Home » Boating » Solar Boat Racing: The Frisian Solar Challenge

Solar Boat Racing: The Frisian Solar Challenge

Published on July 19, 2010 by GWitt in Boating

The Frisian Solar Challenge marked the inaugural event in 2006. The week long solar boat race was developed by the Dutch government has grown exponentially since its inception.

The Private Energy Solarboateam won the Frisian Solar Challenge. The team navigated their solar powered boat 220 kilometers (137 miles) in 11:26:32.

www.frisiansolarchallenge.nl

The race starts in Leewarden, the capital of Friesland, and follows the classic route of the Eleven City Tour, following canals, rivers, and lakes. Fascinatingly, the distinctive terrain of 220 km of canals means that there are sometimes bridges and dykes which require the boats to be lifted from the water and carried by teams of people.

The race is divided into three classes: the A class is for one-person boats, the B class is for two-person boats, and the open or C class can have a crew of any size. To keep costs down, entries in the A and B class can borrow solar panels from the race’s sponsors, Sharp and The Sun Factory.

The Frisian Solar Challenge marked the inaugural event in 2006. The week long solar boat race was developed by the Dutch government has grown exponentially since its inception. Around 50 teams will start the challenge, mainly universities and specialist companies from Europe with teams from Brazil, England, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Poland.　