Eighty-year-old sailor and journalist Jimmy Cornell has begun his quest to circumnavigate the globe in nine months in an electric boat.

The Romanian-born British yachtsman set off from Seville in Spain on November 19 to mark the 500th anniversary of the Earth's first circumnavigation by explorer Ferdinand Magellan and sailor Juan Sebastian Elcano. 

Cornell's Aventura Zero catamaran is powered by energy-generating blades and solar panels.

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"The boat creates no emissions and allows us to heat water, make bread, and cook," he said.

The journey is around 32,000 miles in total and Cornell will arrive at the Port of San Julian, off the South of Patagonia in August 2021.

Video editor: David Bamford.