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The
PlanetSolar Turanor, entering Venice harbour in 2014 
VENICE
- 14th
OCTOBER 2014 : CONCLUSION OF THE 2014 EXPEDITIONS
Following on from the Deepwater expedition in 2013, which traced the Gulf
Stream from Rio
de Janeiro, to New
York, then across the pond to London
along the River
Thames and then to Paris,
we now report on the progress and end of the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar’s 2014
campaign. The following is an account of the boat’s most recent activities. SAILING
THROUGH THE IONIAN AND ADRIATIC SEAS
The first week of navigation towards the City of Doges from Kiladah (Greece) is easy, with favourable weather on the Ionian Sea. On the way, a series of landscapes parade by us on both port and starboard, each more beautiful than the last. After a few days, we see Ksamil, the nearest shore of Albania, in the distance. For her last night in Greece, the ship dropped anchor against a turquoise backdrop, in the tourist island of Corfou, and was rocked to sleep one last time by the waters of the beautiful Hellenic Republic.
The next day, in a bittersweet departure, the catamaran and its crew set sail towards the Adriatic Sea, following the coasts of Montenego. Along the way, the ship made brief stops here and there, discovering previously unexplored areas. We had smooth sailing until
Croatia, or more specifically, Dubrovnik. The solar-powered boat could not resist the appeal of sailing (too) close to the coast, which drew the attention of Croatian coast guards (you try being discreet aboard the Tûranor!). A few administrative procedures later, and the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar was allowed to remain in Croatia’s territorial waters. That will teach our catamaran to stick her prow in everything!
After this detour, the boat headed North and island-hops across Croatia’s coast: Korcular Island, Hvar Island, the Zadar archipelago, Losinj Island… Croatia is stunning. The MS Tûranor PlanetSolar zoomed along until it reached the North-west corner of the Croatia, near the town of Umag, and turned west to reach
Italy.
The radiant sun gave way to sheets of rain, and the sky took on unbelievable purple tones. The catamaran felt her energy supply growing weaker, and knew it would soon be time to take a break from the oceans during the cold season.
PlanetSolar
Turanor, at Venice 2014, a clash of cultures
WELCOME TO THE REPUBLIC OF VENICE
Despite the rain, the catamaran reached Venice on time, on September 4th. Under a grey sky, the ship glided across the Italian city’s canals, a trip that was captured by the Souris Verte drone, our multimedia partner. This flying contraption unfortunately met a dramatic end a bit later in one of the city’s canals.
Venice is not only one of the 2014 campaign’s stops, but it will also become the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar’s home for a while. What better place to spend a winter than Venice, where boats are the main means of transport? This iconic winter stay was made possible thanks to a partnership with the Vento di Venezia company, which has been responsible for the re-qualification of the island of Certosa. Thanks to this organisation, the MS Tûranor will be moored in the island’s marina until May 2015.
Upon arriving, the ship paraded across the Venice canals, and onlookers soon rushed the docks to see this rare sight. The ship then zig-zagged around gondolas, barges, and small motor boats (vaporettos), an exercise which required a certain amount of dexterity. Imagine yourself trying to drive on a motorway at rush-hour with a 100-ton truck, and add the fact that these vehicles can pass you on both the left and the right! After this eventful little trip, the boat moored at the island of Certosa and prepared for the events that will take place aboard in the coming days.
The
pulleys, tracks and ropes that operate the deck panels of the PlanetSolar
Because of a stroke of calendar luck, the largest solar-powered boat in the world’s arrival in Venice coincided perfectly with the 71st Venice Mostra (a world-renowned international film festival). No red carpet for the PlanetSolar, which instead had a green one! In fact, the Green Drop Awards took place during the Mostra, a ceremony organised by the international Green Cross organisation, which celebrates films that feature values of ecology and sustainable development. The prize was awarded to Andrej Končalovskij for his film “The Postman’s White Nights”, inside the solar-powered catamaran’s crowded centre. The next day, the largest solar-powered boat in the world is involved in a very different kind of business, as guest of honour at the Regata Storica, an annual event that showcases the art of rowboats. Seeing these splendid, historical and typically Venetian vessels in the shadow of the solar-powered mammoth was quite an experience. Some of them are true works of art!
A few weeks later, the boat once again became an ambassador for renewable energy, and made a memorable entrance in the armoury of the City of Doges. As you can see in the photos below, the entrance was a tight fit, and made the crew more than a bit nervous (same goes for our office, when they saw the photos!).
Currently, the boat is docked at the island of Certosa. She will stay there until May 2015, the start of summer and of her 2015 expeditions. This winter will be enlivened by visits and private events organised in collaboration with Vento di Venezia. After more than 9,000 kilometres at sea, the boat and her crew deserve some rest, but only to be all the more fit for 2015. When the time comes, we will make sure to share more information with you about our next solar-powered adventures.
To conclude this Venetian episode, here is our last video of 2014, which shows the events that took place in Venice, and is sure to be a feast for the eyes!
THE CREW DISEMBARKS
After six months of intense solar-powered navigation, it is now time for the Breton crew members to recharge their batteries. Throughout the course of this 2014 campaign, the sailors were not only able to meet the goals of solar navigation, but also to actively participate in the promotion of the ship and her activities. More than 4,000 people crowded the ship’s hull during these past few months! The crew never stopped making sure that these visits took place safely, as well as answered curious visitors’ many questions. Gérard d’Aboville and his crew also watched over the arrival of several celebrities, authorities, and media presences aboard, and served the scientists well during the scientific research carried out in Greece. We would like to thank the crew once again, and to wish them a good trip home.
Rest assured, the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar has not been completely abandoned… in fact, the crew leaving for the winter coincides with the arrival of a new member of the PlanetSolar team: Giulia Seno. This Italian skipper will make sure everything goes well aboard from a technical point of view (checking the moorings, the alarms etc.) and greet guests during organised tours throughout the winter. Welcome to the team!
The
PlanetSolar Turanor, Gulf Stream expedition 2013
YOU CAN RENT THE MS TURANOR PLANETSOLAR IN VENICE
During her holiday in Venice until May, the largest solar-powered boat in the world is open to the public, and will also become an events platform for companies, institutions, and even private guests. Having often been a victim of her own success during short stops throughout these campaigns, this winter in the City of Doges is an opportunity to take advantage of MS Tûranor PlanetSolar’s impressive dimensions and to discover the interior of this unique ship. Want to float along the Venetian lagoon on a cruise, enjoy a cocktail with a view of 512m2 of solar panels, or come aboard for Venice’s carnival? It is all possible. Contacts:
info@planetsolar.org
 
Un nouveau propriétaire pour le MS Tûranor PlanetSolar
L’hivernage du MS Tûranor PlanetSolar à Venise a aussi été l’occasion d’annoncer un tournant dans l’histoire du bateau solaire. La famille Stroeher, actuelle propriétaire du catamaran, passionnée par l’énérgie solaire et qui a œuvré dans en coulisse depuis le début du projet souhaite à présent se retirer et transmettre cet outil multifonctionnel.
L’objectif était, d’une part, de conceptualiser une idée qui prouverait l’efficience des technologies solaires et en aiderait la croissance et la promotion, et d’autre part, il s’agissait de démontrer qu’au-delà d’une prouesse technologique, le navire pouvait être utilisé à des fins concrètes et utiles » raconte Immo Stroeher, patriarche de la famille. L’engagement financier et l’important investissement personnel réalisé par l’homme d’affaires, a permis à PlanetSolar d’aller bien au-delà d’un tour du monde et de créer une entreprise durable capable aujourd’hui d’exploiter le navire à des fins concrètes.
Le MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, détenteur de 6 Guinness World RecordsTM a non seulement réalisé le tout premier tour du monde à l’énergie solaire mais a également accompli avec succès, en 2013 et 2014, deux missions scientifiques uniques ponctuées par de prestigieuses escales durant lesquelles d’innombrables visiteurs ont pu découvrir les entrailles du navire! Nous sommes aujourd’hui, très fiers de constater qu'après le succès du tour du monde, PlanetSolar a parfaitement réussi sa reconversion et navigue désormais à des fins scientifiques tout en étant exploité en tant que puissant outil de communication grâce à l’engouement qu’il génère lors de chaque escale. Nos attentes ont été largement surpassées et il est temps pour nous de nous retirer pour transmettre ce navire unique à un nouveau propriétaire» conclut Immo Stroeher.
PLANET
SOLAR ARRIVA A VENEZIA
La più grande barca solare mai costruita al mondo sceglie la città lagunare e l’isola della Cerosa, dove restare ormeggiata fino a maggio 2015.
E’ entrata a Venezia la barca che ha completato il giro del mondo usando solo l’energia del sole. Ha toccato ben 28 paesi promuovendo l’utilizzo dell’energia solare, dimostrando affidabilità ed efficacia. Il 27 settembre 2010, la barca solare lasciava il porto di Monaco dove è ritornata dopo 584 giorni più tardi, battendo tutti i record e completando la sfida della circumnavigazione del globo. Successivamente la Ms Turanor è stata utilizzata per scopi scientifici, e in particolare modo per analizzare i processi nell’interfaccia oceano-atmosfera della corrente del Golfo, coinvolta nella regolazione del clima terrestre. In quest’anno invece si è avviata una spedizione greco-svizzera denominata “TerraSubmersa” che esplora i paesaggi preisorici sommersi dalle acque del Golfo di Argo, al fine di ricostruire i paesaggi sottomarini della preistoria. 
PLANETSOLAR'S
GODFATHERS
The
PlanetSolar cruising along a narrow inlet VENICE Venice (Latin: Venetiae; Slovene: Benetke) is a city in northeastern Italy sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. It is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline, between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. Venice is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. The city in its entirety is listed as a World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon.
Venice is the capital of the Veneto region. In 2009, there were 270,098 people residing in Venice's comune (the population estimate of 272,000 inhabitants includes the population of the whole Comune of Venezia; around 60,000 in the historic city of Venice (Centro storico); 176,000 in Terraferma (the Mainland), mostly in the large frazioni (roughly equivalent to "parishes" or "wards" in other countries) of Mestre and Marghera; 31,000 live on other islands in the lagoon). Together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE), with a total population of 1,600,000. PATREVE is only a statistical metropolitan area without any degree of autonomy.
The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC. The city historically was the capital of the Republic of Venice. Venice has been known as the "La Dominante", "Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals". Luigi Barzini described it in The New York Times as "undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man". Venice has also been described by the Times Online as being one of Europe's most romantic cities.
The Republic of Venice was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as a very important center of commerce (especially silk, grain, and spice) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century. This made Venice a wealthy city throughout most of its history. It is also known for its several important artistic movements, especially the Renaissance period. Venice has played an important role in the history of symphonic and operatic music, and it is the birthplace of Antonio Vivaldi. SINKING
FEELING Subsidence, the gradual lowering of the surface of Venice, leads to the seasonal phenomena of Acqua alta where much of the city's surface is covered in high water.
Foundations
The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wooden piles. Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The foundations rest on the piles, and buildings of brick or stone sit above these footings. The piles penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach a much harder layer of compressed clay.
Submerged by water, in oxygen-poor conditions, wood does not decay as rapidly as on the surface.
Most of these piles were made from trunks of alder trees, a wood noted for its water resistance. The alder came from the westernmost part of today's Slovenia (resulting in the barren land of the Kras region), in two regions of Croatia, Lika and Gorski kotar (resulting in the barren slopes of Velebit) and south of
Montenegro. Leonid Grigoriev has stated that Russian larch was imported to build some of Venice's foundations. Larch is also used in the production of Venice turpentine.
Venice is built on an archipelago of 117 islands formed by 177 canals in a shallow lagoon, connected by 409 bridges. In the old centre, the canals serve the function of roads, and almost every form of transport is on water or on foot. In the 19th century, a causeway to the mainland brought the Venezia Santa Lucia railway station to Venice, and the Ponte della Libertà road causeway and parking facilities (in Tronchetto island and in piazzale Roma) were built during the 20th century. Beyond the road and rail land entrances at the northern edge of the city, transportation within the city remains (as it was in centuries past) entirely on water or on foot. Venice is Europe's largest urban car-free area. Venice is unique in Europe, in having remained a sizable functioning city in the 21st century entirely without motorcars or trucks.
The classical Venetian boat is the gondola, (plural: gondole) although it is now mostly used for tourists, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies, or as 'traghetti' (sing.: traghetto) to cross the Canale Grande in the absence of a nearby bridge. Many gondolas are lushly appointed with crushed velvet seats and Persian rugs.
TOURISM
Venice is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world for its celebrated art and architecture. The city has an average of 50,000 tourists a day (2007 estimate). In 2006, it was the world's 28th most internationally visited city, with 2.927 million international arrivals that year. It is regarded as one of the world's most beautiful cities.
Tourism has been a major sector of Venetian industry since the 18th century, when it was a major center for the Grand Tour, with its beautiful cityscape, uniqueness, and rich musical and artistic cultural heritage. In the 19th century, it became a fashionable centre for the rich and famous, often staying or dining at luxury establishments such as the Danieli Hotel and the Caffè Florian. It continued being a fashionable city in vogue right into the early 20th century. In the 1980s, the Carnival of Venice was revived and the city has become a major centre of international conferences and festivals, such as the prestigious Venice Biennale and the Venice Film Festival, which attract visitors from all over the world for their theatrical, cultural, cinematic, artistic, and musical productions.
Today, there are numerous attractions in Venice, such as St Mark's Basilica, the Grand Canal, and the Piazza San Marco. The Lido di Venezia is also a popular international luxury destination, attracting thousands of actors, critics, celebrities, and mainly people in the cinematic industry. The city also relies heavily on the cruise business.
However, Venice's popularity as a major worldwide tourist destination has caused several problems, including the fact that the city can be very overcrowded at some points of the year. It is regarded by some as a tourist trap, and by others as a "living museum". Unlike most other places in Western Europe, and the world,
Venice has become widely known for its element of elegant decay. The competition for foreigners to buy homes in Venice has made prices rise so high that numerous inhabitants are forced to move to more affordable areas of Veneto and Italy, the most notable being Mestre.
The
PlanetSolar in Venice 9th October 2014, Grand Canal FUTURE
WORLD
RECORD CONTENDER  The
latest British 'Bluefish'
world record contender is somewhat longer at
40 meters (130 ft) and 16.2 meters (52.65 ft) wide in the water. The patent
Bluefish/SNAV platform also has more than twice the power to weight ratio of
Planetsolar and an anticipated average speed of 7-8 knots, with a top speed
of 18 knots. That will make the Bluefish platform the largest and the
fastest solar boat
in the world, once it is built.
LINKS Mini
Joule - Guinness
World Records - PlanetSolar Clean
Technica 2013/09/11/ planetsolar-in-paris-successful-end-of-her-2013-campaign Huffington
Post 2013 turanor-planetsolar My
Statesman solar-boat-reaches-paris-after-crossing-atlantic Big
Story solar-boat-reaches-paris-after-crossing-atlantic Connexion
France Solar-powered-PlanetSolar-Paris-Seine-Gulf-Stream http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/505044/20130910/turnanor-planetsolar-ends-scientific-voyage-gulf-stream.htm Le
figaro Breves Nautisme 2013-09-10 planetsolar conclut sa campagne 2013 a
paris Nautisme
le Figaro breves-nautisme expo
planetsolar fait escale a paris Charter
World planetsolar-reaches-london-final-stage-deepwater-scientific-expedition Charter
World
turanor-planetsolar-catamaran-reaches-canary-islands-1st-solar-boat-expedition CBS
Solar boat shines light on suns power Worlds-largest-solar-powered-boat-powers-arrives-Britain-spectacular-style.html?ito=feeds-videoxml The
worlds largest SOLAR boat breaks world record crossing Atlantic just 22
days New
York Times solar
boat harnessed for research Solar
Calfinder politics solar-boat-lands Economic
Times India ms-turanor-planetsolar-worlds-largest-solar-boat New
Scientist 2011 solar-powered-yacht-docks Business
Insider oceanographic
campaign to study the gulf stream Planet
Solar UK Clean
Technica 14 September 2014 Planetsolar reaches Venice seeks new owner Giovanni
Cecchinato planet solar arriva venezia http://www.giovannicecchinato.it/blog/planet-solar-arriva-venezia/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/04/planetsolar-solar-boat-reaches-venice-seeks-new-owner-video/ http://www.planet-solar.co.uk/ http://www.pinterest.com/planetsolar/ https://twitter.com/planetsolar http://www.facebook.com/planetsolar http://www.minijoule.com/ http://www.planetsolar.org http://challengers.guinnessworldrecords.com/ http://www.mby.com/news/535154/planetsolar-world-s-largest-solar-powered-boat-visits-london http://www.wharf.co.uk/2013/08/worlds-largest-solar-powered-s.html#more http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/science/solar-boat-harnessed-for-research.html http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-35040_162-57591895/solar-boat-shines-light-on-suns-power/ http://www.planetsolar.org/follow-us/planetsolar-awards http://www.ship-technology.com/projects/planetsolar/
Design
concept -
Raphael
Domjan -
PROMOTIONAL
TOUR 2012
English - Swiss - French - History - Links - Homecoming
The
captain of a solar powered ship takes on pirate whalers
with
a $Billion dollars riding on the conclusion.
ADRIATIC
- ARCTIC
- ATLANTIC - BALTIC
- BERING
- CARIBBEAN - CORAL - EAST
CHINA - ENGLISH CH - GULF
MEXICO
INDIAN
- MEDITERRANEAN -
NORTH SEA - PACIFIC
- PERSIAN GULF - SEA
JAPAN - STH
CHINA
PLASTIC
- PLASTIC
OCEANS - SEA
LEVEL RISE
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