Solar boat completes fuel-free Atlantic voyage

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,” the catamaran reached North Cove Marina after a journey of six months and more than 8,000 miles from Chipiona, Spain, to the Caribbean island of Martinique and then along the US East Coast to New York, the Switzerland-based group transatlantic21 said in a statement.

According to the organisation, the 46ft boat produced 2,000 kilowatt hours of solar energy during its voyage thanks to a roof of photovoltaic panels mounted above the twin-hull design.

The solar energy was used to power the boat’s electric motors and any surplus was stored in batteries, allowing it to travel at a constant speed of 5-6 knots day or night, the group’s website said.

“This proves that in our modern society it is indeed possible to travel the world efficiently and still safeguard the environment,” said the boat’s skipper, Michael Thonney.