Please don't be so harsh on the man. He didn't just think this up out of the blue. From the article:
Lovelock's attempt is being made as part of an international contest, the Microtransat Challenge, to become the first to send an unmanned from south of Ireland to the Bahamas.
So you see, it's all in the name of science and competition.
Here's the competition website for more information: http://www.microtransat.org/
Thanks for the link. It does appear a challenging undertaking.