Op onderstaande afbeelding is de binnenkant van de flyer te zien. Hierin staat de belangrijkste informatie over de verschillende mogelijkheden bij het Solar Boat Team.

Mocht je vragen hebben, stuur dan e-mail naar sollicitatie@solarboatteam.nl en/of kom langs bij de interesseborrels in onze werkplaats op:

Woensdag 20 maart om 20.00 uur
Maandag 25 maart om 20.00 uur
Dinsdag 23 april om 20.00 uur

Despite to a disappointing performance during the race, the team looks back on a fantastic year. Unfortunately, the team has finished in 5th place. The team is supported by the best companies. Thanks to our sponsors we were able to design, produce and sail a very nice boat. Once the vessel flies over the water, it is a real eye-opener.

The race in Friesland started not very well. Water plants forced us to stop twice. Besides the entire strategy part was new to us since we were barely able to test the days leading up to the race. Prof. dr. ir. van Terwisga helped us out that very evening with the right encouraging words. New objectives were set for the second stage. On Tuesday the new objectives led to a promising result. The team was catching up now. Two kilometers before the finish-line disaster struck for our main competitor Private Energy. Because there engine was blown up, they got a Did Not Finisch-time of 0.07:07:38. The team was in a second position by now.

After the one day of rest, stage three was sailed on Thursday. The team sailed a very solid race. After the first part from Bolsward to Harlingen the team sailed almost exactly the same time as the number one; Gowrings Continental. Unfortunately, luck was not on our side once more. The steering cable detached 40 meters after the start of the sprint from Harlingen to Franeker. After a quick repair the team continued to Franeker. The difference in time with the number one increased, but a second position was still secured.

On Friday the weather was terrible. Halfway we discovered the solar panel was not fully charging the batteries anymore. The skipper was not able to fix the problem and could only sail with a constant speed of 3 km/h. After we bothered some other teams is shallow waters, we decided we could not get to the finish-line in time. The vessel was towed all the way to Dokkum. A time penalty of 0.07:30:26 was imposed. This fact had the awful consequence that the team was not able to end on a podium any more.

The last day, the team was not in battle for a podium place any more. The only thing that counted was a good result in the last leg. We needed to show the people what the boat was capable of. And we did! Finally, in the last stage of the race the boat was working properly.

In the end we look back at a fantastic year. All year long we were able to work on a fantastic project. We are no quitters. After a short holiday, we will continue the optimization of our vessel. Soon you will hear again from us!

Thank you for all your support!

-The Delta Lloyd Solar Boat Team –

The Delta Lloyd Solar Boat was the only hydrofoil assisted solar boat who crossed the finish-line today. After a very successful stage, the team has obtained a second position in the overall competition.

The team has sailed at a very constant speed.  Today’s race was all about our competitors. Our major contender Private Energy Solar Team has got some engine problems along the way and did not make it to the finsh-line. Now we are back in the race and the pressure is rising!

De first stage of the Dong Energy Solar Challenge did not end in a way we hoped for. Today the first stage was sailed from Leeuwarden to Sloten with a restart in Sneek. Water plants and communication problems caused enormous problems. After a number of setbacks the team crossed the line in a fourth place.

In an early stage troubles began when we were forced to sail to the starting position. Where other teams were able to transport the boat on a trailer, we had to travel a 10 km trail onto the start. This journey, in combination with cloudy weather, had the effect that the battery capacity was almost halved when the race began.

Halfway we got stuck for at least 20 minutes because of water plants were blocking the prop. Erik had to come to the rescue to clear the prop en to push the boat out of the reed. In the end we crossed the line in 2 hours and 53 minutes.

In short, it was a very disappointing day. For the team this first progress is a mental setback. But in the end we managed to build a very nice boat in just one year of time. Tomorrow we will try to beat the number 3; Cedarville University.

Participants had to prove that their boats can reach a minimum of 12 km/h along the prologue distance of 10 kilometers. With an average speed of 18 km/h the team was the third fastest in its class. Tomorrow the teams will battle for the first time on the first official stage. The solar boats sail from Leeuwarden to the finish stage in Sloten with a restart in Sneek.

Clearly, there is still a lot of work to be done. The sailing speed needs to be radically increased to pass the finish line first this upcoming Saturday. Fortunately there is still hope… the maximum power cannot be used when sailing.

By now everybody is soaked. After a warm diner, followed by some small software adjustments, we will hit the water once again to increase our sailing speed. The weather is not really contributing to a record time this week. Today we had to work in the pouring rain. The light intensity was very low, hence the strategic part of the race will have more significance.

Na de ‘proloog’ van vanochtend, een race van 10 km van de Grote Wielen naar Leeuwarden, start de zonneboot van studenten van de TU Delft morgen vanaf startpositie drie in de Dong Energy Solar Challenge. De race, het officieuze WK voor zonneboten, gaat volgende week in etappes over de route van deElfstedentocht. De Delftse studenten komen uit in de topklasse, de eredivisie van de wedstrijd. Teamlid Roel Stein is naar omstandigheden tevreden: ‘Door een flinke crash vorige week varen we nog niet op vol vermogen. We moeten vanavond nog wel hard aan de slag om de boot verder af te stellen.’

Nog veel te doen
De studenten kregen vorige week een zware tegenslag te verwerken. ‘Tijdens een testvaart klapte het motorhuis met de vleugels om, waardoor één van de vleugels afbrak en de achterkant grote schade opliep’,  vertelt student Industrieel Ontwerpen Roel Stein van het Delta Lloyd Solar Boat Team. ‘We hebben het ontwerp verbeterd en de schade hersteld, maar we moeten vanavond nog wel veel testvaren. Tot ongeveer 20 km/u loopt ie nu al prima, maar voor hogere snelheden moeten we de juiste afstelling nog vinden. Het is een race tegen de klok, maar we hebben goede hoop.’

Ook de technische keuring kostte de studenten meer tijd dan gehoopt: het zonnepaneel bleek te veel vermogen te leveren. ‘Uiteindelijk hebben we dat opgelost door er, met pijn in het hart, een aantal cellen af te knippen’, vertelt Roel Stein.

Titelhouder
Het Delftse team won de eerste twee edities van de wedstrijd in 2006 en 2008, maar werd bij de derde editie in 2010 derde. ‘Dat was onze eerste draagvleugelboot, maar die kregen we niet stabiel. De opvolger heeft achtervleugels die kantelbaar zijn, zoals de kleppen op een vliegtuigvleugel. Dat vaart nu al veel beter, maar we hebben door de crash vorige week veel testtijd verloren’, aldus Roel Stein, die dit jaar zware concurrentie verwacht. ‘Het veld is de laatste edities veel sterker geworden, we zullen zwaar aan de bak moeten. Vooral de boot van Private Energy Solar Team is een grote kanshebber, ook op draagvleugels. En we weten dat Gowrings Continental BV ook erg snel is. Het wordt een spannende race, verwacht ik.’

Elfstedentocht
De Dong Energy Solar Challenge is een etapperace over het traject van de Elfstedentocht. Na de proloog van de Grote Wielen naar de Prinsentuin in Leeuwarden is er vanmiddag nog een sprintwedstrijd over 150 m bij de Prinsentuin. Morgenochtend start de eerste etappe van Leeuwarden naar Sloten.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGlskaRybwk

The test run went smoothly. The boat felt very stable, a lot more than last year. Setting the wings turned out to be a difficult task. Because both wings are adjustable, it is difficult to get a good balance. It is very exciting because we leave on Thursday to Friesland for the race.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxSEtQU_KFI