- The sun21 crew at the press conference after their arrival in New York (Beat von Scarpatetti, David Senn, Michel Thonney, Martin Vosseler, Mark Wüst, from the left)
- Arrival in New York City
- The mayor of Miami, Manuel A. Diaz, presents the crew the Keys to the City of Miami.
- Arrival at Martinique.
- The sun21 heading to Martinique.
- On the way to the Canary Islands.
- Due to a storm the sun21 sought refuge in the harbour of Casablanca (Morocco).
Idea
The time is ripe for a breakthrough of solar techniques into the world of boat and ship navigation. Demonstrating the potential of solar power is the objective of transatlantic21. In September 2006, "sun21", which has been constructed specifically for this purpose, will begin its journey from Basel to New York. It will be the first solar boat ever to cross the Atlantic – entirely dependent on sunlight, not consuming one drop of gasoline.
Goals
- The new record should be a success on the first go and enter the Guinness Book of Records.
- As many individuals as possible should be able to keep track of the journey and discover the possibilites offered by solar techniques.
- Experts in navigation should recognize the potential of solar boats and feel stimulated for new innovations.
- Practical experience gathered during the journey will benefit subsequent journeys, among them the planned circumnavigation by the team PlanetSolar.
Vision
Solar boats are boats powered by electric motors with storage batteries charged by photovoltaic cells. No other vehicle is better suited to transform light energy into mobility. The technique is quite advanced and has proven itself in practice. Much of the expanding long-distance goods traffic on our oceans as well as many leisure boats could be powered by ecological solar energy. Solar energy will be the future of navigation techniques. But it needs more publicity and more confidence.