THE ACCIONA 100% ECOPOWERED SETS A MILESTONE IN SEAFARING HISTORY
on June 4th, 2012
at 6:44 pm
The ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered and skipper Javier “Bubi” Sansó have completed the Europa Warm Up, coming in fifth at 15 hours, 12 minutes and 22 seconds; after nine days’ sailing between the ports of Cascais (Portugal) and La Rochelle (France). This regatta’s first place, which sets a mark heading to the beginning of the Vendée Globe, went to the PRB skippered by Vincent Riu.
This way, the ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered, after crossing the finishing line at La Rochelle at 15.12hrs and 22 seconds, sets a momentous milestone by being the first racing yacht to cross the finishing line in a top-flight race without using a single drop of fossil fuel and powered by an electric motor that draws exclusively on clean energy sources such as the sea, the wind and the sun. It’s a great achievement and it comes after two years of extensive R&D by ACCIONA and which, as the day’s racing has shown, points the way forward in transoceanic yacht racing.
The fleet met with tough conditions along the way and they proved too much for some: Kito de Pavant’s Groupe Bel and the clear favorite Virbac Paprec, skippered by Jean Pierre Dick, were both forced to drop out of the race.
Sansó was delighted as he crossed the finishing line: “It’s been a long time since I raced solo at this level and I’ve had to adapt and to get to know the vessel inside out as well as the protocols for each situation. But the overall result has been very, very good indeed. The auto-pilots played up a little, but that’s about it”.
When asked the question on everyone’s lips concerning the vessel’s clean energy systems, Majorca-born Bubi was both confident and concise: “The energy systems have been fantastic right from the word go. I pulled into port with 70% battery charge and without having to skimp on energy at any time. I didn’t get to see the sun once the whole time from the Azores to the North, it just rained on end; I had everything turned on to test consumption levels and the systems were at their limits, taking the charge level down to 38%. I crossed the finishing line using the hydro-generators. It’s been an interesting test and a satisfying one”.
Today, the ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered has completed this race, but it now takes on another challenge: competing solo in the Vendée Globe 2012.
This way, the ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered, after crossing the finishing line at La Rochelle at 15.12hrs and 22 seconds, sets a momentous milestone by being the first racing yacht to cross the finishing line in a top-flight race without using a single drop of fossil fuel and powered by an electric motor that draws exclusively on clean energy sources such as the sea, the wind and the sun. It’s a great achievement and it comes after two years of extensive R&D by ACCIONA and which, as the day’s racing has shown, points the way forward in transoceanic yacht racing.
The fleet met with tough conditions along the way and they proved too much for some: Kito de Pavant’s Groupe Bel and the clear favorite Virbac Paprec, skippered by Jean Pierre Dick, were both forced to drop out of the race.
Sansó was delighted as he crossed the finishing line: “It’s been a long time since I raced solo at this level and I’ve had to adapt and to get to know the vessel inside out as well as the protocols for each situation. But the overall result has been very, very good indeed. The auto-pilots played up a little, but that’s about it”.
When asked the question on everyone’s lips concerning the vessel’s clean energy systems, Majorca-born Bubi was both confident and concise: “The energy systems have been fantastic right from the word go. I pulled into port with 70% battery charge and without having to skimp on energy at any time. I didn’t get to see the sun once the whole time from the Azores to the North, it just rained on end; I had everything turned on to test consumption levels and the systems were at their limits, taking the charge level down to 38%. I crossed the finishing line using the hydro-generators. It’s been an interesting test and a satisfying one”.
Today, the ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered has completed this race, but it now takes on another challenge: competing solo in the Vendée Globe 2012.
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