Swiss-built Solar boat completes first fuel-free Atlantic voyage
“Sun21” makes historic arrrival in New York City !
8 May 2007, 15.00 hrs
http://www.transatlantic21.org/
A Swiss-built solar vessel has arrived in New York in what the group behind the project said was the first sun-powered voyage across the Atlantic. Dubbed “sun21.
Swiss Vessel Completes the First Transatlantic Crossing By A Solar Powered Boat / 7,000 Miles Travelled, Not a Drop of Oil Used New York, NY May 8th, 2007, 3pm
“sun21” , the solar powered catamaran developed and sponsored by the Swiss transatlantic21 Association made its historic arrival into New York’s North Cove Marina at 3:00pm today. The arrival completes a 7,000 mile journey across the Atlantic in a motorized boat that utilized not one drop of oil. transatlantic21 Association set out to prove the feasibility of clean energy vessels on open seas, as well as the wide spread applications of this technology to transform the shipping and boating industry.
This technology will benefit both our waterways and conserve other natural resources. The solar-powered catamaran left continental Europe on December 3, 2006 from Chipiona, Spain. It arrived in Martinique on February 2nd completing its journey on the open seas and has been travelling up to New York through March and April. sun21 has also come to New York to usher in the first annual World Clean Energy Awards – an international platform created by the transatlantic21 Association to recognize the mainstreaming of clean energy. Unlike other awards programs, the World Clean Energy Awards recognizes innovation in action, as opposed to innovation on the drawing board. sun21 serves as the shining example of clean energy applications in practice.
“The transatlantic21 Association set out to showcase the power of clean energy. It has been my distinct pleasure to be a part of the crew of sun21 and to prove we don’t need oil to cross oceans. In modern society, we can travel the world in a way that is both efficient and respectful to our environment and our resources. This has been a liberating journey and one which I believe will transform the way we approach travel on our oceans, seas and waterways, ” commented Michel Thonney, Skipper of sun21.
sun21’s voyage and the first annual World Clean Energy Awards is sponsored by the transatlantic21 Association. Somfy and Messe Schweiz are event sponsors and Riverkeeper is a supporting partner. The events are also supported by ThinkSwiss – Brainstorm the future, a Swiss Government sponsored U.S. wide program on education, research and innovation. It focuses on the promotion and exchange of expertise and know-how in academia and the high-tech business community in Switzerland and the U.S. (_www.thinkswiss.org_ (http://www.thinkswiss.org/) ).
The transatlantic21 association was formed exclusively to fund and promote the first transatlantic crossing of sun21 — a solar powered boat designed by ship builder Mark Wüst.