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It is believed that Marquette University is the first American
educational institution to build and compete a solar/electric boat.
Many refinements over the years have led to this model which features
a front steerable hydrofoil, movable solar arrays to optimize incoming
energy, and separate "wings" aft of center for lift. Hydrofoils have
been in use on many types and sizes of vessels for many years but they
are very tricky for these craft where power is very limited.
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The University of Maryland, Baltimore County combined with high
school students from the science program at The Park School to build
and compete with this entry. Using this very long narrow hull design,
and sound, reliable panels, this proved to be great fun and an excellent
learning experience for everyone.
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Unfortunately, the Event is not without some mishaps. The State
University of New York entry from Stony Brook was a newcomer in
‘98. They used a single hull from a catamaran sailboat and added
small pontoons on outriggers which also supported their solar arrays.
Unfortunately, the center of gravity was rather high and when one
pontoon got caught under the wake from a passing boat, this was the
result. Never-the-less, they recovered and were able to compete in the
Sprints the following day.
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Since the Splash is a 5 day event which starts with a Skippers Meeting
each morning at 8 a.m., almost everyone takes advantage of meal plan
service for breakfast and lunch. This trailer from Marquette and
another from Grand Valley, provided shelter and storage for any gear
that needed to be locked up at night.
Each team has the use of a 20' x 20' area under the tents which form
part of the Paddock area.
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As the on-the-water events get into full swing, spectators have an ideal
view from either water-side or from picnic tables higher on shore. The
Splash has been held in conjunction with Polish Fest so there are
thousands who take advantage of the many photo opportunities.
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The Endurance Event consists of two, 2-hour heats. One in the
morning and one in the afternoon. The Columbia skipper (#22) gives
plenty of room to the boat from McNeese State University as he
passes. The course parallels the shore and is approximately circular.
Behind Columbia are SUNY, the University of Turabo, Puerto Rico,
the University of Arkansas at Little Rock boat #11 and boat #8 from
the University of Southern Maine. Like the Marquette boat, the
Southern Maine boat can tilt it’s solar array to the sun for maximum
power collection.
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After just barely edging out Marquette in the morning heat of the
Endurance Event, the eventual winner, the University of South
Carolina carefully removes their solar panels before taking their boat
out of the water. Their hull, as well as that of the University of
Arkansas at Little Rock, is a Kevlar Olympic class canoe. With the
rear array removed, flotation material in the stern can be seen.
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Before every boat is allowed to enter the water, it is re-checked for all
required safety equipment. In addition to the required air horn (white),
the skipper appears to have a red spray bottle to be able to mist the
array. The cooler the cells, the greater the electrical output.
All skippers are ballasted to 70 kgs, 154 lbs. A wrist band on the
skipper with matching bands on their life jacket and ballast bag are
checked.
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By lunch time on Sunday, the match-ups for the afternoon Sprint heats
are posted. The fastest three boats from Round 3 will go into the
Finals. In early years, it was possible to run Sprint heats of four boats
but as speeds have increased each year, it has been necessary for safety
reasons to reduce each heat to a limit of three competitors.
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Originally, the University of Southern Maine combined with Artisans
College, to take advantage of Southern Maine’s Electrical Engineering
capability and the boat building expertise of Artisans. With almost no
wake, the boat is very impressive, finishing 4th in the Sprints and
winning the Qualifying which is the best combined time in both Sprint
and Endurance configurations.
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One of our sponsors, EDS, handled all of the timing. With practice
during the early events, their stop watch thumbs were all tuned up for
the Sunday final rounds of the Sprints. The Splash gives their staff a
great opportunity it meet and get to know the students. EDS provides
technical support to companies in all 50 states and over 40 foreign
countries.
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As the green flag drops to start the final heat of the Sprint, the #00 boat
from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock is first off the line. The
very unusual pontoon design of the New Orleans boat (#68) can be
seen clearly. Although all three boats are optimized for Sprinting, they
all competed and did well for overall score.
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Three hundred meters later, the University of New Orleans noses out
U. of Michigan for the honors. Run from a standing start, these boats
still average nearly 30 miles per hour. Patrol boats can se seen in the
background and are used, if desired, to tow the competitors back in.
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Symbolic of the success of the learning experience and the fun of
competing, Grand Valley poses with pride with their framed
Certificate of Participation.
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