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).

Weblog

Feb 12, 2007: Stopover in Martinique

25°C / 77°F
Position:14° 45' N-61° 06' W
Wind: 0km/h

The "sun21" is in the mind of the people in Martinique. The crew was cordially received and the arrival of the solar boat was reported on by several tv and radio stations.

During the first days on firm ground, we have had time to realize that "we made it"…!  In addition to frequent visits of harbor officials, politicians and business people, there was an overwhelming joyful reaction by the public in the streets. If one of us enters a photo shop, the owner says immediately: "Je vous ai vu à la télé" (I saw you on television). Shortly, the solar boat is in the mind of the people and globetrotters in this old harbor town.

One day, classes of a technical college took turns in visiting the boat; and two professors invited the whole crew for a tour to the first four windmills of the island and for a meal with Martinique specialties. The garden was resonating from a concert of crickets, frogs and cicadas.

Here is a list of events:
1. Arrival: Several TV and radio stations, among them the most important stations of France d’Outremer.
2. Afterwards the correspondent of Télévision Française 1 joined us for half a day and made a film for the main 8 o’clock evening news (Téléjournal, over 20 million viewers).
3. Visit to Sainte Anne, where we were welcomed hosted by the Mayor, Garcin Balsa, a well known Creole man of the party of the Independence movement (Indépendentistes). This very original man has initiated a series of ecological measures; and it was on the pier that we met the first environmental policeman ("police écologique") in our lives; and we joked with him about that. At the next morning, at 8 o’clock already, the most important member of the Martinique executive body visited the "sun21", Alfred Marie-Jeanne, the President of the "Conseil Général”, a similar personality, equally witty and modest and aware of the urgent ecological needs of this ecologically burdened and stressed island – one symptom is the constant flow of heavy car traffic, from the morning until the evening – quite a shock after one month not having seen a single car. 
4. A reception — organized by sailor friends of Michel with leading town and harbor officials, also with nautical business people — was the main event. For that occasion the boat was docked at the entrance of the port. We used every opportunity to describe the huge potential of such a big harbor: If every ship had an own solar installation the 1200 boats would form a huge solar power plant that could feed the surplus electricity into the electric grid. In the evening, we were invited by the town for dinner and received the sailor medal of Le Marin from the Deputy Mayor. On 7 February, the team of Swiss TV ("Mensch, Technik, Wissenschaft") arrived, the beginning of two days of making a film that will be shown in March. They left us just now, on late Sunday evening. Tomorrow the journey goes on.

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Comments

Georges Tremblay:



On your route to Miami, you wrote your intention to go by Bahamas wich is the logical way. Could I suggest you to maximize your visibility when you will be at

Grand Bahamas Island.

But, instead of going unknown around this island, you could use the Lucayan Channel that cross Grand Bahamas island from south to north.



This channel is man-made since long time.

Houses and one or two marinas are built along its way.

It is very easy to go even without maps. We often see boats of 70 feets on it,



To publicise your passage I suggest you to take contact with the

local newspaper:

Freeport News

Grand Bahama's First Newspaper

freeporteditorial@nasguard.com



2nd suggestion:

Going to New-York, use the Intracoastal waterway,

There, you will have a fantastic publicity.

Anyway, along the US coast, we meet the Golf stream which becomes

dangerous when wing comes from the north, In fact, sailors use to think

to quit the ocean and enter the Waterway every time wind comes from north

at 10 Knots,

On the Waterway, you will often meet boats of 70 feets and more,

With north winds, this part of the ocean has the same reputation as the Horn.

This can explain why american spent so much to build an interior waterway.



If you stay on the ocean, you will go south to north. As the depressions go

west to east, you are sure to "cathh" one. If you do so, you will do

as I did twice... you will take the first entrance to the waterways and you will

remember...

The last time I had to enter in the waterways, it took three days...



3th suggestion

Make a stop at Annapolis.

It is near New York

This is the Mecca of sailors.

There they will understand your realisations.



Oh yes, congratulation for your navigation across atlantic.



Québec, Canada

Marianne New:

Congratulations again. Hope you were able to stock up on fruit.

Warm wishes for the next portion of your trip!

Much love, Marianne

Marianne New:

Congratulations again. Hope you were able to stock up on fruit.

Warm wishes for the next portion of your trip!

Much love, Marianne

Bea and Andi Hoffmann, Basel:

Good to hear from you again and to know that your achievement was widely and publicly appreciated. Quite in contrast to the BaZ where it was mentioned just as a short comment (10 lines, no photo!). What a shame for the local swiss press and its publisher. We wish you a save and interesting trip onwards!

Theo Schmidt:

Your publicity in Martinique and indeed everywhere you manage to call is most valuable!

I am perplexed by the media reaction in Switzerland: almost none, yet on the other hand Swiss television sends several people overseas by airplane, using many times the energy which the sun21 conserves. This is like in the 1990ies in Switzerland: we had a great national solar vehicle race "Tour de Sol" (including solar boats!), but the media was more interested in the Australian "World Solar Challenge" 20'000 km away. We even had two solar boats on the Lake of Brienz in 1999, which didn't interest Swiss television at all. In spite of my criticism, I do of course look forward to seeing the broadcast and congratulate all involved for your public relation skills! The crossing has also found its way into Wikipedia. Best of luck for the next leg of your journey!

Fam. Braun et Portmann:

Hi Beat, Martin and so on

congratulations for your great trip. Your short movies with good comments, made a lot of impressions in us... We hope that you'll have good times less on transatlantic 21, and we're very impassient for a presentation! Here you soon: for the family Matthias

Kati Rutz:

Dear Mr Tremblay,



Thank you for your suggestions which I forwarded to the crew of the solar boat.



With best regards,

Kati Rutz

transatlantic21 Communications