking skills were superlative.

After only six months at home, he took off again, in search of the elusive Northwest Passage . His third expedition consisted of 180 people in two wooden ships, the Resolution and the Discovery. They left England in July 1776.

In addition to Cook’s story, other narratives weave through the book. One particularly fascinating account is that of Mai, a native of Raiatea, a volcanic island 130 miles northwest of present-day Tahiti. When Mai was a boy, warriors from Bora Bora invaded Raiatea, murdered his father, seized his family’s land and enslaved much of the population, forcing his family to take refuge in Tahiti. In 1767, a teenage Mai witnessed the English navy’s firepower when Samuel Wallis, a British navigator, arrived in the HMS Dolphin and fought the Tahitians. Vowing to avenge his people against Bora Bora, Mai concluded that English guns were the way to go. When Cook sailed in seven years later on his second Pacific voyage, Mai requested passage, becoming the first Polynesian to set foot on English soil.

Mai’s story reads as metaphor for colonialism. He learned English and was wined and dined as a celebrity. Although horrified by London’s grinding poverty, unthinkable in his homeland, he wore the local dress and adopted the manners of a foppish English gentleman. He met King George, who provided Mai and Cook with a large assortment of farm animals and domesticated birds, to cement the king’s footprint around the globe. No surprise — the animals were hell to care for. Mai had been in search of heavy artillery from King George, but for the voyage was given only an “arsenal of muskets [and] broadswords,” as well as gifts that would have been unimaginable to the Polynesians — cut-glass bows, laced hats, crockery and telescopes. If not the cache Mai hoped for, it does reflect the English royalty’s strategy for winning friends.

It isn’t possible in this short space to describe Sides’s hair-raising accounts of the journey, an itinerary that led from England to present-day South Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia, Hawaii, north to Alaska and beyond, and back to Hawaii. Just repairing and re-provisioning the ship required herculean efforts. The physical threats included days-long ocean storms, fog so thick it wasn’t possible to see from stern to bow and cold temperatures against which no garment could protect.

By the time Cook reached Polynesia in October 1777, the rat infestation was so great that “the vermin had all but taken over the holds, gangways, and lower decks.” At Moorea, 12 miles from Tahiti, Cook created a “swinging bridge” from ropes to lure the rats on land. A few made it to the beaches, introducing Polynesia to the European black rats, which remain a “scourge” today.

Cook understood that his men were vectors for infection. An ascetic, he occasionally stopped his men from going ashore to prevent the spread of venereal disease. At times he restrained his crew from violence; at other times, his temper was uncontrollable. After a series of petty thefts from the ship by Tongo natives, Cook ordered brutal floggings and had a villager’s ears cut off. In punishment for one Moorea person stealing a goat, Cook had the village and its cropland torched, along with its canoes. Sides suggests that over the course of this final voyage, Cook may have been suffering declining mental faculties.

By August 1778, the two ships were in the Arctic Ocean sailing toward Siberia. Cook was careful, “zagging outward if the pincers of ice began to close in on his vessels.” When he finally concluded there was no Northwest Passage, he decided to salvage his “defeat,” by doing “reconnaissance work in Hawai’i.” A man onboard wrote, “Those who have been amongst ice, in the dread of being enclosed in it, and in so late a season, can be the best judge of the general joy this news gave.”

People tend to know Cook was killed by native people in Hawaii. The events leading up to his death are gruesome and upsetting, including “cannibalism” made more explicable in Sides’s measured account.

This book captures a time when Europeans were finding unfathomable new worlds. Armed with extensive research and terrific writing, Sides re-creates the newness of the experience, the vast differences in and among Indigenous cultures, and natural phenomena that were as terrifying as they were wondrous.

Martha Anne Toll’s prizewinning debut novel, “Three Muses,” was published in 2022. Her second novel, “Duet for One,” is forthcoming in early 2025.

The Wide Wide Sea

Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook

By Hampton Sides

Doubleday. 432 pp. $35

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Transformers Toys Studio Series Voyager Bumblebee 110 Shockwave, 6.5-inch Converting Action Figure, 8+

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• TRANSFORMERS: BUMBLEBEE SHOCKWAVE: This Transformers Studio Series 110 Shockwave action figure is highly articulated for posability and features movie-inspired deco and details
• TRANSFORMERS TOYS STUDIO SERIES VOYAGER CLASS: This 6.5-inch (16.5 cm) collectible action figures is inspired by iconic movie scenes and designed with specs and details to reflect the Transformers movie universe
• 2 ICONIC MODES: This Studio Series Transformers toy features classic conversion between robot and Cybertronian tank modes in 22 steps
• AWESOME ACCESSORIES: Transformers figure comes with a 2-piece cannon accessory that combines together. Accessories attach in both modes
• ARTICULATED FOR PLAY AND DISPLAY: Transformers figures feature articulated heads, arms, and legs for action poses
• REMOVABLE BACKDROP: Removable backdrop displays the Transformers Studio Series Shockwave figure in the Cybertron Falls scene
• COLLECT STUDIO SERIES MOVIE FIGURES: This action figure toy makes a great collectible figure gift for any Transformers fan. Look for more Transformers Studio Series toys to build a collection (each sold separately, subject to availability)

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Welcome to the incredible world of Transformers robots. It is a world of high technology, ancient history, and a battle that has spanned the entire galaxy and millions of years. Optimus Prime, leader of the heroic Autobots, battles the tyrant Megatron and his evil Decepticons for the fate of freedom across the universe. There's a Transformers figure for every kid or collector. From big converting action figures to miniature battling robots to figures that change between modes in 1 step, you can team up with Transformers toys to create your own incredible adventures. Whether you're defending Earth with the Autobots, or conquering space with the Decepticons, the action is up to you. Transformers is a world-famous entertainment brand with 30 years of history, blockbuster movies, hit television shows and countless novels and comic books. With Transformers robot toys, you can create your own chapters in this epic, ongoing story. Transformers and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro. This copy is intended as placeholder text only and is not representative of individual items in the line. Hasbro and all related terms are trademarks of Hasbro.

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Safety information.

Warning: Choking Hazard – Small parts may be generated. Not for children under 3 years.

What's in the box

• Figure, 2 accessories, removable backdrop, and instructions.

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Transformers Studio Series 110 Shockwave

Hasbro Toys - Domestic

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Electric Semi Truck

Heavy equipment, first ever electric semi truck rides into mexico with sdg&e.

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) says the maiden voyage of their Class 8 heavy-duty electric semi marks the first time an electric semi has crossed the border hauling a standard load, marking an important milestone as the two nations move toward a net zero future.

The electric semi truck – one of 11 Peterbilt 579EV Class 8 trucks bought by San Diego-based Bali Express last year – made its first trip to Mexico carrying an unspecified load of goods through the Port of Entry at Otay Mesa, which connects Southern California to the city of Tijuana, Mexico.

Bali Express’ electric trucks will utilize SDG&E’s recently activated HD charging infrastructure to provide “reliable and affordable” electric freight options for medium and heavy-duty EVs crossing the US/Mexico border.

The SDG&E-powered chargers were partially funded through a $200,000 grant from the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program. That program has put more than $1 billion to alternative fuel and vehicle technology projects designed to improve public health while bringing both environmental and economic benefits to communities throughout the state.

Those sentiments were echoed by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “The historic crossing of this electric freight truck symbolizes San Diego’s commitment to innovation, cross-border cooperation and our binational community,” said Gloria, in a statement . “We’re not just reducing emissions, we’re building a cleaner future for people living near our border , and leading the way in international trade and environmental responsibility.”

Meanwhile, Executive Director of SDG&E Caroline Winn called the new charging corridor , “an example of how collaboration can create new and innovative ways to rethink how to move transportation systems toward electrification.”

The Peterbilt 579EV trucks have an 82,000 lb. GCWR and is powered by the same 670 hp  Meritor 14Xe “epowertrain” used in the PACCAR Kenworth t680e that debuted back in 2022 . That system integrates electric motors and drive axles into a single unit, making it easy for manufacturers to electrify their fleets by maintaining existing (re: ICE) axle mounting hardware.

The big Petes have approx. 150 miles of range and are capable of fully charging their massive, 400 kWh batteries in about 3 hours.

Electrek’s Take

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has approved a landmark plan to end the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035. And, while California is just one state, it’s important to remember that, as California’s fleets go, so too go the fleets of Mexico, Arizona, Colorado , Washington State, and others.

If we’re lucky, the whole country will be electric-only well before then .

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

I’ve been in and around the auto industry since the 90s, and have written for a number of well-known outlets like CleanTechnica, the Truth About Cars, Popular Mechanics, and more. You can catch me on The Heavy Equipment Podcast with Mike Switzer, the AutoHub Show with Ian and Jeff, or chasing my kids around Oak Park, IL.

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Caitlin Clark Poised to Land Eight-Figure Deal, Signature Shoe With Nike, per Report

• Author: Madison Williams

Newly drafted Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is already about to sign a major shoe brand deal with Nike for eight figures, The Athletic 's Shams Charania, Mike Vorkunov and Ben Pickman reported on Wednesday.

The deal is expected to include the college basketball phenom earning her own signature Nike shoe, similar to how the New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu and Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics have their own shoes with the brand.

The Athletic 's report noted that Adidas and Under Armour also made offers to Clark regarding a shoe deal.

Clark already had a deal with Nike while she played college basketball at Iowa, having signed the deal back in 2022. Throughout her historic season this year, Nike posted various advertisements for Clark as she hit all her milestones. The brand even sold shirts saying "You break it, you own it," after Clark became the leading scorer in NCAA Division I women's basketball.

The 22-year-old was selected with the No. 1 pick by the Fever on Monday night. Her WNBA debut is expected to come on Friday, May 3 when Indiana faces the Dallas Wings in the preseason. The Fever will have 36 nationally televised games this season as fans await to see Clark play professionally.

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Caitlin Clark to receive signature shoe in eight-figure Nike deal, per reports

INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark is getting a signature shoe before she plays a professional minute.

According to reports from The Athletic , the Iowa Hawkeye-turned- Indiana Fever superstar is nearing an eight-figure deal with Nike to produce her own shoe. Clark had an endorsement deal with Nike during her college career, but that deal expired at the end of the 2023-24 college basketball season. But she wanted to work with Nike again, and fended off deals with Adidas and Under Armour, according to The Athletic.

This deal is one of many for the Fever rookie, as she is also working with insurance agency State Farm, trading card company Panini America and Gatorade.

More: A Midwesterner through and through, Caitlin Clark wants Indiana back in WNBA playoffs

CAITLIN CLARK FEVER:  Sign up for our newsletter for best stories on WNBA

Clark, a two-time National Player of the Year, broke 45 collegiate records throughout her four-year career, including becoming the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer. She and the Hawkeyes helped break multiple viewership records throughout the 2024 NCAA tournament, with the Iowa-South Carolina national championship game averaging nearly 19 million viewers.

Clark will be the first Fever player to have a signature shoe, according to reporting from USA Today's The Rookie Wire . She will be one of five current players to have a shoe deal — New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart both have signature shoes, as well as the Las Vegas Aces' Candace Parker and the Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi. Elena Delle Donne, who is taking a break from basketball this season, also has a signature shoe.

Other WNBA greats, including Rebecca Lobo, Dawn Staley, Sheryl Swoopes and Nikki McCray have also had signature shoes.

Follow IndyStar Fever Insider Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67 .