Boat International – September 2019

ONBOARD

PHOTOGRAPHY: YCM/CARLO BORLENGHI

orethan1,000spectatorsturnedout

towatchYachtClubdeMonaco’s

annual celebration of green

yachtinggetunderway.Thesixth

editionoftheMonacoSolar&EnergyBoat

Challengetookplacefrom 2 to 6 Julyand

featuredyachts poweredbycutting-edge

researchanddevelopment.Thecompetition,

whichconsistedofthreeclasses,sawmorethan

34 teamsfrom 14 nationalitiescompete,and

offeredaglimpseintothefutureofgreen

yachting.FirstupwastheSolarClass,wherethe

19-strongfleetparticipatedinathree-hour,

non-stopracecoveringalmost 16 nauticalmiles

atspeedsofupto 20 knots.TheEnergyClass,

whichwasintroducedforthefirsttimelastyear,

M

Powering ahead

Eco-consciousboatswenthead-to-headattheMonacoSolar&

EnergyBoatChallengetoshowcasethegreenfutureofyachting

TheSBMOffshoreE-racingTeam

(above)camefourthintheEndurance

Race.AnveraElab(below)fromthe

OffshoreClasshitarecord-breaking

speedtime.TheSolarClass(belowleft)

featuredSinnergySolarTeam,DB-20

SolarTeamandSolarBoatTwente

sawseventeamsrisetothechallengeofdesigning

apowerfulanddurablepropulsionsystemfora

standardcatamaranhull–theWaveESTACA

Teamemergedvictorious.Finally,itwastimefor

theOffshoreClass,whichspannedtworaces

fromMonacotoVentimiglia,andsawcompeting

prototypestravel 32 nauticalmileswithoutthe

useofanyfossilfuels.Despitetoughcompetition,

itwasthestudentTUDelftSolarBoatTeamthat

clinchedvictorybyprioritisingrangeoverspeed.

Theevent,whichisheldinpartnershipwith

thePrinceAlbertIIofMonacoFoundationand

theInternationalPowerboatingFederation,is

“contributingtothethinkingonyachting’s

future,”saysBernardd’Alessandri,general

secretaryoftheYachtClubdeMonaco.“Through

thiseventandtomakeMonacoayachtingcapital,

thePrincipalityisprovidingacrossroadsfor

experimentsof theengineers, boatyards,

studentsandownersintheirbidtomeetthe

energyandenvironmentalchallengesfacingthe

nauticalsector.”Followingitssuccess,YachtClub

deMonacohasconfirmedthattheseventh

MonacoSolar&EnergyBoatChallengewilltake

placefrom 30 Juneto 4 Julyin2020.mcsebc.org

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