T83: the Lucky number of Furia 3

While the entry forms are coming in at the organisations office of the DONG Energy Solar Challenge, one team was conspicuous by absence; the Private Energy Solar Team with their Furia 3. The winner of the Top class in 2010 enters the race and gets their old competition number T83. But, will this number be their lucky one? Skipper Gerard van der Schaar lets us know.

How is it to defend your title?
During the race of 2010 we were the underdog. We were not really well-known and by winning this changed. People know us now. Therefore it was also easier to get sponsors. Besides that, this is going to be our third time so we have a lot of experience.

What is going to change on your boat?
In 2010 some participants showed the potential of hydrofoils, but we didn’t succeed in applying those. Luckily, cause the hydrofoils brought TU Delft and Andela some problems. This time we choose to have a sharp boat, but we are still examining the possibilities for hydrofoils.

Did you wait for entering the race to get your old number?
Yes! In 2010 we won with T83 and I always sail with number three. When we participated in the Dutch Open Solarboat Challenge, Andela got T83. Andela won the general classification, while we had the same amount of points. By winning the last stage, Andela won with our number. So this year we waited until the first two teams entered the Top class, so we were able to get ‘our’ number.

Of which participants you expect the most competition?
That is hard to say. TU Delft, Windesheim and Andela are all three good teams. It is not only about the fastest boat, but also about the best skipper. Besides that, the waters in Zeeland of the Dutch Open Solarboat Challenge are more open and therefore really different of the waters in Friesland.

Do you have good intentions for 2012?
Finding more time besides our work at MG Electronics, to finish our boat. The goal for the race is to finish in the top 3.

Wojciech Litwin: team leader Gdansk University of Technology

The Polish team from Gdansk University of Technology is just one of few participants of the DONG Energy Solar Challenge who have participated in all the years since its first challenge in 2006. In 2012 the team will participate for the fourth time. Wojciech Litwin knows how it works, it is his fourth time as well. The team won the Dutch Open Solarboat Challenge in de B-class in 2011 and they are aiming for a new goal in 2012, winning with their A-class boat.

How do you manage to put a whole team together every time?At the university we have the science club KORAB. This is a club for students of the Ocean Engineering and Ship Technology faculties. I have been team manager since 2005 and every year there are students from these faculties who are excited to join the team for a solar boat challenge. There are still a couple of veterans in the team, like Krzysztof Wiezel, our oldest student. He has been a team member all four times we participated in the DONG Energy Solar Challenge. So, the team is a mix of inexperienced and experienced members.

Your team won the B-class of the Dutch Open Solarboat Challenge in 2011. Is this your goal for the DONG Energy Solar Challenge 2012 as well?I hope! But my idea is to change our B-class boat into a research or training boat. We will install data acquisition devices on the boat. We would like to also train younger skippers on this boat. Our main target for the DSC2012 is winning with our A – class boat.

What major adjustments have you been making to your boat compared to last years’ DONG Energy Solar Challenge?Polymer batteries (rechargeable batteries). I hope we are able to install those in both the A- and B-class boat.

Will there be exciting innovative techniques used on the boats?Our new A-class boat is being designed right now. I hope we will finish testing in December. We will use carbon fibres for a hull. I believe the light weight is the most important about the boat. Other important factors are efficiency and reliability. We also need some luck!

What about your plans to organize your own solar challenge?Unfortunately we had to cancel the solar challenge in Poland. The deficit between contestants was too big. The other issue was sponsoring. I hope the idea will survive and we will be able to realize a solar challenge in Poland in the future.

Tjerk Planting: Team manager Delta Lloyd Solar Boat Team

Tjerk Planting is the new team manager of the Delta Lloyd Solar Boat Team. The team from the Delft University of Technology is competing in the solar boat race for the fourth time and won twice. Last year the team came in third. Tjerk Planting (21) is a Systems Engineering student and has a great task coming up with his new team members and fellow students.

How is the new Delta Lloyd Solar Boat Team formed?
At the beginning of this year people who are interested in the new Solar Boat Team were asked to join. In April the team was formed and in this early days the 2010 team was still active. They showed us the ropes of how to work. Now the old team is gone and we work on our own.

Is the team able to handle the pressure of the project and combine this with school?
Yes we can. We don’t have class this year because of this project. There is one minor we were able to follow, but we are taking the year off for the project.

So you are delaying your study a year?
Yes, but that’s not uncommon with technical educations and this is for a better cause!

What was it like to test the boat of 2010?
This wasn’t the first time we used the 2010 boat, but it was the first time that we did it without any guidance. At that moment we thought ‘where does this wire go and that one?’ But that worked out. By the way, we are not using the 2010 boat for the new race. We’re designing and building a completely new boat. The design is based on the 2010 boat, including the use of hydrofoils. For the hydrofoils we have two guys from Aerospace Engineering.

Will there be revenge for you third place in 2010?
Absolutely! We want to bring the cup back to Delft, but that doesn’t happen easily. Other teams are also working on technological innovations too. That’s why this time the race will be more exciting than ever before.

July 2011 – Joris Melkert, head of the Technical Committee

Was the Dutch Open Solarboatrace a challenging tournament for the participants?
Yes it was. The conditions in Zeeland are normally a bit more harsh than in Friesland. This makes it challenging for the contestants. Furthermore the system for determining the winner is somewhat different than in Friesland. In Zeeland you earn points per stage. A stage winner gets 1 point, the second two points, etc. So in this case the overall sailing time becomes less important and requires the teams to optimize their boats for more than one type of sailing. This made the race especially in the Top-class exciting till the very last moment.
 
Did you see much technical improvements on the solar boats?
To be honest I did not see many new things. Many teams that took part in the race in Friesland last year came to Zeeland with the same boats. The reliability of the boats was better now. So I think the teams took their time to work on that. One new development that was interesting was that we now saw the first boat built out of bio-composites.
 
What kind of advise can you give the teams to make innovations?
For next year I expect that several teams are going to make the step towards the use of hydrofoils. So if you want to be a winner this is one of the things you should seriously consider implementing. Rule 5.31 gives you the possibility to take them of when necessary (under certain condition of course). Furthermore, the solar panels in the A- and B-class will be lighter and more powerful, so I think the speed can go up a bit there. I advise the teams to design for that higher speed. I think that the difference between the “average” Top class boats and the best A-class boats will become smaller. I would not be surprised when a number of A-class boats will be faster than these Top class boats.
I hope that there is at least one team that will take a serious look into a non-PV propulsion system. Maybe we should even consider introducing a new prize for first the team that completes the race using non-PV propulsion. The regulations allow the use of non-PV propulsion systems.

May 2011: Natasja Kesteloo: ‘Higher level of competition’

Head of race-organization

The race organization of the DONG Energy Solar Challenge started on full power. As a result of this we publish the Notice of Race and the Technical Regulations 2012.  We looked at all aspects of the evaluation of the event in 2010 and if necessary these are enclosed in the Notice of Race 2012. We think the event is going to have a higher technical level and therefore will be a bigger challenge for all participants.

What kind of changes there are? Our sponsor Klaas Hoekstra of The Sun Factory offers us solar panels with more capacity. Both Challenge classes are now able to use less panels and because of this, the vessels will have less weight.

The demands to participate will be higher. New is the sailing test where every skipper has to prove his or hers steering capacities. So people, please be ready and have the vessel tested before the event will take place! The technical committee will be extra severe on this point.

Now participants, it’s your turn! The website, Notice of Race and the Technical Regulations are presented to you and enrolment is possible. We hope to welcome sixty teams.

See you in Friesland in 2012!

June 2010 – RTL 7, Frank Verzantvoort: ‘Frisian Solar Challenge is one big challenge for us’

‘For the television station RTL 7 we are going to produce a daily journal of the Frisian Solar Challenge. This is a really exciting and challenging project for us. Honestly we don’t have a clue about what we can expect. That makes the preparation for the week really difficult.

Until now we read and searched for a lot of information, we’ve taken a look at the route and we gained a lot of hints from the organization, so we know the elements. But nevertheless it is going to be an enormous challenge! Certainly also because the contact between me and the team members is only by phone and e-mail. On the Saturday before the race, we will see each other for the first time. I do know that we bring an underwater camera and that we hired a special camera to make some really high and low shots.

How things will go with our logistics is for us a really big question mark, the time will tell. Today we have our first and directly also the last logistic meeting. The idea is to make on Sunday the raw mounting and then on Monday shoot at the start. Directly after that our fascility team goes to the finish to mount the film material of the previous day. From there we have to send the images to the studio in Hilversum. But here is also our first problem. Allard Kalff, our presenter has to be on the water during the race, but he also has to be at the same time with the fascility team to do the voice-over of the film material. At this moment we have the idea to send him with the fascility team to do the voice-over and directly after that we have to get him on the water as soon as possible. But not only Allard Kalff has to be at two places at the same time. We all do. If somewhere crashes a boat we have to be there directly, not after it happened. We want to have everything on tape. But at this moment we can’t do anymore than waiting how everything is going to end. One thing we know for sure: at the next race everything is easier!’

‘Climate neutral participation is more important to us then winning’

Characterized by the Frisian short trousers and the green boat ‘De Griene Sinnefretter’ (GSF) this fanatic and crazy solarboatteam, as they name their self, wants to achieve a good  acquirement in front of their home public. ‘With some team members who participated in 2008 and a group with new students from the Van Hall Larenstein and the AOC Friesland, both colleges in Leeuwarden, this has to be achieved’, says project leader Willem Bakker.

With team number B2 this team wants to participate climate neutral. Both colleges teach milieu science, however they don’t teach techniques they will build a solarboat. Bakker: ‘our first goal isn’t to win this competition. Our goal is to finish this race completely climate neutral. This shall be realized by using cradle to cradle, CO2 credits and sustainable cars.’

Wednesday April 14th, the first test-drive took place. ‘It’s always exiting to make a first test-drive even though it’s the third time the GSF made a test-drive. In 2008 the same boat joined the FSC and in 2009 we raced in the Zeeuwse Zonneboot Race. Every year we changed something to approve this boat’, says team member Remco Elzinga.

This year the solarboat is stripped again, they watched and improved almost all technical parts. A new engine is bought and for the first time this team has a lighter battery. Elzinga: ‘This year we don’t like to get a time penalty. Because of the changes the third test-drive was exiting again. After the last preparations the test-drive succeeded, all systems functioned well. We even made a small joyful ride, that’s the beauty of solar energy, you don’t need any fuel. During this test-drive we’ve found some improvements in the boat alignment. Coming weeks we plan to work heard and keep our heads up high for our start in the Prinsentuin on the 4^th of July.

For more information sent an e-mail to this team >>

‘FSC is the world championship for solar boats’

For the third time they participate in the A-class from the Frisian Solar Challenge. But for the first year they will also compete in the Top-class. Solar Team Groningen, with participating numbers A22 and C7.

‘Solar Team Groningen is an unique cooperation between educational institutions Univercity of Groningen, Hanzehogeschool Groningen, Praedinius GymnasiumNoorderpoortcollege’,  says Margreet van der Velde, project leader of this solar team. ‘This cooperation is established from the thoughts to make techniques and sustainability attractive for young people.

The Challenge A-class boat, AquaNova, is the A-class boat from 2006. This boat is used by Secondary Education in Groningen. Together with the new Topclass-boat, they stay in the skill-lab from the Centre Professional training. That’s why students and teachers have lots of contact with each other and a natural cooperation arises.

AquaNova (A22), the well-known orange catamaran, is going to race again. After the success from last edition this team would like to take the FSC trophy to Groningen again. ‘We don’t know what we could expect, but we have heard a lot of enthusiastic stories about the challenge week in Friesland. A lot of supporters, family and friends will come to encourage us.

The new Topclass-boat is still without a name. This completely new designed and build catamaran will be baptized on June 26th during the Rotary Roei Regatta Groningen. ‘This new solar boat is innovative and will race with hydrofoils. The boat is also as light as possible so we hope to reach top speed. In the beginning of April we started testing the hull. There is a concept on paper, now we have to make sure everything is strong enough en technically sound. Because on paper there still isn’t a real boat, this is pretty exiting!’, says van der Velde.

Both boats hope to get on the podium. Margreet van der Velde thinks Frisian Solar Challenge is the world championship for solar boats. ‘It’s an unique event where organizations and education are closely related. Participating is an experience of innovations, helping each other and racing. It’s a wonderful competition.’

You can find more information about Solar Team Groningen on their website, click here>>

Follow the Frisian Solar Challenge: live on internet!

‘Nice weather, good company, racing around Friesland. You can follow all of this online. Not in the evening on television, but live on the internet’, said Dennis Carton. He’s founder of Geosports, the company that makes live online reports of sport events. ‘Every solar boat is being followed with an own sender by a special track and trace-system. Not only the winners are important, but all of the competitors will be followed.’

The cooperation between Geosports and Frisian Solar Challenge started in 2008. During the Frisian Solar Challenge there are video’s, photo’s, track and trace and reports past online. Dennis Carton: ‘people can upload their own pictures and reports. There will be a great online network of participants, visitors and organizers.’ In the mean time we develop new stuff. This year the live environment will be one with the Frisian solar website. ‘probably there will be some new features, but this stays a surprise for a little while’, says Dennis Carton.

Geosports works for a lot of different events. ‘Every event has his own charm, but the Frisian Solar Challenge is a fantastic event. People are nomadic and you’ll see that participants and the organization mix together and with each other. Personally I think it’s a nice event, because of the technical orientation. Many aspects come together during this week. And you can follow all of this online.’

Picture: Dennis (left) together with Dirk during the race in 2008. Dirk arranges the technics during the Solar Challenge.

‘It’s a Challenge to manage everything the right way again’

He is leader of the competition committee Frisian Solar Challenge (FSC) for the third time, Jan Kooistra. The competition committee keeps an eye on the rules during the race. If there are any violations he will report this to the jury or to the chairman of the technical committee.

How do you become leader of the competition committee during a solar challenge?

‘I have got a lot experience as member of a competition committee in national en international sailing events. Frisian Solar Challenge is a different competition, but we make the rules the same way. Therefore is every race a new challenge, we have to manage everything the right way.’

What’s so special about FSC?

‘I think FSC is a great event and the cooperation between participants and volunteers is unique. Teams ”grow” during this event. I mean that during the week every team becomes one. To see the contact and relations between team members is a wonderful experience. You don’t want to miss that.’

What’s the special element?
‘Every race is a new challenge for our team of 15 people. We make sure that the race is played fair and safe. I’m looking forward to meet all participants again and to race the FSC.’

See you at the Prinsentuin, Leeuwarden!