10 Jul
Solar1 Monte-Carlo Cup... boats powered by the sun
Twenty-seven teams will compete in the Solar1 Monte-Carlo Cup from 10–12 July 2014
Scheduled to take place from 10–12 July, the Solar1 Monte-Carlo Cup will kick off the Yacht Club de Monaco’s summer activities, just a few days after the official opening of its new building.
For the first competition to be launched from Quai Louis II, the Club has opted to try something new, welcoming the first race for solar-powered boats to be organised in the open Mediterranean. Twenty-seven teams from international universities have confirmed their intent to participate, including those from Brazil and the United States.
Just days before the event, the first boats are beginning to arrive in Port Hercule. These motor boats, developed by international universities, are driven by the young students.
This new sporting discipline, which has a great future, brings together talent and endurance, using only solar energy. The race will see university teams such as the Carnegie Mellon Solar Racing Team (US), Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) and UFSC University (Brazil) compete against one another.
Divided into three categories (Class A, V20 and Open Class), the races will be contested over individual slalom, fleet and one-on-one sprint courses, providing a thrilling spectacle close to the coast and in front of the Port, easy for the general public to follow. The public will also have free access to the Boat Paddocks, located along Quai Louis II. PlanetSolar, the giant catamaran (31 m, with 537 m2 of solar panels) whose engines are powered exclusively by solar energy, and which is already moored in front of the new Yacht Club building, will serve as the jury boat.
Children are also invited to take part in these three days of festivities, with a solar model boat race which will be held from 11.00 to 13.00 on Saturday 12 July. Children will be able to drive the boats themselves in the new clubhouse’s swimming pool (deck 2).
In the evenings, the paddocks area will come to life with performances from a DJ and jazz group Delftse Studenten Big Band, while solar boats will be on display in the village – Nuon 6 (Nuon Solar Team from the Netherlands) and CUER (Cambridge University).
For more information and programme details, see
www.solar1races.com or
www.ycm.org