8 July: Teams getting ready for restart in Harlingen

The participants of the Dong Energy Frisian Solar Challenge are preparing themselves for the restart of the third stage. They will depart from 15.00 in the harbor of Harlingen. The boats will sail the Van Harinxma canal to the finish in Franeker.

Some of the teams inspected the 13 kilometer route by foot at lunchtime, while others enjoyed the sun from on the embankments. The teams whose boats got damaged this morning because of going the wrong way at Kimswerd, are busy with repairing before the restart.

Belgium’s Port of Antwerp Solarboat Team (A04) didn’t make it in time in Harlingen this morning. They are not allowed to restart and will get a DNF. Also two teams from Brazil, Ipanema (A09) and Catalao (A13), will not end up in the ranking of stage three because of technical failures.

The Delta Lloyd Solar Boat Team (T82)will finally use their so-called hydrofoils. The team was not able to use the system at the first two stages, due to technical problems. But those were solved on Wednesday. ‘We used the hydrofoils this morning at the first part of the third stage’, says pilote Gem. ‘It went perfect. Now we can show what we are capable of.’

8 July: Top three arrival Harlingen

Top-klass

1. Delta Lloyd Solar Boat Team (T82) from Delft
2. Private Energy Solarboatteam (T83) from Leeuwarden
3. Gowrings Energy Sunseeeker (T81) from Maasdam

Challenge A

1. Team Sunrise (A03) from Terneuzen
2. Vripack Solar Team (A19) from Sneek
3. Prodeon Solarteam Windesheim (A10) from Zwolle

Challenge B

1. Energa Solar II (B55) from Poland
2. Marne College3 (B51) from Bolsward, Holland
3. Fachhochschule Emden (B54) from Germany

8 july: Nine boats got lost at Kimswerd

On the third stage of the Dong Energy Frisian Solar Challenge nine boats went in the wrong way between Kimswerd and Harlingen. Some say they all followed each other into the wrong direction. The boats ended up in a small ditch and got stuck. Some were damaged but all are expected to be ready for the second part of the stage, from Harlingen to Franeker.

One of unfortunates was Scylla Solarboat Racing Team (A23). Team members tried to get to the boat, driving with their team car on bicycle roads. They got caught by the police and had to walk through the Frisian grass-lands. In the end the team members jumped into the small ditch to release the A23 boat.

Before making the error, Scylla was leading Challenge A.  ‘Because we got stuck, the boat finished only fourth in Harlingen. It’s a shame. It seems impossible to regain the lost time on the second part of the stage.’ Scylla’s main rival in Challenge A, Vripack Solar Team (A19), also lost direction on the ninth stage. But as a deed of great sportsmanship, the team members of Scylla warned them in advance.

8 July: First boats arrived in Harlingen

Within an hour from the start of the third stage in Bolsward, The Private Energy Solarteam (T83) and the Delta Lloyd Solar Team (T82) arrived in Harlingen. The two teams took the lead immediately after the start. Gowrings Energy Sunseeker (T81) follows close in third position.

Behind the top three of the Top Class, Team Sunrise (A3) en Scylla (A23) are fighting a thrilling battle. The Brazilians were again unfortunate. The Copacabana (A24) couldn’t begin the third stage because of  a technical failure and is out of the competition. Team Ipanema (A9) made it to the starting line, but is still in Bolsward also with technical problems.

On 15.00 the boats will restart in the harbor of Harlingen. They will finish at the end of the afternoon in Franeker.

8 July: Flying start in Bolsward

Directly from the start of the third stage, from Bolsward to Franeker, the top three boats in the Top Class found each other on the Frisian water. In an exciting battle, the Gowrings Energy Sunseeker (T81), the Delta Lloyd Solar Boat Team (T82) and the Private Energy Solarboatteam (T83) are moving with an average speed of 20 kilometers per hour to Harlingen. Over there the completion will be restarted at  15.00.

On Wednesday the participants of the Dong Energy Frisian Solar Challenge had a rest day in Bolsward. Most of the teams used it for solving their technical problems. At the end of the day the technical commission gave a penalty to the Groningen Solar Team (T87) for placing a cooling system close to the engine. Therefore the team gets a 75% extra time penalty.

There was no luck for the Copacabana from Brazil (A24) as well. The team didn’t make it to the starting line in Bolsward on Thursday morning because of a technical failure.

8 July: Day four, third stage from Bolsward to Franeker

Day four of the race. At 10.00 o’clock this morning the participants starts for the third stage of the DONG Energy Frisian Solar Challenge. This stage is 37 kilometres and goes from Bolsward to Franeker. Through a winding waterway the steering qualities of the captains are being tested. These will guid them to Harlingen. At 15.00 o’clock there is a restart in the port town. From there the participants are going over the Van harinxmakanaal to the finish in Franeker.

After two days of boating and a resting day the Private Energy Solarboatteam (T83) is first in the general rankings, followed by the Gowrings Energy Sunseeker (T81). The difference between both is only 27 seconds. Team Sunrise (A03) is leading in the general rankings of the Challenge A. The difference with number two, Vripack Solar Team (A19) from Sneek is twelve minutes. In the Challenge B the Energa Solar II (B55) from Poland is standing on the first place. The ROC of Amsterdam (B56) follows on place six and stands fifty minutes behind them.

7 July: ‘EnergieTransitie’ creative idea prize

The Andela Solar Team (T89) won the ‘EnergieTransitie’ creative idea prize of the DONG Energy Frisian Solar Challenge on Wednesday evening. Andela received this prize from minister Tineke Huizenga. The Technical Commission decided that this team deserves this price, because the team succeeded to achieve a low resistance, combined with a very light construction. ‘Also Andela was the first team who showed that speedups can be gained through the use of hydrofoils’, tells Joris Melkert, head of the Technical Commission.

Andela built for this edition of the DONG Energy Frisian Solar Challenge a solar boat on hydrofoils. In the first stage the boat reached a speed of 34 kilometres an hour. But he also experienced the reversal of innovation; the day after the team had to give up due to a burning battery which damaged the electrical system. After a day of hard work the team starts Thursday for the third stage.

7 July: Mini solar race big succes

With a large audience the team Ratata from primary school the Ljepper from Heerenveen won the mini solar boat race in Bolsward. From the secondary school the team Zonzoeker of the Liudger College from Drachten won. The race has been held under supervision of the jury from the DONG Energy Frisian Solar Challenge.

The mini solar boats had to pass a distance of twelve metres in a small swimming-pool. The team Ratata needed 20 seconds to do this. Zonzoeker did it in 23 seconds. Both teams won a cup. Besides that, Wubbo Ockels was prizing the boat which was decorated the best and was the most original. The prize was given to the Noordenwind society and the team Big Smile of primary school the Letterbeam from heerenveen. There were fourteen teams participating in the race.

Directly after the race all students got a lecture of Wubbo Ockels and they were allowed to watch the big solar boats at close quarters in the paddock at the campus.

7 July: Relaxing, working and helping each other

Everyone is experiencing the Energy Vally Solarday their own way. For one team it is sweating at the campus in Bolsward, for the other it is a relaxing day. But the atmoshpere is the same everywhere: it’s intimate on the shore. On the water is been fought for the victory, at the shore all teams help each other. Teams with technical problems are being supported by other teams. Gear, bolts and nuts are being exchanged.

The Antwerp Maritime Academy (T85) is busy filling a hole in their boat. A hole they made themselves. During the second stage the boat had so much water in it that they were not able to bail it all, making a hole was the answer.

The Imtech Solarbaot (T84) from Delft who had to leave the race is staying the whole week to do some test runs. They are boating the whole route of the Frisian eleven cities on their own initiative. The team however does have a gadget on board where all other teams are jealous about. ‘We have a small cabinet ton board which registers everything. Besides the navigation it also says where restaurants are for example and it also tells us how fast we are going. This way we are able to analyse everything afterwards.’

7 July: AquaNova (A22): a shortcoming of one minute

The Solar Team AquaNova from Groningen finished yesterday one minute too late in the second stage from Sloten to Bolsward. All teams had te arrive before 18.00 o’clock in Bolsward.

At the second checkpoint, at 16.30 o’clock in Workum, the team had one minute and 38 seconds left, just in time. Due to technichal problems they did not succees to finish in Bolsward before 18.00 o’clock. The team got a ‘dnf’ (did not finish), which means that they are getting a penalty time of 15%. ‘Yesterday evening and today as well we are working hard on the boat to solve the problem’, tells Margreet van der Velde of the AquaNova team. ‘I have all confidence in starting tomorrow. Then we are able to show which capacity the boat has.’