Running on rainbows and sunbeams…
C.E. Grundler
Well, technically only sunbeams, but that’s still a whole lot greener than most alternatives currently making props go around these days. And while solar powered boats have been showing up in the headlines more frequently, they’re either theoretical or a bit beyond the price range of the average boater. But the other day, as I took a break from my rounds of epoxy and glass layup, I spotted something you don’t see every day. There she was, floating gracefully at the end of the transient dock, a plumb-bowed trimaran with lines reminiscent of a 1920s cabin cruiser and the name ‘RA’ proudly displayed across her bow. Covering the top of her pilothouse and the braces for her pontoons were an array of solar panels.
This called for a closer look.
Sometime back, somewhere in my reading/surfing, I’d heard about this custom built 48′ boat. And now she was there before me, and her captain, Jim Greer was only too happy to invite me aboard and offer me a tour of this innovative boat, home built on a budget. I was fascinated to learn that not only had she covered thousands of miles powered only by the sun, but ridden out a hurricane in the process.
I came back the next day, when I wasn’t laying up glass, to speak with the captain and crew. I met Brian and Sappho, as well as Florence and Bill, who were travelling with them (as well as four children and a dog) in another boat, and had a wonderful afternoon hearing their stories as I gave them a lift to the local grocery to refresh their provisions.
If you’d like to learn more of RA and her fascinating travels, (as well as some stunning photography,) take a look at Solar Boat Chronicles, and follow this impressive boat as she explores our nation’s waters. And be on the lookout, because you just might spot her slipping along, cutting silently through the water and barely stirring a wake as she forges ahead in so many ways.
(Photos from their web site. I took pics, but realized this morning that I left my camera aboard my boat.)
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