On the day HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco celebrated the 10th anniversary of his reign, the 16 competitors at the Solar1 Monte-Carlo Cup, the only meeting in the Mediterranean for solar-powered boats, received a surprise visit from the Sovereign, who was out on the water to encourage them, confirming his commitment to promoting renewable energy sources.
“Organised in collaboration with Solar1, this competition is very much in line with the policy of our Sovereign, who is also President of the Yacht Club de Monaco, as we want to be as responsible as possible in our actions regards the environment. It is also like going back in time in a way. Indeed one cannot help but draw parallels with the first powerboat meetings, starting in 1904, where budding young industrialists at the time, all just as passionate, came to test and present their latest engines, right here in the Principality, in particular combustion engines mounted for the first time on powerboats. And, 110 years later, it is exactly the same pioneering spirit we find in this competition, only the source of energy has changed,” observes Bernard d’Alessandri, General Secretary of the Yacht Club de Monaco.
Most of the 16 boats have been designed and built by engineering students from six countries across Europe and Russia, keen to promote solar power and demonstrate its viability and performance. Powered only by the sun, some of these solar dragonflies can reach speeds up to 25 knots and have unlimited autonomy in the sunshine.
The second edition of the Solar 1 - Monte-Carlo Cup powered by the YCM comprised three events: an endurance race of 30 laps around a one nautical mile circuit on the open sea in the bay of Monaco, a test of manoeuvrability on a slalom course round buoys set in the YCM Marina, and one-on-one speed duels. These challenges, based on those organised in the early 20th century at the powerboat meetings, provide opportunities for innovation and testing these boats of the future, divided into two categories (A class and Open class), and putting into practice technological and ecological imagination in the field.
It should be stressed that in addition to research on solar-power propulsion methods, these futuristic machines are also designed for different hull concepts, including mono-hulls, multi-hulls and hydrofoils.
“The solar energy industry is booming, and those involved in luxury yachting are watching these developments with great interest,” commented Sergei Dobroserdov, President of Solar1 and the man behind the project, alongside the Yacht Club de Monaco and with the invaluable support of engineer Marco Casiraghi. It was a case of Dutch domination at the end of two days of competition, with the winners from 2014 in the two categories retaining their titles. In the Open Class, Clafis Private Energy Solar Team I again pulled off a double, with both their boats (I and II) on the first two steps of the podium, while their compatriots Dutch Solar Boat Team triumphed in the A Class Challenge.
“It has been very instructive and a real challenge to be able to navigate in sea conditions that change from one day to another. We’ve been able to improve technical functions on the boat to navigate on all types of race area. The boat is very long so we have to be very concentrated to keep it level and hold the course. We are very happy to be in Monaco, it’s the best place to inspire the superyachts and demonstrate that it is possible to use clean fuels. As well as the racing there’s a strong team spirit, and sharing experiences with other teams has been very constructive. We’ve been comparing technical innovations and finding new ideas,” said Gerard van der Schaar, driver of the winning boat for the second year in a row.
A highlight of this edition was the introduction by the Yacht Club de Monaco of the International YCM Speed Record for Solar Boats, in collaboration with the UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique), the goal being to establish a “benchmark” record which can then be attempted on other race areas throughout the world. It’s a speed record set over a distance of one eighth of a nautical mile, and Gerard van der Schaar, driving for Clafis Private Energy Solar Team I is the man who set the first record in a time of 18.753 seconds, a speed of 23.996 knots.
A record to be broken at the meeting next year - here in Monaco where the sun always shines.
Final rankings in Solar1 Monte-Carlo Cup
Open Class
1st Clafis Private Energy Solar Team I Netherlands 800 points
2nd Clafis Private Energy Solar Team II Netherlands 600 points
3 rd Tu Delft Netherlands 450 points
A Class
1st Dutch Solar Boat Team Netherlands 700 points
2nd SCIGRIP Poland 700 points
3 rd Han Solar Boat Team Netherlands 450 points
