Racing Solar Boats in The Netherlands

Leeuwarden, Netherlands - 40 odd-looking craft are in the process of quietly speeding their way along Dutch canals this week as the Frisian Solar Challenge is now under way. The 135 mile race pits vessels advanced and simple in a solar-powered challenge to find the best design by a test of fire. Speed limits in the canals had to be waived for the race, as some boats are capable of making over 16 knots with nothing but sunlight pushing them.

Designs include exotic water-cooled solar panels, ultralight composite hulls, and some amazingly astute engineering. While several boats capsized during qualifiers due to wind (no wind in the labs, one supposes), the forty boats who made the mark are an impressive fleet. With the need for horizontal surfaces in the designs to accomodate effecient solar arrays, most boats look a bit like aircraft carriers - tiny, top-heavy, tippy aircraft carriers. Luckily, crews were required to pass swimming tests.

The race is scheduled to run through this Saturday, the 28th of May, and is the World's largest race for solar vessels. The race classes are A: Singlehand, B: Doublehand, and C: Open. Racers stop overnight to camp at designated ports-of-call, and each leg is tallied daily as the fleet progresses around Friesland. Friesland (Fryslân) is a province in the North of the Netherlands, and the ethnic group are the Fries (pronounced "Frees"), whose native language (West Frisian) more closely resembles English than Dutch.

- BH for YachtPals.com

Video: Start of the Frisian Solar Challenge