1997 Photos

Thanks to the Wayback Machine at www.archive.org, we were able to recover the lost 1997 photos. .

All photos on the site are protected by copyright law. If you want to use a photo that you find, contact webmaster@solarsplash.com for permission, and we will direct you to the owner of the photograph.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

1 Students gathered at a skippers' meeting Students from 16 colleges and universities and one high school gathered on June 19 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to participate in the 1997 Solar Splash. The entries came from Maine to California and from Puerto Rico to Michigan.
2 Visual display of Ottawa Hills High School The Overall World Championship is based on points earned in 5 events. A Technical Report is submitted in early May and graded, with a maximum of 100 points available. Visual displays are worth 50 points and are set up on-site for visitors from Polish Fest, an Ethnic festival which hosts the Splash. Here the display from Ottawa Hills High School got them a second place and 47 points. It is clear that many students got involved in many ways.
3 Cedarville College students putting solar panels on the boat After static Technical Inspections are completed, the boat is configured for the Endurance Event and must pass a variety of on-the-water tests. This entry from Cedarville College, Ohio, had several very well thought out features, including the shallow fairng around the drive unit and very lightweight, high output solar panels, which were designed and built by the students.
4 Flooded paddock area It's not all sunshine in the Midwest in summer. Two large tents provide shelter for everyone. Each team gets a 20' x 20' space for their boat and work area. Other space is devoted to Food Service and Administration. This deluge moved the Skippers meeting indoors. Over 6" of rain fell in about 6 hours. The Brewers baseball game was cancelled due to a flooded field but the Splash went on after the rain ended, without any serious problems.
5 LeTourneau University boat LeTourneau University of Longview, Texas, launches their boat in preparation for the first round of Sprints. Cleverly done, the hull is from a donated Hobie Cat. The boat is driven by 4 starter motors in Sprint configuration.
6 Ottawa Hills wooden boat Hulls are built out of a variety of materials. Ottawa Hills chose wood, which, in the form of thin plywood, is easy to form, relatively inexpensive, and lightweight. In their first Splash, they finished 11th, highest of any Rookie team.
7 Columbia University boat in the Sprint The tough luck that Columbia experienced in '96 was history. They learned from the experience and came in third in the Sprint and fourth overall. Coming from NY City, the boat was painted to look like a NY Taxi, with the tariff rate decal on the side.
8 University of Arkansas at Little Rock beats University of Rhode Island in the Sprint The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Sprint boat #00, noses out the University of Rhode Island to win the 300 meter Sprint. Powered by a modified fork lift motor, they covered the distance from a standing start in 28.04 seconds. A speed of about 30 mph. All skippers wear life vests and must pass a swim test which is part of qualifying.
9 University of New Orleans boat The skipper of the University of New Orleans is perplexed that the motor overheats towards the end of the Sprint. At speed, the boat raises up on the unusual "Dutch Shoe" like pontoons. They won a prize for Hull Design. Too bad they didn't have more time for testing before coming to Milwaukee.
10 Summerfest grounds and competition venue In this view, from Holan Bridge, the Summerfest grounds can be seen in the foreground. The breakwater, which protects the harbor from severe storms, wouldn't be enough for the Splash participants when Lake Michigan gets angry. Therefore, all events are run in the Lagoon.
11 Overhead shot of the paddock area The Paddock area is all blacktop with two large white tents for the Splash. The 8000 sq. ft. give each team a home during the day’s rigors and protection from the elements. Solar panels are visible to the right of the near tent where teams are charging batteries.
12 Grand Valley State boat While some boats are light and somewhat fragile, Proteus from Grand Valley State University in Michigan is ready for anything. They designed and built this combination dolly and davit so they wouldn'’t have to manhandle the sleek hull and long drive unit on the ramps.

Here, the solar panels are in place in preparation for the 2 hour Endurance Event.
13 Start of the Endurance Event The field is divided into two heats, by drawing, for the start of the Endurance Event. Maximum allowable solar array output is 480 watts under perfect "one sun" conditions. Each boat has about equal solar energy stored in onboard batteries.
14 Boats in the Endurance Event They’re off! The distance traveled in this morning heat will be added to the distance of the afternoon heat to get the total. A maximum of 400 points goes to the team which goes the farthest. Starting from the left is boat #4 from the University of Turabo in Puerto Rico. The University of Michigan #99 boat is optimized for the Sprint. #7 from Cedarville finished 5th in the Endurance, a great performance for the first year. The eventual winner was the #11 boat from University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Their hull is an Olympic class canoe, proving that system engineering and testing are the best formula for success.
15 North Carolina A&T using a bilge pump Cutting it too close. North Carolina A&T State University, in an effort to minimize weight, sat too low in the water in the Endurance configuration. The loan of a bilge pump got them going again.
16 Three boats in the Endurance Event The eventual second place finisher from URI closes in on third place UMass, Dartmouth, and fourth place, Marquette #3. The wake of the URI surface-piercing prop is very clear. The water ski like pontoons add lift and stability to the very narrow hull.
17 The UMass boat with 12 small drive motors Sneaking a peek inside the U Mass boat, we note they are using 12 small motors for the Sprint and 6 for the Endurance. All turn a common gear on the drive shaft.
18 UC-Santa Barbara launching their boat The University of California at Santa Barbara, in their second year, jumped into second place Overall with this Styrofoam-based hull, an excellent drive system, and a pretty good launch and retrieval dolly.
19 South Carolina students launching their boat The University of South Carolina team chose to manhandle the boat due to the very long drive shaft which was needed, hoping to get the boat up on hydrofoils.
20 The University of Rhode Island launching their boat URI came well prepared with this dolly whose wheels are well suited for the ramp. Often, the top teams have thought of everything. Well, almost. Their failure to submit a technical report cost them the World Championship.
21 Team picture of the University of Turabo (Puerto Rico) The joy of being at their first Splash and the enthusiasm of the University of Turabo team was infectious and raised everyone’s spirits. They truly showed that "It is not whether you win or loose but how you play the game."
22 A soda bath for the University of Southern Maine skipper The Skipper of the University of Southern Maine entry, Northern Light, gets congratulated with some soda after finishing 5th Overall, with a score good enough for 2nd place in ‘96.
23 Team picture of Ottawa Hills High School At the Awards ceremony, the success and relief is evident on the faces of everyone. Here, the team from Ottawa Hills Tech Prep gets a certificate.
24 Team picture of UMass UMass shows off the four trophies they won. Collegiate World Champion and First Overall, Second Place Qualifying, Third Place for Solar Endurance and Outstanding Drive Train Design. Here, on the dolly, the hull is in the Sprint configuration without the solar panels.
25 The University of Southern Maine carrying their boat Finally, the message on the shirt of the skipper of the U. of Southern Maine reminds us " If you want to win, practice harder."