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Justin Tyers • 25 June 2025
3000 kilometre road trip with map, compass and fridge
Navigating Scandinavian back roads for eight days in an old car by map and compass takes you to some unexpected places. Both physically and mentally. Life in the slow lane can be refreshing yet challenging. Friends, Ferry, Jacco and Jurg , who live in Vlissingen in the Dutch province of Zeeland, were excited to undertake the 3000km Viking Sun Rally challenge – providing they could celebrate the end of each day’s adventure with cold beer straight from the fridge …no matter how far they strayed from the nearest bar. Setting off from Hamburg in a twenty year old Volvo V70XC which already had 370,000km on the clock, the team known as Walcheren Warriors followed their philosophy: Sometimes you just feel like doing something crazy. With limited weight and room available – and realising that success for their long and arduous journey depended on making careful choices about what to bring and what to leave behind, they installed four solar panels , a Sun Inverter , an AGM battery , a fridge, and a crate of beer. Leaving nothing to chance they also installed a SmartShunt so they could monitor the battery’s state of charge straight from the phone. Fridges sometimes draw a lot of power – failure to monitor the charge/discharge rate of their battery only invites the risk of having to drink warm beer. The Sun Inverter – as its name suggests – is a combined DC to AC inverter, and solar charge controller. Ideal for a road trip such as this, there is no installation – you simply attach your solar panel(s) and your battery with +ive and -ive leads …and you’re done. Instant, renewable AC power. The PWM solar charge controller harvests solar energy and optimises battery charge with a programmable algorithm. Up to 375W of solar panels can be attached – 500W for the 24V Sun Inverter Model. A toroidal transformer in the inverter continuously provides up to 250VA, and up to 400W for peak power surges. The SmartShunt acts as a battery monitor and is connected inline to the battery -ive cable. Participants in the Viking Sun Adventure Rally choose which charity they would like to support. There is a mandatory donation at the time of registration and teams are encouraged to continue to raise funds before and during their journey. The Walcheren Warriors chose to support Stichting Dromen voor Duchenne . a charity which provides adventure days for people with the condition known as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Ferry says: We thought: if we can make a difference for the charity with our road trip, then we’ll go for it. We started with €250 from our own pockets, but donations soon came in from friends, family, colleagues — even from people we didn’t know until we reached a total amount of €5,330! Their journey took them as far north as Trondheim, Norway – close to the Arctic Circle. We really enjoyed the fact that it is only dark for 2 hours a day. We were able to fish in daylight until midnight! Strangely enough, it was a very nice experience to have. In Sweden, there’s a good chance of spotting a moose in the wild! We were very keen to actually experience this – so much so that we stopped the car when we thought we’d seen our first moose – but it turned out to be just a tree stump… luckily we were rewarded and 30 minutes later when a moose walked right in front of our car! Story: Something we will never forget. We drove through forests, over mountains, along fjords — really breathtaking. We slept in tents, cooked on a gas burner, and drove on back roads. We met other teams along the way and yes, we got lost. Often. But that was part of it. Every detour brought us something new! The rally is over, but the excitement remains. We experienced something beautiful, together as friends, and we were able to make a difference to others. That is worth gold. And who knows… maybe we will participate again next year.
Justin Tyers • 23 January 2025
Gewest Fryslân skaters race ahead
Training Coaches at Dutch skating club Gewest Fryslân have been rewarded with some impressive results over the last few days as they work to develop the young skating talent in their care. On 11 and 12 January, in Leeuwarden hosted the Daikin NK Shorttrack event, providing two days of thrilling action! With short track races of 500m, 1000m and 1500m distances, and the exciting mixed relay, it provided an exciting weekend for skaters and spectators alike. The National Championship Junior all-rounders and Long Distance took place at Icerink Twente , Enschede on 18 and 19 January, Willeke Bouwhuis achieved third place for the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m events. Thijs Wiersma achieved a track record in the 3000m race and was overall champion and long distance champion in the 1500-1000 metre events, whilst Sem Spruit achieve third place in the overall class and came second in the 1500 metre events. Berend Lange claimed third place for the 500metres – and second place in the 1000metre events; and Mika Kolder was overall champion and acheived second place for the 1500 metre event. Coach Peter Kolder Chris de Velde was the ‘mass start’ champion, whilst Sil van der Veen achieved third place. Skaters and Coaches alike will be very encouraged by these promising performances – both driven by an aspiration to stand among the top Dutch team skaters, and to represent their country on the world stage. Training is a gruelling and relentless process, but the rewards are sweet! There are meetings every week as the season unfolds. Last weekend the rink at Thialf hosted a selection event for the figure skating at which our shining star is Anna de Groot. Anna has been recovering from an injury, but is looking strong again in rehearsals. With meetings every week at Thialf or the Elfstedenhal both teams and coaches are working hard to achieve the goals they have set themselves for the season. Each team is committed – junior progress-makers and experienced skaters alike – are striving for excellence, and their passion shows. Some of our long distance skaters will compete at the Dutch championship sprint/pure sprint in Eindhoven this weekend (25/26 January). And Good luck to Mika Kolder , Sil van der Veen , Jasmijn Veenhuis and Mats Bendijk who are leaving for Collalbo, Italy, to prepare for the Worldcup (1/2 Feb) and World championship (8/9 Feb) . We at Victron Energy are proud to support our sponsored club team and coaches in their constant pursuit of greatness. We look forward to hearing more from the team as the season builds to a climax! You can follow team news straight from the horse’s mouth on the Gewest Fryslân club Facebook page. All photography reproduced here is the work of Dyane Ribbink.
Justin Tyers • 10 January 2025
Skating team turns on the heat
Netherlands skating team KNSB Gewest Fryslân has already achieved some impressive podium finishes this season. Don’t miss out on the climax of the action! Victron Energy is very proud to be nurturing young skating talent, once again, as Main Sponsor of the team. The more-than 100 year old club continues to produce world-class skaters through their coaching programmes. We’ll hear a little more about some of the successes they’ve achieved so far this season in a minute – but if you’re new to the sport, let’s take a quick look at what it’s all about! At first glance competition rules and event classes can seem a little bit baffling – sometimes they really are! But the sport of skating provides lots of excitement for the casual spectator and connoisseur alike. Competition skating is an Olympic class event practised, most notably, by a number of European countries, Canada, USA, South Korea, China and Japan. Ice Skating fans often have a favourite event and there are a number of skating disciplines to choose from – featuring Short and Long track events for individuals, teams and even Mass Start! – together with Figure Skating singles or pairs. Performing on ice-skating tracks of up to 400m in length, official Speed Skating competitions are organised into distances of 500, 1000, 1500, 1500, 5000 and 10,000 m. Even over long distances it is possible to maintain speeds of over 50kmh/30mph on blades which measure 420mm / 17 inches. Some events take place on a shorter track allowing the excitement to build as skaters navigate tighter curves at which they arrive more quickly! In races with four to eight skaters, success hinges on a combination of tactics, agility, and acceleration. It’s not always the strongest or fastest skater who wins; strategy plays a crucial role. During races between two (and sometimes three) competitors the inside and outside skater must swap lanes at each lap to share the advantage. Sprint Racing is a singles race over distances of 500m / 1,000m / 1,500m – where the skater’s overall performance is recalculated to provide their average speed over 500 metres. Figure Skating Performed as singles or pairs to music, competitors strive to exhibit their form, style, and technique through movements, spins, jumps, and figures on the ice. In the pairs events, these skills are thrillingly augmented by synchronized movements, where the partnership coordinates their actions – ‘both ahead’ or with one partner in reverse – and performs lifts, throws, throw jumps, and death spirals – making for hair-tingling viewing. Points are awarded based on the quality of their performance, including the execution of their elements and the technical difficulty. Team Pursuit The Team Pursuit event is contested between two teams of three skaters each, over six or eight laps. At the start of the race the teams begin on the straight, opposite each other on the oval rink – therefore separated by half-a-lap. A team wins when all three of its skaters cross the finish line ahead of all three of the other team – or when the whole of one team overtakes the other. Mass Start Arguably one of the most exciting events in skating is the Mass Start – in which up to 24 skaters race 16 laps. These ‘short track’ events see skaters compete en-masse, round tight curves with no designated lanes. They are frantic dashes to the winning line with a lot of contact between skaters, and great potential for clashes …and sometimes chaos! It’s an elimination event where succeeding heats are populated by the winners of previous bouts – on the way to the top there will be many falls and disqualifications! Gewest Fryslân are sliding ahead of the competition! This season’s Ice skating competition is warming up. Let’s take a quick look at some of the notable performances which have been achieved by our sponsored skaters – so far. Among the Junior team Mats Bendijk comfortably won his last 3000 meter event with Sil van der Veen taking third place. Elsewhere, Mats Bendijk achieved silver in one of his 1500 metre events, whilst in the Team Pursuit event Bendijk, Sil van der Veen and Mika Kolder achieved third place. Team eventers Britt Breider, Elbrich Nicolay and Elanne de Vrie s won the Team Sprint and their Mixed Relay race, whilst also achieving second place in the Team Pursuit. We’re very proud of the competitive spirit amongst all our team members – and whilst any one snapshot of stand-out performances may not reflect the efforts of the whole team – other skaters who have climbed the podium already this season include: Kai-Anre Ottenhof, Jonas de Jong; Leon Visser; Jack Boekema; Berend Lange; Sem Spruit; Jarin Ridder; Niek Almost; Rutger Jansma; Anouk Aalders; Eva-Sofie Elferink; Willeke Bouwhuis; Breider and Sietse de Vries; Kailey van der Veen and Tjalle Nijenuis; Otte Hilarides and Ingmar Carpenter; Djoeke Schmitz; Lana Sumirah Schiphof; Janna Wietske van der Ende; Silke Middeldorp; Isa Vijfhuizen; Aaliyah Naceri and Djura Elzinga. Tijn Borst secured the national title in the neo-senior women’s marathon, breaking away with Vera van Ditshuizen and Kaat van Steekelenburg in the final. In a strong sprint to the finish, she outpaced the others to claim the victory. That’s a quite lot of skaters who have stretched themselves to greatness. I hope I haven’t missed out any notable early successes – but we can see already that the whole team are really committed to achieving notoriety for their club, their coaches, and for themselves! The achievements of Pien Smit are worth singling-out as she seems to be shaping up for a World Cup debut. If you find yourself in the Netherlands this weekend or sometime over the next couple of weeks you can spectate the Gewest Fryslân team’s upcoming competitions on the following dates and locations: 11th and 12th of January: Daikin NK Shorttrack in Leeuwarden (the capital city of the province of Fryslân) 18th and 19th of January: KNSB Cup A3 Klaverblad Bokaal (figure skating) in Heerenveen 18th of January: KNSB Cup Top 2 Shorttrack in Heerenveen We wish our sponsored team all the luck and success in the world and we will be bringing you more news as the culmination events of the 24/25 winter season reaches their climax! All photographic images are the work of Wiebe Sietze
Justin Tyers • 25 November 2024
Navajo Nation get hands-on with solar power
An estimated 32% of households amongst the American Indian Navajo Nation – which occupies portions of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah – do not have electricity. As a result as many as 92,000 Navajo’s lack modern conveniences such as refrigeration, heating, air conditioning, lighting, access to better medical care, and improved education opportunities. Dr. Laurie Williams and her team at Navajo Nation Solar Initiative (NNSI) are working to change that. The team is building and installing Victron Energy based off-grid electricity systems which are donated to families who need it – and have no opportunity to connect to the electricity grid. Part of the installation programme includes training in solar energy and a familiarisation with the devices used so that system-owners – of new and existing installations – will be empowered with the ability to diagnose faults and maintain their off-grid systems, independently. Student volunteer Patty Pena finalises Inverter connections Speaking about the initiative Dr. Laurie Williams says: We developed a comprehensive home assessment to consider location, proximity to electricity grid lines, home readiness for electricity, home lease status, family demographics, and their interest in having electricity. Using the database the NNSI team, along with the Shonto Chapter Solar Advisory Committee, established the criteria for drawing up a priority list. Each off-grid domestic system comprises: 1800W solar array, MultiPlus 24/3000 Inverter/Charger, 3k VE-Panel AC and DC Power Distribution Panel SmartSolar MPPT (250/60) Solar Charge Controller 4.8kWh of lithium-ion battery storage. Dr. Williams points out that over the past 150 years the Navajo Nation has been a site of resource extraction (coal, uranium, oil, and fracking operations) but has not received the infrastructure needed to enjoy the benefits of those same power-generating resources. Shonto Chapter member Lolita Smith with Pricilla Smith and Lisa Derby. The energy installation strategy adopted by the NNSI team together with the Shonto community includes ensuring that homes identified for solar system installation have electricians available to complete domestic wiring for power distribution. The solar energy training and was provided by Victron Amabassador Marc Stevens together with his partner Lisa Derby. They took to the road with the Victron Energy High Plains Training Trailer …filled with Off-Grid training labs so that participants could explore the technology and learn how to connect, test and programme the installation. Marc Stevens leads training at Shonto Chapter with community members This is only the beginning of the electrification programme. Early next year a team of Victron training engineers will visit the area to train students from the Fort Lewis College Department of Physics and Engineering allowing students themselves to continue delivery of all elements of the installation programme and familiarisation. The Navajo Nation Solar Initiative team members include: Dr. Laurie Williams, Professor Fort Lewis College Department of Physics and Engineering who is Director of the Fort Lewis College Village Aid Solar Initiative Ms. Camille Keith, Engineering undergraduate of Fort Lewis College, student engineering lead and Navajo Nation tribal member from the community of Shonto, Arizona. Ms. Jessica Rupe, State of Colorado Grant Professional and an FLC alumni. Ms. Martine Tsosie, Marketing undergraduate of Fort Lewis College, and a Navajo Nation tribal member from the community of Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. Marc Stevens, Lisa Derby – joint founders of offgridsolutions.us ., who provide the off-grid training curriculum development and technical consultantancy. Shonto community and FLC VAP Solar volunteers complete their first off-grid installation The Navajo Nation Solar Initiative team partners with Fort Lewis College. The college has a student based non-profit humanitarian organisation whose mission is to offer communities sustainable solutions to engineering problems. As a Native American-Serving, Non-Tribal Institution, the organisation – FLC VAP Solar – was uniquely positioned to expand its mission to address critical energy needs in the Navajo Nation. Navajo Nation Shonto Chapter member Camille Keith and her mother Gretchen, aunt Pricilla and uncle Lenard Smith – recipients of the first PV system get hands-on experience. Since 2018 Dr. Laurie Williams, has been partnering with Tribal communities on the design and installation of off-grid solar systems for families without electricity amongst the Navajo Nation. Central to the programme is learning opportunity for students. Students at FLC work on PV system designs, gain job skills, and implement projects during academic breaks – a real world opportunity to use what they’ve learned in the classroom. Everybody gains. Lisa Begay, Billy Begay, Niall Pastuszek, Dr. Laurie Williams PE, Charlotte Smart, Jessica Rupe, Carl Bickford, Katie Roseberry, Martine Tsosie, Cornelius Lehan. In the headline image of this story we see, left to right: Paul Kokes (FLC Alumni and Solar Volunteer), Curtis Greyeyes together with his father, Laurie Williams (FLC Professor and FLC VAP Solar Director), Carl Bickford (FLC Staff and Volunteer)
Justin Tyers • 30 August 2024
Poznań University of Technology Solar Boat Challenge
A group of students at Poznań University of Technology in Poland are building a solar boat which will compete in the twelfth Monaco Energy Boat Challenge , scheduled for July 2-5, 2025. The Scientific circle will design and build a solar boat powered by solar panel energy and a hydrogen cell. Their current design is to build a boat 4.6 meters long and just under 2 meters beam, powered by a 6 kW Torqueedo outboard motor. The peak power potential of the solar panels is likely to be 1 to 1.5 kW using flexible photovoltaic panels from an area of six meters. The competition’s ‘endurance’ section will require continuous propulsion for four hours using real time energy from the solar panels. The capacity of the battery is typically around 1.5kWh allowing the boat to compete even when sunlight is limited. Victron distributor Suntrack are supporting the solar boat team with training, advice and product donations. Suntrack’s product manager Michał Kata is providing technical support and guiding the students through the process of building an efficient and competitive solar-powered boat by choosing the correct energy flow management components. An initial training course, tailored to the project, has been completed – at the end of which the students were pleased to have achieved their training certificates! The Monaco Energy Boat Challenge consists of several competitions, each of which has its own rules and distances. The key to success is to build a boat capable of accruing as many points as possible in each of these competitions. The qualifying lap is half a nautical mile. There’s a one kilometre ‘speed’ race. And in the endurance race the challenge is to complete as many laps of the three nautical mile course as can be achieved in 4 hours. The endurance race is one of strategy – where the boat’s pilot has to decide whether to fly around the course at top speed until all available energy is exhausted, or proceed at a steady pace for the full four-hour duration, in the hope of completing more laps in the long run. Much will depend on the solar energy available on the day, and on the real-time power information available to the pilot. The Scientific Club of Poznań University has about 40 students about half of whom have chosen to support the Solar Boat project. The boat will be designed and built from scratch – for most students this will be their first experience in this field …though they will bring experience from the many other engineering projects the university pursues. It is expected that the final design will use advanced construction materials such as carbon fibre, Kevlar – or perhaps a fiberglass boat will be reinforced with those materials to achieve a balance of economy, strength and weight. The project’s communication team is headed up by Malwina Nowak who regularly posts updates on their Facebook page. Malwina says: We post all news and updated information on our social media and we try to show every process of its construction. So far, we have written an article about the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, which was published in the last edition of the Yacht Technology Bulletin quarterly. Another edition will be published soon, which will summarize the 11th edition of the Monaco event from the perspective of observers. Of course, we plan to write articles strictly related to the construction of the boat, what elements were used and general technical and construction matters in the future . The students have built a model of their intended competition boat: Suntrack are proud to support tomorrow’s Polish engineers whose careers will contribute to global developments in sustainable energy. And although it requires expenditure of time and money now they hope that introducing students to Victron Energy’s system-reliability will secure a mutually rewarding longer-term relationship. SunTrack has been supporting PUT since March 2024, sharing their experiences in technology and knowledge. More broadly, the PUT Powertrain Scientific Club focuses on research and design of alternative drive systems used in various means of transport. They are outward looking – taking part in fairs and exhibitions in order to gain new contacts and to exchange experiences. They say: Cooperation with Victron Energy is not only proof of the power of teamwork towards a set goal, but above all, joint exchange of experience and knowledge. The balance of practical and substantive knowledge gained by cooperation is intended to help make dreams come true and allow students to take a big step into their engineering future.
Justin Tyers • 07 June 2024
In pursuit of OLYMPIC Gold
The eyes of the world will be focused on World Champion sailors Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz when they climb aboard the fast and furious 49erFX skiff to battle for Gold at the Olympic Games of Paris 2024 The excitement here at Victron Energy is electric! During the last two years our sponsored Dutch sailors have worked hard to become the world champion 49erFX team. Their dominant title gives them a psychological advantage – but that doesn’t mean they are complacent. Odile and Annette are both crackling with energy when we talk to them. We caught up with them during a home break from their punishing schedule of twenty days on ten off Odile says: It’s pretty full on at the moment! At home the training continues. We still have gym sessions for body strength and we train our mindset for the competition. Somewhere we have to find some space to let it all go, too! Barista: Time to unwind for Odile van Aanholt Summing up the last three months since they regained their world champion title in Lanzarote, Annette says: During the ‘Worlds’ in March we were stressed and nervous (which was actually good practice for the Games!) After we won we could just let go with relief …but now we’re starting to get energised again …and a bit nervous! To get over that we keep doing all the routine things we normally do, and that allows us to stay focussed on the training – although we always want to win every little thing! I wonder – will there be a moment right at the start of that first race on Olympic water when they suddenly take fright as the thought hits them: ‘ Hey! …this is the OLYMPICS!? Odile remembers that’s exactly what happened at the World Championships when they were fighting so hard to recover their World Title: At the start of the first race we were like – ‘ Oh this is the first race of the ‘Worlds!’. But we learned to acknowledge those nerves and declare them out loud to the other person. It’s good to hear back : ‘Oh yes, me too!’ Then we have a little giggle and say ‘Okay, back to work now!’ By acknowledging it, it allows you to let go a little bit. Healthy fuel by the pool – Annette Duetz Olympics experience The Olympic 49erFX Women’s skiff racing takes place over five days between Sunday 28th July and Thursday 1st August. The event will be Annette’s third Olympics – at Rio eight years ago she and her sailing partner back then Annemiek Bekkering were overwhelmed by the ‘big stage’ of an olympic event, but still achieved seventh place; and at Tokyo the duo produced a brilliant performance to take Bronze. Odile has experience from a ‘Youth’ Olympics in 2014 – an experience she loved so much she can’t wait to compete in the real thing! Training The event is held not in Paris of course – but 660km further south at the Olympic Marina in Marseille on France’s mediterranean coast. Since early May all training has been held on location in Marseille. After taking a short paternity break to enjoy the birth of his second child, team coach Kaj Böcker is returning in time to steer the team to the start line at world’s biggest sporting competition. For the past six weeks Odile and Annette have been working with interim coach – Fernando Kuo – which they both agree has been full of insight. A different coach brings new input and learning – sometimes just by telling it in a different way. After all their experience – can there still be more to learn? Odile says: Sailing is a sport in which you can always improve. Fernando has a team which is very good in light winds. He taught us to trim the sails slightly differently. Also, on shore, we became more decisive about light wind preparation – we had become too conservative about that. If we suspected light winds we would still hedge our bets rather than definitely setting the boat up for those conditions. Now we are more decisive – for light winds we tune the mast straighter to give a deep and full sail, and we slacken the cunningham (a downhaul for the boom – slackening it allows the mainsail to billow and adopt an aerofoil curve) . Annette says : Whilst racing in light winds we can fine-tune using the main sheet and adjusting the sails – but it really helps if you make up your mind before the race. It made us feel comfortable about sailing in light winds. Making those decisions seems a small thing – but really helps a lot. Having an interim coach has made us open-minded again. 2024 Lanzarote 49er and FX Worlds © Sailing Energy / Lanzarote Sailing Center Odile and Annette, along with other Olympic Games competitors, are already familiar with the venue having sailed there last July at the Summer Games Test Event. Back on french waters since May all the Dutch olympic training now takes place in Marseille. They train for ‘speed’ and ‘starts’, but also sail around the bay to see how the wind behaves in certain areas. Odile says: From now, we’ve got the sailing instructions for the Olympic event, so we know the times and courses of the races and we can practice in those places. Also, it’s going to be really hot – perhaps 35C or 36C. If there’s no breeze for sailing then we do heat training. We learn ways to cool down the body when we get too hot – but acclimatising to the heat is much more important. We have ten training sessions where we take our core temperature above 38.5 – basically a fever! Amongst the boys Flores goes cycling wearing layers of fleece – and a rain jacket to keep the heat in! He likes to torture himself. We all get very tired during heat training, but we must all do it. Team coach Kaj Böcker takes an early morning hike into the hills above Marseille in order to feel the day’s breeze… Training includes racing against other-nation sailing-partners. Odile says: The Polish team are good all-rounders and good in light breeze; the Norwegians are superstars in light breeze; the Swedish are good in strong breezes. We made a conscious decision to pick these really good sailors; we let them learn from us – yes – but we also learn from them. We also have ‘fundamentals’ training with them ashore. And by taking the opportunity to be surrounded by them in training means in the race there will probably be no surprises because we already know how they race. After two-and-a-half or three hours on-the-water training it’s time to get back ashore. In Marseille, away from the olympic village, Odile and Annette are really enjoying the company of their Olympic host family. They spend relaxing evenings sampling local food and wine – en plein air – with hosts Patrick and Bernadette Martigny. Relaxing with Olympic hosts Patrick and Bernadette Martigny The Dutch 49erFX team will make their Olympic arrival in Marseille on July 20th, by train …eight days before the first heat. Train travel is a nod to sustainability, but in fact only takes six hours from the Netherlands. Everyone is getting revved up for the ‘Games’: You can tell by the questions that our Physio and Gym coach ask that they’re getting excited for you… says Odile. Annette says: We’ve selected the sails and the mast and the boat we’re going to race with. The 49er boats are built by two different builders and have slight differences. Also the sails are made by three different sailmakers – each one stitches slightly differently and so they perform slightly differently, too. But we’re happy with our choices. The Dutch team has brand new sails – but we chose the ones we’re happy with, …the new sails can be used by the younger team members. Odile and Annette sound like they know exactly where they’re going with this campaign. The pressure on them must be immense, but as they’ve demonstrated repeatedly during previous competitions they have the experience and intelligence to lead the fleet. Nothing can stop them from bringing home Olympic GOLD …except the twenty other teams who share the same ambition. We can’t wait to see how they deal with THAT!! 2024 Lanzarote 49er and FX Worlds © Sailing Energy / Lanzarote Sailing Center Make sure you don’t miss a moment of the sailing action between July 28th and August 1st – on screen or in person at the event arena in Marseille. To follow the event you can check the sailing schedule – look for ‘Women’s Skiff’ (race timings are being scheduled as we write) and then tune in to your national Olympic coverage broadcaster.§ Showcasing the world’s 10,000 most elite athletes across thirty-two sport disciplines, three and a half billion people will tune in to watch the greatest sporting even on Earth – the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Headline image © Sailing Energy.
Justin Tyers • 10 March 2024
Dutch sailors Crowned – World Champions 2024!
Many CONGRATULATIONS to our sponsored sailors of the 49erFX Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz who have taken back their World Champion title today (Sunday 10th March) in the ‘World’ sailing series in Lanzarote, Spain. After a fierce battle which could have gone either way right up until the 16th and final heat of the competition the Dutch Sailors have won back their NED ‘1’ sail number from the Swedish team Bobeck and Netzler. Last year the Swedish team (who are also ‘training partners’ with the Dutch team) took the title away from our Dutch sailors – and on Dutch territorial water! – so winning it back again today must feel all the sweeter! This win also makes Annette Duetz the most successful sailor of the 49erFX of all time – with four World titles to her credit. It was Day 4 of the six-day competition which changed everything for friends-and-rivals Sweden and Nederlands. The world’s number one and number two 49erFX teams had locked horns for three days leaving the Swedish team with a two point lead -but day 4 overturned that score leaving the Swedes in second place, trailing the Dutch by sixteen points. 2024 Lanzarote 49er and FX Worlds © Sailing Energy / Lanzarote Sailing Center 09 March, 2024 You might hope that kind of lead would put the Dutch on much firmer ground (to use exactly the wrong metaphor) but listen to what happened in one single heat and you’ll see how easily those points can be lost: The last race on Day 4 featured gusts and inexplicable lulls – so that decisions which looked great just a few seconds earlier seemed like madness moments later when a hole in the wind frequently left one single boat bobbing around in the doldrums whilst the rest of the fleet sailed past a few yards away. I don’t know what it was like on board NED2 placing all their chips in this decision …or that one – but it was a hand-wringing experience for viewers at home to watch our sailors parked up on the motorway. During the 30 minute ordeal NED2 tried every place on the scorecard between 1st and 15th …eventually settling for 5th over the line. That’s how unpredictable the Lanzarote breeze was even for the most experienced sailors in the world. On DAY 5 the Swedish boat was uncatchable – absolutely flying to the finish line in the first and second races of the day. They seemed to have a higher gear in the box as they skimmed over the waves providing at least an extra knot of speed which no other competitor could find. Their technique could not be faulted, particularly on the more dangerous downwind legs: Travelling faster than the waves, every few seconds the boat falls over the crest it has overtaken and plunges into the trough below. The bow, pointing down, is in danger of submerging which might trip the boat – like locking the front wheel on a motorbike – causing a ‘pitch pole’ …or somersault. To avoid that danger the kite (the most powerful sail in the downwind set-up) has to be de-powered by slacking the control line. These windy conditions favoured Bobeck and Neztler (who are tall) – and their sailing technique allowed them to put a stunning 300m between them and second-placed Germany …and a whopping 500m lead over the Dutch, in 5th. The swedes easily won that race. Odile and Annette ultimately finished in 3rd. 2024 Lanzarote 49er and FX Worlds © Sailing Energy / Lanzarote Sailing Center 09 March, 2024 In the second race of the day Sweden clinched another 1st with the Dutch boat in second place – but it was in the final race of the day which provided the best dramatic action between these top two World Champion contenders: With the Dutch boat enjoying a complete change of the day’s fortune – well out in the lead – the Swedes were trying to make-good a bad start and had done well to climb into second place – 200 metres behind the Dutch whom they were chasing hard. Perhaps too hard. Flying over the water on trapezes with only their toes touching the boat the Swedes were slamming over the waves with the wind coming from the starboard quarter (behind, right) when suddenly they hit a wave which threw them up into the air from where they crashed down onto the next rising wave which swamped them, wiping Netzler clean overboard. Bobeck clung on to the rigging and the boat continued to sail for almost 200 metres before capsizing. A drone, happening to be flying along behind them at exactly the right moment captured breathtaking footage of the event!: There was no recovering from that disaster and the day ended with the Dutch team in first place 25 points ahead of the Swedes, and the Italian boat’s Germani and Bertuzzi in third. On the last day of racing a bad start saw the Dutch boat way down in the teens of the fleet most of the time, finishing in 17th with the Swedish team crossing in 3rd – keeping their hopes of retaining their World Champion title alive and setting us all up for a nail-biting finish right up to the very last ‘medal’ race of the event. Our sailors needed to finish in the top eight – so their tactic was to produce a professional risk-free performance. Clinching a two place lead over the Swedish boat right from the start they dominated – copying the Swedish moves throughout race, caging them, and tactically spoiling all of the Swede’s new initiatives. There’s more to world class sailing than brilliant boat handling! Many many congratulations to our sponsored sailors – we’re proud of you, and admire your passion to be the world’s number one! Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz as a team are driven – and love what they do! 2024 Lanzarote 49er and FX Worlds © Sailing Energy / Lanzarote Sailing Center 09 March, 2024
Justin Tyers • 08 March 2024
49erFX – Sailors back with a splash!
The 2024 sailing season has begun at Marina Rubicòn, Lanzarote, Spain and the search is on for this year’s World Champions! Our sponsored Dutch sailors Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz who sail the mad-fast Olympic skiff known as the 49erFX have held that title twice – but last year narrowly conceded it to the Swedish team of Bobeck and Netzler. This year they’re back. And they mean business!! At the time of writing the six-day competition is half-way through and the score board finds the current world champions – Swedish sailors Bobeck and Netzler – in first place with our Dutch team in second place. I guess that’s exactly how the new season should begin! Watch Live video! From today, Friday 8th, the event will be broadcasting live video with commentary. We hope you will join us in following the action! You can watch the live feed from the event HERE . In a fleet of 51 boats just two points separate the two leading vessels – and with nine more races to run over the next three days, we’re all set for a truly nail-biting competition! Even the weather forecast promises the crews won’t always get a smooth ride! The competition so far… The surprises began right from day one: To avoid overcrowding at the turns, the fleet of fifty boats were split into two groups – each sailing a separate course. A northerly wind was blowing 10 to 15 knots over a plunging swell – yet when the racing started the conditions on each course could not have been more different, with lulls and smooth seas on one, and gusty winds over the heaving water on the other! The smooth water group raced tactically between the lulls – whilst the rough-water group fought hard to keep their skiffs upright! In fact there were many capsizes in the rough-water fleet amongst whom our sailors Odile and Annette were competing, but ‘guess what?’, they avoided all dangers to finish the day right at the front of the fleet, tying on points with (and here’s another surprise) the team from China. China have been working hard at their craft, but not until this week had they been counted amongst the 49erFX elite. Day 2… It was on the second day of the event that the Swedish reigning World Champions took their rightful place at number one on the score card – with the Dutch team in second place. 2024 Lanzarote 49er and FX Worlds © Sailing Energy / Lanzarote Sailing Center 07 March, 2024 Day 3… The leader board remains unchanged since yesterday, but Odile and Annette have a technical advantage over the swedes in that they have fewer points: the race rules allows teams to strike out their worst-scoring heat throughout the competition. An unlucky race can be scratched from a team’s score – but that leaves any past bad performance bare. As the race continues over the next three days we’ll be on the edge of our seats watching how the teams perform in the second half of the competition and over the weekend. Keep up with the results… The score card is updated immediately after each heat and can be found here …along with live/replay trackers , a summary of the day’s news and a gallery of photos and video showing the highlights of all the day’s excitement on the water! If you’re unable to follow the action – don’t worry, we’ll let you know on Sunday at the close of the competition how the Dutch team got on, of course! We’re thrilled to see our team back in action, clearing themselves a space at the top, and determined to take Gold! As sponsors for the Dutch 49erFX team, we’re inspired by their constant striving to be the best they can be!
Justin Tyers • 04 August 2023
Durham University Solar Car – light years ahead?
Accepting the challenge to race between the Australian cities of Darwin and Adelaide on public roads using solar power this autumn the UK’s Durham University’s Solar Car Challenge Team are pitching their engineering genius against the world. The 3000km (around 1870 miles) Bridgestone World Solar Challenge takes place every two years. Vehicles begin the race with 5kWh of stored energy and recharge their lithium batteries as they drive using a shell mounted 4m² (5m² for the ‘Cruiser Class’) solar array. For over twenty years Durham University’s fifty-strong Department of Engineering team has been designing and building innovation for solar powered vehicles. Their work on aerodynamics, for example, has resulted in a shell so slippery it produces similar drag to the wing mirrors of a conventional car. Kevlar and Carbon fibre composite has been used for the protective cell which surrounds the driver – ensuring safety in the event of an incident. The team has produced a cell wall material which is as strong as steel, but as light as polystyrene! On the all-important question of propulsion, in-wheel electric motors using ultra-slim magnets and windings improves efficiency by delivering more torque for less weight. And because direct-drive in-wheel motors eliminate the need for a drive train, less energy is lost to friction, and yet more weight is saved. The Durham University Solar Car team recently revealed their hand-built and very slick-looking Solar Vehicle in advance of packing it up for the long journey to Australia in a shipping container, which will also act as the vehicle’s mobile race-workshop. The mobile workshop’s power tools allow for some serious vehicle maintenance on the road – even when that road runs through thousands of miles of wilderness. Similar mobile workshops closer to home are routinely provided with battery-based power to meet any load – even three-phase loads. Some mobile engineers spend their whole lives helping clients on the road – you can see examples of their rigs here . The solar race team’s workshop energy demands are modest and highly transportable – even to the other side of the world. Their container deploys roof mounted solar panels; a SmartSolar MPPT 100|15 solar charge controller harvests energy for storage in a 200Ah lead acid battery. There’s an 800W inverter . Battery state-of-charge, time remaining, usage history – even the battery voltage! – can be read directly from the display of the BMV 712 Smart battery monitor which also has Bluetooth on board, further allowing it to be read from a smartphone or other device via the VictronConnect app. Road-legal In addition to engineering innovation, a great deal of testing is conducted in order to prove the vehicle is road-safe with regard to visibility, stability, steering, braking, emergency egress, lighting etc. Weight reduction is essential for energy saving but brings its own safety-related problems. During the 2019 event crosswinds caused six vehicles to leave the road. Energy is provided principally by the solar panels, though recovered energy from regenerative braking or whilst travelling downhill is also permissible under race rules. This year’s event restricts the LiFePO4 battery storage allowable cell mass to 36 kg. It puts the vehicle’s epic journey in perspective when you learn that the commercial flight time between Darwin and Adelaide is 3hrs 15m. In the last event only 8 vehicles out of 50 starters completed the course. Bridgestone World Solar Challenge The aim of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge is to stimulate research into, and development of, sustainable road transport. There are three classes of entry: The Challenger class is a single seat vehicle whose objective is purely speed. The winner will be the first vehicle over the line who has obeyed all rules. In the Cruiser class vehicles have a minimum of two seats – accommodating the driver and at least one passenger. The winner is determined by a number of factors including the finish time, but also the amount of energy used (kWh) to achieve their result. There is also an Adventure class which is non-competitive, but is an opportunity to try out vehicles which do not meet all the criteria for race entry. Racing takes place from 0800 until 1700 on each race day, and no sprayed water is permitted for panel-cooling through Australia’s desert environment. Vehicles are expected to maintain a speed of at least 60kph (just under 40mph) with the course stage timings allowing for an average 75kph (almost 50mph). Each team is required to rosta between 3 and 6 drivers for their vehicle. It’s not an advantage to choose the lightest members of the team as drivers because each driver will be ballasted to provide 80 kilograms of vehicle-burden. The Durham University Solar Car Ben Finbow, Head of Business for the Durham University Solar Car team says: Our car has gone from CAD design over the summer of 2022 to a complete, competitive solar powered race car, today. It is fully custom built in house at Durham University by students, taking well over 20,000 hours to complete. The Durham University Solar Car Team 2023 will ship the car around the world in a container, which is also our support trailer – we will use it to move the car between races, and to follow it during races to provide technical and mechanical support. The support trailer is designed to perfectly fit in a container, allowing us to carry the maximum amount of equipment, whilst also making shipping as easy as possible. The Victron MPPT is used in the trailer to keep our battery bank charged from the roof-mounted solar panels. This allows us to run our tools off the battery, allowing for constant maintenance of the car, even in the middle of the outback. Commenting on the solar programme’s benefit for the University as a whole, Ben says: The Durham University Solar Car project is a student led team, comprising of 50 students from all different degree courses. It allows the students to develop their skills in a real world environment, with a common goal, and a shared ambition to win.
Justin Tyers • 16 June 2023
Electriciens sans frontières – empowering remote communities
Electriciens sans frontières are a non-governmental organisation who have been working around the world since 1986 to provide the two essential conditions to eradicating poverty in remote communities: access to water and electricity. With those fundamental utilities in place, communities can help themselves to improve health and build prosperity through education and employment. With the support of 1,200 volunteers and in partnership with local actors, ESF promote economic and human development by using renewable energy. Café Lumière Their initiative known as Café Lumière is a project which brings reliable solar-based industrial-scale power to the heart of remote communities. It allows commercial development and, of course, personal leisure energy use for the first time. Last month the programme which already has six installations in other nations, achieved its first infrastructure in Benin. Photo credit ©MCA Ultimately, four Cafés Lumière will meet the energy needs of the entire population (public services, entrepreneurs and residents) of the villages of Tchinakomey, Djekpé, Affio and Honoué located on Lake Nokoué. Cafés Lumière provides work opportunities for families who – owing to commercial constraints – will never otherwise be provided with grid electricity. Lithium-Battery energy-storage of 30kWh ensure that power is available on demand 24 hours/day. Photo Credit ©MCA Electricity is made available alongside social facilities in easily accessible village-centre locations. Reliable electricity dynamically changes the economy of families who are now able to buy the energy which allows them to perform their work at scale, earn money, and raise their living standard. It also allows for the provision of improved healthcare and education. This basic infrastructure is the foundation of a local economy where entrepreneurship was previously not possible. Commercial success for ‘makers’ goes on to provide immediate benefits for other community members. One such entrepreneur – Hounkpe Maria, pictured at the head of this article – lives in the village of Tchinakomey, Benin. She says: I am a professional in weaving, sewing and knitting. I am very happy with the electricity we finally have. I am very happy with it because, before, I used manual machines, but with electricity I will be able to use much more sophisticated machines, electric machines. I therefore ask that electrical machines be made available so that I can exploit them for the total development of what I do. THANKS . Power demands in the villages are quite diverse and have changed the lives of craftspeople, farmers, vendors requiring refrigeration, electric motor based machinery processing and manufacture; it allows welding, and is used by private individuals who can take advantage of mobile phone technology for the first time, and for social and administrative use in public buildings having lighting or office equipment. Typical Power Installation Victron Energy is a partner to Electriciens sans frontières, offering product training for system design, installation and remote monitoring which can be effortlessly achieved via the Victron Remote Management VRM platform. Emmanuel Mercier, Victron Energy sales manager for France, says : We are very pround to have set up a specific technical training program with Electricien sans frontières into our French practical training center https://www.victronenergy.fr/formation . Then our privileged partner can bring and teach Victron Energy products know how to the local population in connection with our local distributors. A typical system build comprises: 3 x Quattro 48/8000 Inverter/chargers. The Quattro has two AC inlets with automatic connection to a live power source, and two AC power outlets with automatic shutdown on the second circuit if no AC source is available. 2 x SmartSolar MPPT RS 450/100 Solar Charge Controllers. These Solar Charge Controller are designed for charging 48V battery banks from larger arrays which have been series connected to provide a high charging voltage. Fronius Symo Cerbo GX and GX Touch 50 are the system’s communication and control devices. The Cerbo GX offers an extensive connectivity to harmonise all Victron Energy and third party manufacture devices which make up the installation Lithium Battery storage of 30kWh The power of Solar Solar Energy provides a reliable power source in almost any location around the world, and at any scale. Solar energy systems can easily be expanded according to need – matching local economy growth. Café Lumière is based on a public-private partnership with the involvement of local authorities and the State in governance, each municipality being associated with project management and entrusting the management of Café Lumière to a delegated company – which provides another local source of employment. Photo Credit ©MCA The delegated company or private operator takes ownership of the project, keeps accounts, maintains the power installation, and undertakes the periodic renewal of equipment. They also operate financing solutions suitable to the small scale entrepreneurs – allowing start-ups to benefit from the infrastructure which has been put in place, and to achieve their personal economic goals. This arrangement also ensures the project’s viability and sustainability. A Replicable solution to development Photo Credit ©MCA The Café Lumière project is replicable in other nations- the model is the subject of a pilot project currently being deployed in Madagascar and financed principally by the French Development Agency (AFD), the EDF Foundation and the Lord Michelham Foundation. As a result 20,000 people have benefitted from access to electrical services through the establishment of 6 “Café Lumière” multi-service energy platforms in 6 rural municipalities. It brings a viable local economy to the most disadvantaged locations around the world.
Justin Tyers • 13 April 2023
Sailors mettle produces silver
Reigning world champions of the 49erFX – our sponsored Dutch sailing duo have just returned home with a silver trophy in their first competition of the year. The event 52 Trofeo S.A.R. Princess Sofia was held on the Spanish island of Mallorca and was contested by 60 of the world’s top sailing teams. What makes this super Dutch win even more remarkable is the obstacles which had to be overcome in order to achieve it! Top level athletes in every discipline spend their winters following intense training schedules. The Dutch national sailing team who compete in the 49erFX class are no different, of course, but this winter skipper Odile van Aanholt had to take a month off when she contracted Covid with an underlying condition of asthma; whilst Annette Duetz fell from her bicycle during an icy spell in the Netherlands leaving her with hip and back injuries. Trouble set in again during the competition when both Annette and team coach Kaj Böcker contracted a stomach infection which meant that Kaj was absent for one of the competition days and Annette, under medication, was hardly feeling at her best. However – conscious that the team ‘one and half members down’ Annette and Odile rose to the occasion and ended that particular day having produced some of their best results of the whole competition! 52 Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía Mallorca, © Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca The breeze during the four day event was fairly stable blowing onshore with the result that – owing to local topography – a ‘lift’ in the wind favoured vessels starting with a left hand tack. However, with 60 boats all wishing to occupy the same piece of water on the start line the competition begins way before the gun is fired. But if you get a good start and if you can sail close to the wind keeping all other competitors downwind of you, and clean air upwind. you’ll gain a lead as you tack to the first mark. 52 Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía Mallorca, © Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca Alas, as a result of breaks in their winter training programme the Dutch vessel NED1 were not able to practice their starts. The result in this competition was that they frequently lost out to other competitors, struggling to get clean away from the start line – and even beginning one race in ‘last’ position …from where, climbing up the fleet is challenging in the extreme. Never-the-less, from among a fleet of 60 competitors the Dutch duo finished all but four of their thirteen races in the top ten. That solid performance pitched them high on the leader board and set up a dramatic final day. 52 Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía Mallorca, © Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca Fierce competition from two-time Olympic Champions – Brazil’s Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze who were performing well throughout the event – placed them with an 11 point lead in advance of the final ‘Medal’ race. The other hot contenders – the Argentinian team featuring Maria Sol and Cecilia Carranza – were punching above their weight with consistently great results and came to the medal race firing on all cylinders. 52 Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía Mallorca, © Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca At the medal race it was (theoretically) possible for the Dutch pair to secure Gold …but of course it was far more likely that a minor error or plain bad luck would catch them out and send them tumbling down the board. In fact that final race proved to be the most closely-fought of the entire competition with the lead constantly changing hands between first, second and third. 52 Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía Mallorca, © Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca Odile and Annette did what they do best – they never give up and fight for every inch. They were delighted to take silver – even more so after all the difficulties they had overcome! And so are we delighted, who only cheer them on! Gold went to the Brazilian team, the Netherlands got silver, and the bronze medal went to Argentina. Many congratulations to our sponsored sailors and to their coach for securing another brilliant result. We’re really proud of the team’s consistently thrilling performances and achievements. Racing amongst the best in the world their winning spirit brings triumph.
Justin Tyers • 30 December 2022
Mountain Rescue
As 2022 comes to a close and a new year filled with opportunity begins all of us here at Victron Energy would like to wish you Health, Happiness and Success in 2023! ___ Back in the autumn, in response to a request in the UK, we donated a 240Ah AGM battery to the North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team ( NOTMRT ) and were very interested to learn more about the work they do. The NOTMRT is a charity whose volunteers attend incidents in remote areas or in rough terrain – locations which cannot easily be accessed by emergency service road vehicles. The team undergo a program of continual training in order to provide first-aid in remote locations, and evacuate casualties to the care of other agencies. Reliable power backup helps volunteer mountain rescue teams coordinate their operation. Barry, Deputy Team Leader says: The main problem with our 12V Duty battery at present is that we have to keep the engine running pretty much all the time. Our new Victron Energy battery will allow us to turn it off and give more effective briefings whilst still powering the critical ICT. On board their Mercedes Sprinter which has been fitted out as a control room they carry radio and computer equipment for operational communication and control whilst attending incidents at remote locations. That equipment is powered by the Duty battery. Their new 12/240Ah Super Cycle AGM battery is built for mobile applications and its low self-discharge allows it to be left during quiet periods with minimal loss of power. On duty it can withstand frequent deep discharges – tests show it is capable of over 300 discharge cycles to 0% state of charge …whereas if the state of charge is maintained above 50%, the life of the battery will be greatly extended, The NOTMRT call out log for the autumn gives a glimpse of the kind of work the team do: A contractor fell awkwardly in a field and sustained a leg injury. Once on scene the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust crew requested Mountain Rescue to assist with the patient’s evacuation. Two 4×4 response vehicles were immediately deployed by North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team and Northumberland National Park Mountain rescue team . The first members on scene assessed the requirements and vital rescue equipment was carried to the incident site. After treatment the patient was evacuated on a Bell stretcher by Mountain Rescue personnel across a couple of fields and then transferred to the crewed Ambulance for onward transport to hospital. The incident involved 11 Team members for 2 hours 10 minutes. While responding to the above incident one of the attending vehicles happened upon a road traffic accident in which two cars had collided head on at narrow humped back bridge. A Team member working alongside an off duty Nurse in the vehicle behind the bridge incident made an initial assessment of the casualties and requested the assistance of the emergency services. As Northumbria Police and Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service arrived on scene, other Team members including a Paramedic also arrived. A further assessment of the casualties was undertaken by our Paramedic before they were evacuated from the vehicles. One casualty was discharged at the scene and one was taken to hospital by a crewed Ambulance. Mountain Rescue Teams from all over the UK are tasked with searching for missing or overdue walkers – in which task they are helped by canine team members. You can support the North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team in a number of ways, including by making a charitable donation. To find out how you can help visit their support page.
Justin Tyers • 21 November 2022
Isabel Grevelt climbs podium during World Cup in the Netherlands
Every now and then a new rising star appears in the skating world. Last weekend was such a moment. Isabel Grevelt , the 20-year-old talent from the Development Team of Gewest Fryslân surprisingly won a Bronze medal in the 1000 meter event during the second World Cup which took place at the Thialf ice skating rink in Heerenveen, Netherlands. During the World Cup series all of the top international competitors compete, searching for success. Isabel had recently qualified for the World Cup circuit by finishing 5th during national qualifying competitions. That was already a great achievement for this young talent who powered ahead of several skaters from the Dutch top commercial teams. That she already shines on the international podium in her second World Cup is exceptional. This season is really progressing for me with unprecedented strides. Since I joined the team I have been taking big steps forward. And that it already leads to a podium place in my second race among the world’s best is absolutely crazy; says Gewest Fryslân’s newest talent. I feel I’m in the right place with this team. It feels like family and that helps a lot in my development. Together with coach Ingo Bos we made a nice plan and I am very supported in it by my other teammates.” Isabel and teammate Sanne in ‘t Hof will fly to Calgary, Canada in two weeks for the next two World Cup events. It’s a dream to be able to skate on the fastest track in the world. That I now get the chance to do that is great. Especially now that I can travel there together with my coach and my teammate as part of the national team makes it even more beautiful ; said a beaming Grevelt. Victron Energy are proud to sponsor the Gewest Fryslân Dutch Skating team. We admire their continuous search for new talent, and their coaching which achieves world beating results. Photo credits: Martin de Jong
Justin Tyers • 11 July 2022
Super Sailers’ European win
Dutch sailing duo Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz have achieved another tremendous result, winning the 49erFX European Championship title! The final score in the European Championships – which also allows participation from competitors around the world – was Brazil’s Grael and Kunze in first place; Van Aanholt and Duetz in second; and Sweden’s Bobeck and Netzler in third. The event reached its climax on Sunday in Aarhus, Denmark and was one of the windiest competitions in recent times – producing some thrilling sailing! On Day One, for example, a 30 knot squall of wind (that’s just short of a gale) caused Odile and Annette to switch from Racing mode to Survival’ mode . (The images throughout this story provide a flavour of what it was like for competitors out there on the water!) Speaking about that day as they began their nine-hour drive home together after the event Odile and Annette explained: With all that wind we decided it wasn’t necessary to hoist the Gennaker (the big sail used for downwind legs of the race) – we were getting all the speed we needed from the two plain sails, and all our time was taken trying keep the boat upright! ‘ As the race progressed so many of the seventy competing boats had capsized that Event Officials decided to abandon that heat. Unfortunately there were some competitor injuries – but the abandonment was a huge disappointment for Odile and Annette as they were winning! Odile and Annette sail the 49erFX Olympic class vessel, and it is the ‘Olympic’ status of the 49er skiff which explains why there was such a big fleet during the European Championship event. The Paris Olympics are now just two years away, and every sailing nation has begun to prepare their crew for that event. A recent change on board the Dutch vessel is the use of 3di sails. This new sail-making technology incorporates a resin-and-fibre build, formed onto a three-dimensional mould and provides more power from the same sail area. Odile and Annette were quite nervous before the final day of the Aarhus event – they were in third place on points so although they were tantalisingly well-placed for a medal, they could easily be knocked off the podium by poor performance on that final day. Fuelling their nerves – the competition so far had seen some really strong performances, from many of the teams. And also, for the final day the race course was changed – so the familiarity they had built up about the wind-and-water over the previous event races was now useless. In order to achieve a good result they had to be right at the top of their game – tingling with energy in both mind and body! There were three races on the final day …the first didn’t go so well, finishing 9th. The second race produced first place – allowing their confidence to grow! And in the final race of the competition, the Medal race – in which errors are costly because points against you are doubled – they finished two places ahead of their arch-rivals from Brazil …achieving the brilliant result of second place overall! Soon they will be off to Marseille to get some experience of the kind of sailing they will experience at the Olympics. And we look forward to watching them in their next big competition – the World Championships – which takes place in Nova Scotia, Canada, during the first week of September. Victron Energy sponsor the Dutch 49erFX racing team. We admire the commitment and energy they bring to all the work they do!
Justin Tyers • 07 June 2022
Sailors nail Dutch colours to the mast
When they launched their boat to take part in the Hempel World Cup series – the latest event of which has just taken place in the Netherlands – sailing duo Odile van Aanholt , and Annette Duetz suddenly became aware that all eyes were watching them! This was their first competition since announcing their 49erFX Team Allianz Dutch bid to participate in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Of course, it was a good chance to show everyone what they’re capable of, but what if it all went wrong? There was huge pressure on them to impress the crowd! And as it happened the first race didn’t go well at all. With five boats crowding around the first marker buoy, very little time, and some not-so-clear race signage about which direction the course went from there, Odile and Annette shot off maintaining first place – but in the wrong direction! Sailing off-course and never getting back on it they picked up 27 points right at the start the the event. (By the way – picking up lots of points isn’t a good thing!) Perhaps it was just the sting they needed? In their very next race they finished in first place out of an armada of 26 boats. Weather conditions over the six-day event were mixed – sometimes there was very little wind, sometimes it was blowing at the ideal competition strength of Force-four. The sea was sometimes smooth and sometimes choppy. And the waves in that location arrive quite close together, too, so you get quite a bumpy ride at speed. Annette says that one of the advantages of her new partnership with Odile is that they can take on a whole range of conditions: Odile likes to play with light airs, and I like it when it gets a bit rough – so between us we have skills for all weathers. The duo have taken the opportunity to practise their starts. Annette says: When you are at one end of the start line, near a committee boat, it’s easy to imagine where the start line is on the water – but when you’re in the middle of the fleet line-up, it’s much harder. So we’ve been working on getting close to the line wherever we are in the middle of the fleet line-up. The outcome of the competition wasn’t clear until the very last race, and it was a nail-biting battle for the pair as they fought to regain their dominance, until finally – right there in the twelfth and final race Odile and Annette held off their nearest rivals – Belgium’s Isaura Maenhaut and Geurts Anouk – to finish just two points ahead and win Gold for the whole event! Knowing that the whole world was eying up this new Olympic-bid team, that’s just what they hoped would happen! If they qualify for the Olympics it will be Annette’s third appearance to represent her country – her participation at Tokyo (with skipper Annemiek Bekkering) brought home the Bronze medal. It will be Odile’s first Olympic challege. Team coach for their bid is Kaj Böcker who has been the 49erFX coach for some years – so they’re in safe hands. All three could scarcely be more pleased with this latest result – though it’s also true that the dozen Victron Energy staff who were at the event on the final day deserve some credit for cheering them on to that brilliant result! Olivia Price and Evie Haseldine from Australia who had put in a threatening performance throughout the show finished just five points behind Denmark, in third. Victron Energy sponsor the Dutch National 49erFX team. We’re all so proud of the winning spirit which keeps producing such creditable results for them. The next event to look out for takes place in Denmark between July 6th and 10th. All images used in this story belong to : © Sailing Energy / Hempel World Cup Series Allianz Regatta
Justin Tyers • 12 April 2022
Dutch Sailors snatch Spanish Gold
Imagine competing against the best 56 boats in the world and finishing nine of the first twelve races in the top four. Something must be right! First of all let me tell you the result – then about the amazing background to the story. Dutch sailing duo Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz have just won a Gold Medal racing the skiff class known as the 49erFX which took place at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia , held in Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain, between the 1st and 9th April – the first event in the 2022 Hempel World Cup Series. © Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca It was a stunning result not least of all because Odile and Annette have never sailed together in a competition: Odile became world champion last year with crewmate Elise de Ruyter – but a head injury during training saw Elise withdraw from this event. Annette – who announced she was taking a break from the sport after winning Olympic Bronze last year with skipper Annemiek Bekkering – stepped in as crew at the last minute. In recent years formidable performances in top level competition by the Brazilian two-time Olympic Gold winners Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze – eager to reward their nation’s investment in them – has left them almost untouchable in the field of 49erFX sailing. Yet in Mallorca Odile and Annette showed a healthy irreverence for the Brazilian mystique, constantly squeezing an extra knot from their boat to dominate the field from where they can watch the water – spotting any early signs of an advantageous shift in wind. © Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca Although the 49erFX is only 4.9 metres long it’s capable of thrilling speeds of over 20 knots. Designed-in directional instability makes the skiff highly manoeuvrable – but hard to control! It was this latter feature which produced excitement and stress in abundance for Odile and Annette at the first turn of the final race in the competition – the Medal race. Already assured of winning Gold on points, fighters Odile and Annette decided to approach the Medal race like any other – going all out to win it. Thirteen knots of wind on the day was just enough to get the craft planing – which can be achieved at around 10 knots of hull speed. © Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca Odile described the turmoil: At the first buoy we turned close behind the Brazilians intending to set-gybe on course for the better wind. The Brazilians performed exactly the same manoeuvre – so we tried to cut inside them. The Brazilian turn was quite aggressive – trying to freeze us out, of course – so we came too close and got an infringement penalty …then we lost control and almost capsized. Really I don’t know how we kept the mast upright …but Annette is a really experienced crew. © Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca By the time they had regained control of their craft and performed their turnaround penalty they found themselves in last position amongst the fleet of ten of the world’s top class sailors. What a tribute, then, that by the time they crossed the finish line in that final race they had already clawed their way back to 6th place. No matter, with consistently fast performances over the previous twelve races – only twice falling out of the top ten – their success was already assured – securing Spanish Gold ten points ahead of the Brazilians who took Silver, and eighteen points ahead of the Italians who took Bronze. Odile and Annette agree that part of this success is due to their new pairing – although we are both still learning about each other, and still getting surprises, (Hey – what’s happening!!?) we have a good relationship and it’s fresh; says Odile. Separately, of course, they both have a great deal of experience. Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz – © Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca This is a really great start to the season – let’s be honest, it couldn’t be better! Victron Energy sponsor the Dutch national 49erFX team and we’re really proud of their success – admiring the way Odile and Annette drive hard for better performance and are always looking to discover higher levels in their ability. The headline image is also the work of : © Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca
Justin Tyers • 21 January 2022
Students get guaranteed internship
A new Solar Training facility based at Takoradi Technical University in Ghana has been established and is now recruiting students. Offering a solid grounding in solar education plus guaranteed internship with a Solar Installer on graduation, students can get real work-experience – greatly increasing their chances of future employment. Everyone gains with this arrangement: Students who attend the course are more likely to secure work; it helps solve the country’s unemployment problem; and it benefits commercial Solar Installers by creating a pool of knowledgeable students already having industry experience. Lecturers and technicians installed the inverters during the setup phase. The initiative was a collaboration between a number of organisations. Training providers GREEN Solar Academy and PV design software developers Valentin Software have made their services available with support from sustainable development investors develoPPP – the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The facility was equipped with donations from leading solar brands such as Victron Energy, Jinko Solar, and Fronius. The internship training is provided by Tino Solutions , the Ghanaian installer and distributor of solar equipment about whom we recently heard in connection with a programme to install solar energy on Puma fuel forecourts . Training roofs allow the students to install a complete solar array with mounting structures at a safe height, as part of their education The newSolar Training Centre is a dedicated space at the campus which will be the home of practical and application-focused photovoltaic training. Hands-on education is based on the courses at the successful GREEN SuperSolarSchool and – combined with the internship which follows – is geared towards the needs of the local renewable energy industry in Ghana …ensuring that students enter the job market with the skills they need. B-Tech graduates and final year students interested in a career in solar energy will spend three weeks focusing on PV basics, planning (using Valentin Software PV*SOL ), installation, operation, maintenance and economics. University lecturers have themselves already spent a year undergoing technical and teacher-training with GREEN Solar Academy which qualifies them to teach the syllabus to students. GREEN Project Manager Dennis Wiredu Asare introducing the installations at the new facilities. Following the 3-week training period an internship programme will be implemented to actively support the employment of these graduates. Interns will be accommodated by companies who are members of the Solar Hub West Africa – a loose network of African and European solar companies cooperating to promote renewable energy in West Africa ….and those who demonstrate the right aptitude will be offered permanent employment. GREEN Solar Academy Director Antje Klauss-Vorreiter explains the significance of this centre: Our practical, hands-on trainings will increase the employment rate of young university students in the solar industry by involving them in the industry at an early stage to shape their skills and knowledge in a way the industry needs. Dr. Maame Afua Nkrumah, the Dean of International Programmes and External Linkages Office at Takoradi Technical University, said: I realised we had found in GREEN Solar Academy the partner we needed to train our students. On 16 December 2021, Vice Chancellor Rev. Prof. John Frank Eshun from Takoradi Technical University officially inaugurated the new Solar Training Centre Postino Dugle, the owner of Tino Solutions, says: We came on board from the start as we believe this project is what the solar industry in Ghana has been waiting for. It opens doors for those who would otherwise be leaving university as theoretical engineers alone. The project aims to setting certain standards for the solar industry: preparing young graduates for the practical situation of installing renewable energy systems, exposing them to the use of quality products in installations, and connecting them with the solar companies seeking staff. We are also excited about receiving interns from the first crop of graduates because we know that they will have a solid basis in the realities of the design and installation of solar power – we don’t have to train them from the ground up because they’re already at the first level. And those who are deemed to be assets will be absorbed into our core team as full-time employees. One of two complete PV solar systems at the centre, this one is an AC-coupled off-grid solar system. The Solar Training Centre at TTU will hold its international inauguration on February 15th 2022, when representatives from the global partners involved in its creation will travel to Ghana to attend the festivities, and will start to operate officially on a full-time basis shortly after that. Students are welcome to enquire about the first 3-week pilot training held at TTU next year and can send requests to Stephen Afonaa-Mensah at safonaamensah@yahoo.com . Solar companies who are interested in participating in the internship programme and contributing to upskilling youth in the PV industry are asked to contact Dennis Wiredu-Asare at ghana@solar-training.org .
Justin Tyers • 24 September 2021
Kart Racing – it’s Electrifying!
In towns and cities around Romania, race organisers RadioKart are closing the streets to host an exciting series of Electric Kart racing events – in which the street racers are children as young as eight. These children will never own combustion-engined vehicles in their lifetime – even as the event unfolds they usher-in the new era of silent power. The electric racing cart racing is divided into four classes: NanoWatt for 6/8 year olds are equipped with a 2.4 kW motor and have a 52V 28Ah Battery on board MicroWatt – 8/10 years have a 3.75 kW motor and a 52V 28Ah Battery MiniWatt – 10/12 years have a 4.25 kW motor with a 52V 28Ah Battery and at the top of the range the SuperMiniWatt for 9/13 year olds has a 7.5 kW motor and a 52V 40Ah Battery The carts fly along at speeds of up to 65kmh a few centimetres from the ground. The power output, and speed of Karts driven by the youngest racing drivers are de-rated using a bluetooth-control interface in the interests of safety. The on board 52V Lithium batteries are ideal for the task – compact, light and having a lot of power packed into a small space. Back in the refuelling pit, power was once again provided by the prototype solar-equipped silent-energy EV Mobile Recharge Station built by Romania’s Darcom Energy. Five or Six years ago – when the organiser began their electric cart racing events – recharge power was supplied either from the grid or from generators, neither of which proved entirely satisfactory. The organisers asked us if we could provide a green alternative and the Victron Powered Mobile Recharge Station is our- and Darcom’s response to that request: Neat fold-down. Soaking up the sun’s energy Harvest, Storage, Supply The energy harvested by the unit’s twelve solar panels is controlled by two SmartSolar MPPT 250/60 solar charge controllers for storage in eight Lithium 25.6V Smart batteries balanced by a Lynx Smart BMS . Three-Phase recharging is available from 3 x Quattro 10000 Inverter/Chargers. A Cerbo GX harmonises the system – the status of which can be read at a glance via a GX Touch 50. A wireless GX GSM uploads the system data to the Victron Remote Management (VRM) platform where ever the mobile unit has been deployed. The data uploaded to VRM shows that the mobile recharge station provided 41kW to the racers during the weekend event – 30kW of which was replaced in real time from the array of 12 tiltable solar panels which together offer 4.5kWp. The events also present opportunities for leading car manufacturers to promote their latest electric models. The AC output is more than taken care of from three 48/10kVA Quattros – which provide a three phase supply for the prototype EV charger and is rated at 400VAC/32A outlet. This is the maximum standard EV power provision in the European Union. 22.1kW of power could provide a range of 100km from a recharge time of around 50 mins. The RadioKart events culminate in a classically colourful trophy/podium photo-call in which everyone is a winner – no champagne of course but is that a lemonade fountain we see? Our filmmaker Jono attended one of the events to film all the action – Let’s take a look!
Justin Tyers • 03 August 2021
OLYMPIC BRONZE for Dutch Sailors!
Dutch sailors Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz have notched up a fantastic victory for the Nederlands by achieving a Bronze medal in the 2020 Olympic Games 49erFX sailing event! This result builds on their earlier successes as double World Champions, and European Champions. The Duo competed in the Rio 2016 Olympics where they finished in 7th position – so they will both be absolutely thrilled to have nailed this win! For the sailors, this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo was all about the weather – it’s the only Olympic discipline which is at the mercy of nature. Enoshima Yacht Harbour – the venue for the twenty-one competitors in 49erFX boats who took part in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – witnessed strong winds and lively seas in the early stages of the competition – conditions beloved of Bekkering and Duetz who doggedly plugged their way up the leader board. © Sailing Energy / World Sailing On this the greatest of all contests, nerves were showing among the usual top performers in the early stages of the competition. On a gusty morning a capsize by the New Zealand team, and a jam on board the Brazilian boat when they made a gybe they didn’t really need to make, cost them dearly as they dropped from second to fifteenth place. For the Dutch team a series of excellent starts helped them to some great results. The exception to their winning streak came on one beat which proved an unlucky choice and delivered a poor finish in twelth position. But it was the consistently strong performances of the Dutch duo – finishing 75% of their races in the top six (including two 1sts) – which helped them rise, like a bubble, to the top. In 17 knots of breeze, competing with the best of the best, and bouncing over a lively sea, Annette says that the key to success is not to drive the boat at 100% and risk a capsize, but to ease back on the throttle, maintain control and keep calm. It’s stressful, but it’s what they’re best at. © Sailing Energy / World Sailing The wind fell light during the the last few days of their competition having the effect of evening-out the score card so that fewer points separated the sailors – yet still our champions of strong winds and lively seas found their way past the pack. With such differing conditions of wind and waves each team had the opportunity to show what they do best in their ideal weather. Great Britain, Spain, and Germany had all achieved greatness on ideal days, putting themselves within reach of a gold medal in the final. By the penultimate race – with only the medal race left to decide the winners, Bekkering and Duetz had displaced all competitors, one by one, to emerge on top – tying first with Brazil ….the winners of their ‘home’ Olympic Games five years ago in Rio 2016. The wind was so light on the scheduled medal race day that the event had to be postponed. It finally took place this morning in just 7 knots of wind. World Sailing has previously said that winds of at least six knots would be necessary to ensure fair competition. Bekkering and Duetz fought hard to find the best strategy and tactic for this final battle but with slow moving boats all around them at the crucial moments they weren’t able to seize an advantage. Sailing performance in light airs becomes much more unpredictable, luck plays a part, your wind can be ‘stolen’ by upwind competitors – and it can take a long time to recover from mistakes. © Sailing Energy / World Sailing In the final medal race it was Argentina who devised the best plan and came out on top, breaking away to steal an early lead and keep it. Never mind – the hard work and professional performances of Bekkering and Duetz over the 12 previous races of the competition carried them to success and delivered the result that mattered! The Gold medal was won by Brazil’s Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze; and the Silver medal was won by Germany’s Tina Lutz and Susann Beucke . Congratulations to all competitors whose training over the last five years provided such an exciting contest – closely fought, it kept everyone guessing right to the end! Victron Energy sponsor Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz and we’d like to congratulate all the team behind the Dutch national 49erFX competitors. We couldn’t be more proud of their performance.
Justin Tyers • 01 June 2021
Predator Fishing – Catching Sweden’s big Pike
Pike can grow to 25kg – and they fight like crazy! – so you need your wits about you if you’re going to bring one to the net. So says Swedish national Mattias Åström – who is a competition-winning freshwater fisherman. Last time the sport was holding competition meetings he and his team bagged several First and Second places. In the 2019 Big Pike Open held on Sweden’s largest lake Vänern (a lake so large it hosts 22,000 islands and skerries) Mattias and his team took second place. All the more impressive when you consider that some of the region’s best fishermen were there …and it’s not down to catching one ‘lucky’ fish – Oh no. The winner of the two day event is the fisherman whose five biggest fish have the longest total measurement, when you add them all together. Mattias’ top five fish totalled 5.23 metres in length. His fishing boat is a Crestliner 1750WT Raptor. An American-made multi-species boat. A real fishing machine, he says, which can be used to catch all kinds of fish. It’s equipped with a 150Hp Suzuki engine and runs like a dream on the water. It’s also equipped with a talon (A shallow water anchor), and a Garmin Force electric trolling motor mounted on the bow. I use a number of fish-finders because I want to have full control when I’m out there on the water. I mostly use it to locate baitfish and structures, because predators follows the baitfish, and the baitfish gather around structures. ‘Structures’ are weed beds, rocks, fallen trees – or any object-of-interest which stands out from the surroundings. Mattias says he really appreciates the worry free power supply from Lithium batteries which get charged every time he starts the engine. His boat’s energy system includes: Blue Smart IP65 Charger : One for 12V, and one for 24V 100Ah 12V Lithium SuperPack 50Ah 24V Lithium SuperPack BMV-712 Battery Monitor SmartShunt Orion-Tr Smart 12|12 DC-DC charger isolated Orion-Tr Smart 12|24 DC-DC charger isolated In another competition – the Gäddfajten 2019 which i s an open Pike fishing competition in its initial stages, but with a final fight-out between the top six qualifying anglers – Mattias’ top five fish totalled 5.8 metres. The biggest single fish came in at just under 1.3m and weighed over 13.6 kg In preparing for competitions time spent on the water is the key to success, he says. Fishing is about learning by doing, and so I put lots of time into my preparation – analysing everything I see around me. Everything from water temperature, wind direction, weather conditions, geographical features – if you’re well prepared and you’ve done your homework properly, you will catch more fish, it’s as simple as that. I’m very serious when it comes to fishing, a bit nerdy you could say! I wondered if Mattias had any other hobbies: Yes, he said, I’m a singer in a band called M.W. Me and my friend Adam have recently released our first single on Spotify. It’s called Feels . We’ve entered a music competition with that song – so we’ll see how that turns out? But it’s going well: Mattias and Adam Warnskog are the band MW If you have a Spotify account you can listen to MW Feels here. You can follow Mattias on his social media channels: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tittfint/?hl=sv Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000787155036 I didn’t ask Mattias whether he prefers singing or fishing because – well, I guess you can do both of them at same time.
Justin Tyers • 01 April 2021
Dutch Sailors find treasure in the Canary Islands
With just four months to go before the Olympic Games in Tokyo the Dutch 49erFX racing teams have been taking part in the first major race of the season – the Lanzarote Winter Series 2021. The racing took place on a restless ocean: Offshore islands typically experience reliable daily winds of Force 4-6 producing lively waves overlaid on a pronounced ocean swell arriving from a completely different direction. When the trade wind blows contrary to the current – as happened on the second to last day of the competition – things can get really bouncy. Skipper Annemiek Bekkering describes the waves that day as being like those you get in water-park wave-pool. That was the ocean arena in which forty-six FX class boats battled it out with the fierce competition you expect amongst the world’s top athletes. Fighting tooth-and-nail for every place in these conditions produced some spectacular capsizes – either from pressing just a bit too hard on the accelerator, or being surprised by an eruption of water engulfing the bow in the confused seas. There was plenty of drama on the water! Former double World Number One duo Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz nailed yet another career polishing result taking Silver in this exciting event. Practising on location since the end of January – the boat and sails with which they produced this result will go with them to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. With so many faultless performances making up the scoreline at the Lanzarote event, one’s eye is naturally drawn to the races which went badly wrong! Let’s find out what happened: Annemiek says: “When a race is slipping away from you it’s not always easy to put your finger on what’s going wrong but it can usually be remedied by calling Reset !! mid-race and taking fifteen seconds to clear our minds – even if we let a boat past – then make a plan and click back into the action. “Frustratingly that didn’t work for us on day four when we failed to produce a good result in any of the heats. It might have been lack of strategy or lack of confidence; poor communication or allowing ourselves to be too easily distracted – or all of those things together. I remember we tacked round the top mark and lost five places at once. “But you have to let go of the frustration, bring yourself back to basics and let the training take control. After sliding down the table on day four we were really happy to finish the competition with Silver!” Fierce competition Brazilian sailors Grael and Kunze took first place; Bekkering and Duetz took Silver for Nederland; and the host nation’s Echegoyen and Barceló romped into third place for Spain. Also competing for Nederland were: WILLEMIJN OFFERMAN and ELISE DE RUIJTER who only just missed out on taking part in the medal race; ODILE VAN AANHOLT and EMMA SIEWERS; SVEA KARSENBARG and CECILE JANMAAT; together with fellow compatriots FLORINE BRAMERVAER and IBEN NIELSBY CHRISTENSEN. Back in the groove Some really great racing was enjoyed by all at this kick off event for 2021. Next up – the World Cup Series of events is slightly in the air due to health restrictions – but the Dutch fleet should be back in action in May. Bring it on! Victron Energy is very proud to sponsor the Dutch 49erFX team and we look forward to more action in this exciting Olympic year.
Justin Tyers • 09 March 2021
3000 miles with a stranger
Pippa,Paula, Felicity, and Jo are four determined women. They’re planning to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic in a 29 foot boat – a small space for a crew when you consider the intriguing fact that they have never previously met together! You’ll notice that this photo of them ‘together’ is actually a montage. The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2021 In December this year, these four working mums will be taking on ‘The World’s Toughest Row’ – 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. They will put their bodies, minds and souls to the ultimate test by taking on one of the world’s greatest physical and mental challenges. Setting off on 12 December 2021, the journey will take them from La Gomera, Canary Islands to Nelson’s Dockyard, Antigua. Felicity and family Team Member, Felicity Ashley says: “We are doing this to inspire other women and children to dream big and challenge themselves to achieve their goals, whatever they may be. We want to show that you can achieve anything with the right mindset and that gender shouldn’t be a barrier.” Pippa Edwards, sister to Felicity and whose husband completed the row in 2019 in the same boat, claims : “This is a test that will push our team to the very extremes of what humans can accomplish. More people have been to space than completed the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. We’ll be rowing for 2 hours followed by 2 hours resting, day and night, for 40+ consecutive days at sea.” Pippa and family Jo Blackshaw, who rowed for Great Britain in a pair in the Junior World Championships in 1991 and in the Oxford Blue Boat in the Women’s Boat Race 1992, says she is doing it to be: “… part of an ultimate team with a common goal trying to do something which is truly, truly testing.” Paula Reid’s mission is: “to inspire and challenge others to ‘pick up their oars and row across their proverbial ocean’.” Paula is no stranger to adventure expeditions as she has already skied full distance to the South Pole, yacht-raced around the world, paddled the Mekong, and cycled across 12 countries. Paula is an ‘Adventure Psychologist’ and inspires a performance mindset in adventurers and non-adventurers alike. She describes Adventure Psychology as ‘going knowingly into the unknown’, helping people to survive, cope and thrive enduringly through change, challenge and uncertainty. “I have already worked with 100s of CEOs and adventurers and now plan to use this challenge as a study in team performance psychology.” Paula Reid to the Pole Charity The team are doing this challenge to raise money for two incredible charities who provide so much vital support to families when they need it most. The Felix Fund helps bomb disposal personnel and their families who have suffered as a result of the work they do – supporting with welfare initiatives and financial support. Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice helps seriously unwell children and their families make the most of the special time they have together through clinical, practical and emotional support. The team plans to raise £20,000 – you can help them hit their target here . You can keep in touch with their preparations on their Facebook page. We are all sacrificing different elements of our lives in order to commit to this Row across the Atlantic, says Paula – not just the two months of rowing but also the ten months of training and prep. As four working mums we have a lot going on! So we are negotiating with our husbands and children, our work teams and ourselves, to balance our time effectively and appropriately. We want to be ready, fit and prepared and have to currently manage everything from home or virtually. We haven’t even physically met yet as a team of four but imagine that sharing a bucket in a small space will prove to be an icebreaker. Hope They’re hoping that the ‘worst bits’ – the danger of capsize, boredom, sleep deprivation, fear of Marlin strikes, tropical storms, ‘claw hands’, blisters, heat stroke, sore bums, aching muscles and having to get on the oars every two hours, 24-hours-a-day for 40 or 50 days – will be more than off-set by the camaraderie, being on the ocean, sunrises and sunsets, dolphins, flying fish, stars and singing, laughing and loving the blue. Faith Victron Energy is proud to sponsor the group – who have called their expedition The Mothership. We know how important it is to have reliable electronics tough enough to withstand the rigours of salt water and the tossing sea. Solar energy from their panels will be harvested by three SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 for storage in two LiFePO4 12.8 100Ah Smart lithium batteries. These energy dense batteries are the perfect solution in small spaces, and the weight saving compared to lead/acid is an advantage which really makes itself felt when you have to row it 3,000 miles. Both batteries will be charge protected by two smallBMS units. A SmartShunt will monitor their battery input/output, providing a wealth of data straight to the screen of a mobile phone. Providing peace-of-mind a BatteryProtect monitors system voltage and automatically disconnects non-critical loads before the battery becomes too depleted. Their navigation equipment: Plotter, VHF radio, AIS, instruments, lighting all depend on a reliable power source – but probably the most important piece of electronic equipment is the Watermaker. Paula says, “It’s great that we have Victron on our team – psychologically it makes us feel supported and well looked after, and physically it’s providing us with much needed energy! Having a reliable and respected brand like Victron onboard gives us confidence in being self sufficient at sea, power management is such an integral part of the challenge. This is where it starts. Project Manager Alex Alley assesses what work has to be done. We look forward to keeping in touch with The Mothership as they prepare for their Atlantic challenge, and to keeping in touch with their progress on their journey from December 12th.
Justin Tyers • 25 February 2021
The sea’s most savage challenge
Sailing alone for 30,000 miles is a life changing experience, it seems. Back in 1968 when the first solo round the world race took place the competitors became celebrities: Robin Knox-Johnston (now, Sir Robin) – because he won; Donald Crowhurst – because he never came home; and Bernard Moitessier – who decided to abandon the race, preferring to stay at sea, and go round again. The race produced other remarkable stories: of nine competitors, Knox-Johnston was the only skipper to complete the circumnavigation. Robin Knox-Johnston arrives home 1969 PHOTO CREDIT: Bill Rowntree/PPL An endurance race like no other, the Golden Globe is now held every four years. Recognising that reliable electronics are critical at sea, Victron Energy is proud to sponsor Ian Herbert-Jones and his 35ft Tradewind Puffin who will compete in next year’s race by providing the electrical equipment to harness, store and switch the boat’s power supply – maritime systems expert Chris Dobson of UK Marine Electronics is very generously providing his time and considerable expertise to complete the installation free of charge. Having a 9 ton displacement and carrying 725 ft² of sail Tradewind 35’s are cruising boats built for the ocean. Puffin herself is a veteran of the 2018 race. Remaining true to its roots today’s Golden Globe races are still ‘unsupported’. Entrants take no satellite navigation technology. No radio assistance is allowed from shore crew; there’s no virtual mapping, no downloading of weather charts, and no technical support. It’s just you, some paper charts, a sextant, a sound ship, and a star to steer her by. Competitors will be encouraged to film their voyage, and they will get three opportunities on their circumnavigation for a ‘Film Drop’ – which is literally a chance to drop-off digitised film recordings onto local boats which will rush out to meet them as they race past the Canary Islands, Cape of Good Hope, and Storm Bay, Tasmania. That way we landlubbers won’t have to wait until it’s all over to get a taste of the action! It’s also a chance for competitors to send video messages to loved ones back home. On his trip Ian Herbert-Jones can at least be confident that Puffin has a very solid 12v electrical supply. UK Marine Electronics are not strangers to the rigours of the sea and have chosen to install the solar chargers automatic battery protection / switching / monitors / emergency combiners / shunts in see-through waterproof casing with water-tight glands, so that if (or when) Puffin takes a wave over the stern, her electrical system will continue to function flawlessly in spite of the mis-hap. The race’s maximum of 35 boats will depart France in September 2022. Before that Ian must complete a number of qualifying sea trials from his base in Hafan Pwllheli Marina in North Wales to ensure that he, his boat, and its equipment are ready for the sea’s greatest challenge. Schematic plan of the Puffin’s robust electrical installation Let’s meet the skipper and look at the steps he is taking to ensure that his ship-electronics play their part in helping him secure his dream of becoming the winner of the Golden Globe. If you would like to follow Ian, or you believe you can help with project sponsorship you can reach him at his website . The headline image is the work of Natalia_Kollegova
Justin Tyers • 12 January 2021
Blue sky, Blue sea, Blue power
Brazilian couple Sandro and Bela gave up lucrative careers as a lawyer, and a flight attendant, to sail the world. Some life changing events had already produced a lot of soul searching for the pair of them by the time they met in Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro, where Sandro was living on a yacht. That meeting must have been fate as it wasn’t the first time they had met in their lives – years earlier Sandro had been an engineering student of Bela’s father. Originally their new plan was to take an 18 month sabbatical, flying to thirty-five countries in six continents – yet when they returned from that trip their thirst for adventure had, if anything, grown rather than being slaked. Isla Piana. Corsica They bought the boat on which they now live – called Amazonia – in Spain. A 43 feet Jeanneau Sun Odyssey with a Deck Saloon, built in 2002. It was very well maintained, the boat had almost everything they needed. Electricity storage and generation would, however, have to be renewed to make her suitable for long distance journeys. Until then Amazonia had ended most days plugged into shore power at her home marina. For navigation she was already equipped with radar, AIS, VHF radio, EPIRB; she had three additional sails; a 75 hp engine …and there were some home comforts such as television, diesel heater and other domestic appliances. On the downside, the vessel was equipped only with a 500W inverter; 300Ah service batteries, plus a 100Ah starter battery – and a battery charger that didn’t work properly. Over the coming months Sandro plans to completely upgrade the power system, and has begun by installing two 330W solar panels suitable for his 24V system. They have a SmartSolar MPPT 100/50 solar charge controller – which they like especially because it allows Bluetooth connection to a smart phone from which they can control Amazonia’s electrical system using the Victron Energy app VictronConnect . The boat’s energy harvest/storage/usage can be interrogated in real time, and a thorough system performance overview can be made by examining the detailed analysis for the previous 30 days – together with a lifetime record of greatest/least battery conditions. VictronConnect also provides access to the extensive range of user programmable settings so that the system can be personalised to the vessel’s equipment, and user preferences. Chica browses the internet The latest additions to a schedule of improvement to Amazonia’s power generation and storage capabilities include: Victron BMV-712 Smart which is a fully featured battery monitor showing, among many other things: battery voltage, consumption (real time and historic), state of charge, and it provides condition alarms – such as warnings when the battery voltage falls below a critical level – alarms can also be programmed to trigger a relay. An easy-to-install Smart Battery Sense monitors the vessel’s battery Temperature and Voltage directly from the battery stubs. This data is sent to the SmartSolar charge controller which uses it to optimise battery charging. A Smart BatteryProtect 12/24 -100 automatically disconnects the battery from loads when there is a danger that the battery will be damaged by continued depletion. Amazonia schematic Completing the system enhancements for now, Sandro and Bela have installed an Orion-Tr DC-DC charger – a fully programmable smart charger which will get the very best performance out of their alternator. The Orion DC-DC charger can be used with any battery technology including Lithium. Sandro intends to swap his lead acid storage for Lithium in the near future …at the same time he plans to upgrade Amazonia’s Inverter/Charger. We look forward to hearing how he gets on. In the meantime in this video Sandro talks us through his latest installation; he explains where he found answers to his questions; and shows us how he uses VictronConnect to interrogate, monitor and control his system: Winter home After sailing more than two thousand miles last summer, from Valencia to Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorca, Menorca, Sardinia and Corsica, all aboard the Amazonia are overwintering in Rome, close to some compatriot Brazilian liveaboards whom they met along the way. Speaking of their new life Sandro says: We have made great friends and have experienced enormous kindness – some have helped us materially without asking for anything in return. We’ve also learned to live more simply and developed more tools to make new friends. Making new friends is one of the highlights of travelling under sail. Marcelo and Natácia changed their own voyaging plans to help Sandro and Bela fix an engine problem. Their worst experience so far was when arriving in Ibiza they learned that their engine had an injection pump fault causing a hot engine to cut out when the speed was reduced to idling. They discovered this when they steered the Amazonia into an anchorage, just as she was passing other moored vessels the engine cut out – leaving their vessel out of control. They quickly deployed the anchor which stopped the vessel and saved them from a collision. Asking for advice on social media – their prayers were answered when some friends aboard a boat on the neighbouring island of Menorca sailed across the sea to offer help. Unable to resolve the problem their friends shadowed them for the rest of the voyage to offer help if needed – a decision which touched their hearts deeply: Knowing that there would be people caring about us and willing to help and reassure us was really an incredible message. Sometimes in life, the worst also can bring the best. or as we say in Brazil “the sweetness of lemonade overcomes the bitterness of the lemon ”. Isabela New horizons Their plans this year are to visit the west coast of Italy, sailing from Rome to Licata, in the south of Sicily. To visit Malta, and Greece – then after one more year in Mediterranean they will sail to the Caribbean, and later across the Pacific ocean. Menorca to Sardinia You can find out more about the Victron Energy products designed to help you maximise your enjoyment whilst out on the water by looking at our Marine pages. You can follow Sandro, Bela, and their voyaging canines on social media by searching for: Viver por Ar e Mar; or you can find them on their YouTube channel.
Justin Tyers • 15 December 2020
Dutch Sailors riding high
Vilamoura in Portugal witnessed the latest thrills and spills for the Dutch 49erFX national sailing squad. In a lively sea and with winds gusting to 20 knots only a handful of boats were lucky enough to stay upright throughout the whole competition. Take for example the case of double world champion Dutch sailors Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz – on day two, sailing fast downwind the bow of their boat buried itself into the waves filling the kite (the big sail known elsewhere as a spinnaker/gennaker) with water. Twenty-five square metres of sail cloth can scoop up quite a lot of seawater – putting tremendous strain on the 5mm rope by which the sail is hoisted. Although these ropes have a breaking strain of over two tons, the braid on Annemiek’s boat ruptured under load – damage which only made itself known when the sailors tried to lower the sail! With the rope jammed in a block (pulley), more chaos ensued. That was the end of that race, of course; and repairs to the damage meant they couldn’t participate in the next two races either. A further capsize, and they had to scratch four heats out of a twelve-heat meeting – deeply frustrating for the sailors who otherwise produced two firsts, and four seconds in conditions they love. Without the accidents a different story would have been told – but such is the nature of the sport. In spite of everything Dutch team mates Odile VAN AANHOLT and Emma SIEWERS surged into seventh place in the twenty boat competition, just ahead of embattled Annemiek and Annette – who still managed to secure 8th position in spite of being eliminated from a third of the meeting’s events. Annemiek says she found the competition in Vilamoura really useful – a safe place to try new things, compare themselves with other top athletes, and of course keep an eye on the competition. The event was won by Spain, with Denmark and Argentina finishing second and third. Looking to the future, new sailors have been introduced to the Dutch team – we look forward to watching Svea Karsenbarg, Emma Siewers and Florine Bramevaer. More training awaits in Lanzarote in February, then it’s straight into the new season’s events in Majorca – all culminating in the five-year anticipated Tokyo Olympics. Victron energy is proud to sponsor the Dutch 49erFX Sailing team. Watch this space for more Olympic-Qualifying, World-Class news!
Justin Tyers • 06 October 2020
49erFX – sailing the fickle wind
They say you need a certain amount of luck when you race yachts on a lake. The wind may arrive suddenly, or change direction, or not come at all. Some of the European Championship racing – which concluded last weekend at Lake Attersee in Austria – had to be abandoned because there was not enough wind for the boats to finish the course. At other times parcels of katabatic wind tumbled from the mountain tops like boulders, to arrive from an unexpected direction and deliver their knock-out blow. The event was won by German pair Lutz and Beuke making them European Champions this year – Norway took second, and Sweden third. We at Victron Energy always like to follow our sponsored Dutch teams – how did they do? Well, we may be biased but in many ways the most remarkable performance came from the Dutch sailors. Why? Because when in the early days of a six day competition you are trailing in the bottom half of a forty boat line up, what normally happens is that you give up. But that’s not true of our fighters. Double-World Champions Bekkering and Duetz made a quite extraordinary come back, after a horrible start to the competition, to finish a few points off the podium in fourth place. (Ahead of – we can’t help observing – the current World Champions, Echegoyen and Barceló of Spain.) Dutch teams Offerman and Ruyter , and also Karsenbarg and Janmaat both achieved ‘First’ and ‘Third’ places in some of the eleven heats which made up a highly volatile competition. Even Bramervaer and Siewers who will be disappointed with their result can take heart that they finished half their races in the top ten. Amongst their results Bekkering and Duetz achieved a ‘First’, three ‘Seconds’, and a ‘Third’ – but in conditions of light airs which don’t play to their advantages these performance were dragged down by finding themselves in Eighteenth, Seventeenth and two Twelths – positions to which they are unaccustomed. Congratulations to all Dutch teams for keeping their heads down and fighting even when the odds seemed long.
Justin Tyers • 25 September 2020
3 months alone at sea – Row Lia Row!
Briton Lia Ditton has set a new women’s world record for rowing solo from San Francisco to Hawaii. The 40-year-old made landfall on the island of Oahu after an 86 day ordeal breaking the previous record of 100 days. Describing the voyage as “the greatest psychological challenge of my life”, Lia logged 2700 nautical miles overcoming a series of mental and physical challenges including illness, two capsizes, a shortage of food, and persistent adverse currents and winds. Despite the hardships there were also moments of joy, wonder and encounters with nature – spectacular rainbows, night skies, sunsets and sunrises. Sharks, flying fish, yellowfin tuna, seabirds and squid all came close, even into, her boat at times. At Sea For days on end Lia fought adverse wind, and waves the size of buildings which all defeated her progress as she clawed her way west, making up the miles lost while drifting at night. Tragedy Some devastating news during the early days of the voyage added another highly emotional factor to the challenge. A message from her shore team on June 22nd informed her that fellow rower Angela Madsen had died during her attempt on the same route after 57 days. With this grim warning hanging over her a rogue wave capsized her 21-foot boat on day 19 – plunging her headfirst into the dark water. Instinct kicking in, Lia realised the boat was struggling to right itself, so she climbed onto the upturned hull to help the boat roll back over. Rescue declined Speaking to a passing warship in the immediate aftermath of the incident, it is a testament to her extraordinary persistence that, refusing rescue, she chose to continue with her challenge. Four weeks later, Lia suffered her second capsize whilst very far from potential rescue. Thankfully, the boat righted itself on this occasion, though her fragile confidence was shaken – as well as a soaking for all clothing, bedding and equipment. Lia’s blog detailed the incident: There is an almighty crash and my body is thrown against the wall. I rip my eye mask off and scrambleto get up but am met by a torrent of water pouring in through the hatch. ‘Get out! Get out!’ the voice in my head screams. The boat is upside down, the roof in the water. Then the boat tumbles right side up again. She self-rights. Lia demonstrated the practical skills that have driven her career as an ocean rower and professional sailor. To prevent another capsize, she added water ballast, flooding the cockpit bilge and sea anchor locker, but creating a heavier boat, or … rowing the Pacific across the Pacific , as Lia commented in her blog. Food shortage With only 75 days’ worth of food, plus some extras, she had to stretch her supplies to last at least 90 days. Lia also made the decision in the final weeks to continue to Oahu, instead of Hilo, on the big island and the first harbour when approaching from the east. She already knew the harbour having sailed there in 2007, stationed at Waikiki Beach as Safety Officer whilst awaiting the arrival of the rowers in the Great Pacific Race in 2016. Safe at last As the miles ticked down, Lia’s final days at sea were finally aided by favourable conditions as she logged impressive daily distances, encouraged by her land-based team – who helped throughout the row providing weather routing, medical support and safety, as well as keeping friends and supporters updated on her progress. Health Check What next? All this adventure is building toward Lia’s greater aim – to row 5,500 miles from Japan to San Francisco in spring 2022, bidding to succeed where 19 other attempts have failed. Her mission to become the first solo rower to cross the North Pacific relies on the generosity of her supporters through her crowdfunding campaign. Anyone who would like to contribute can visit her funding page . The RowLiaRow ‘Family of Believers’ are entitled to exclusive blog content and updates. In this video – in which we find Lia undertaking a passage off the coast of Oregan, for ‘training’ purposes – we get a taste of life aboard Lia’s rowing boat at sea. The film was edited by Danielle Sellwood – whom we would also like to thank for telling us Lia’s story: Victron Energy is proud to have played a small part in Lia’s epic journey. We have complete admiration for Lia’s drive, and her determination to push back the boundaries. Lithium Batteries, MPPT solar chargers, and a Battery Monitor helped keep her brave craft ‘powered-up’. Dawn arrival Photo Credits: Headline image – Wes Young At Sea – Dylan Reeves Health Check – Pasha Hawaii Dawn arrival – John Climaldi
Justin Tyers • 22 September 2020
Off-grid Reggae studio
The Swiss musician singer/songwriter Dodo has been working remotely – 2500m above sea level in the Grimsel Pass, in the Swiss Alps. His solar powered mobile studio allows him and co-producer Marco ‘Big J’ Jeger to work on the new album whilst enjoying some pretty spectacular scenery. His location, and onward journey, is the COVID-19 alternative to his original plan for this year which was to load his studio onto a boat bound for South Africa, playing gigs at Maritime ports along the way. Dodo and Big J outside the Ministry of Good Vibes on location in the Grimsel Pass Undaunted, his new plan is to drive his studio through the spectacular scenery of the Alps – following the course of the river Rhine and recording music along the way – until he arrives in Basel …to await a lifting of restrictions. Mixing Desk – with keyboard under Dodo’s mobile studio has a power hungry set up of mixers, amps and monitors including Arrow, Apollo X8P and Audio UAD-2 Satellite from Universal Audio. Behringer Mixing and Distribution Amp. Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol and Behringer Fatar Keyboards; Genelec speakers and monitors; Phantek cooling; Apple TV, Mac, and a 49″ hi-res curved monitor from Samsung – plus state of the art lighting. Oh, and air-conditioning. This power requirement is met by 21 roof mounted 300W solar panels offering 6.3kWp. An EasySolar 48/5000/70-100 is the tidy solution to on-board wiring as it combines an MPPT 150/100 solar charger; a 4kW Inverter/Charger; and a CCGX communication hub. The EasySolar has five A/C outlets – one of which shuts down power to non-critical loads in case of generator/grid failure. The CCGX monitors the 9kWh batteries, prioritising battery charging from the PV solar panels. That arrangement is working well – although the system has a back-up generator it has only been used on two occasions. The CCGX makes all system data available via its display as well as providing remote access and control over the internet using the Victron’s Remote Management Portal VRM . In spite of the fact that – pre COVID-19 – the plan was to take his music to Africa, Dodo seems to be making the most of his mobile studio ‘at home’. His latest single Türe gaht uf is a calypso/reggae reflection on the fact that, in life, as one door closes another opens. His new album comes out next spring. Next stop for his studio – which he has christened the Ministry of Good Vibes – is the Furka Pass. The studio is travelling by road, but Dodo knows a short-cut and will attempt to beat the trailer-mounted studio on foot. German speakers can follow his progress on his Vlog . Victron Energy have provided the power supply for Dodo’s off-grid recording studio. We wish him all the best and hope he will fly high.
Justin Tyers • 15 September 2020
Dutch sailing team make a splash!!
Double World Champions Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz, together with three other Dutch teams, have been back in action for a windy week at Kiel, Germany. Fifty-one teams, shaking off the rust after lockdown, fought for a medal in wind and sea conditions which must surely be at the limit of what is possible in boats which weigh just 120kg – yet carry a monstrous 45m² of sail area! Bekkering and Duetz provided us with the thrilling performances we have come to expect. Saturday was undoubtedly the windiest day – and it didn’t begin well! Beating fast upwind the pair found themselves compelled to give way to another competitor fulfilling their obligation by tacking their boat through the wind – Alas, straight into the path of another competitor! Tacking immediately again there was a missed communication between skipper and crew which resulted in being overpowered by the wind and a capsize! Upwind capsizes don’t frequently happen to professional sailors but the bath they took proved just what was needed to wake them up. Steering clear of a messy pack after the starting gun in the next race they found they had sixteen boats ahead of them and set determinedly about their task of climbing through the fleet – dismissing their competitors one by one. By the second turn they had fought their way to a more familiar place in the field, rounding the second mark (Annette dousing the spinnaker in a beautifully controlled manner as though the sea was flat calm) they found themselves in 4th position – a slot they retained throughout the final two legs of the race. Another thrilling performance came in the third and final race of that day. By this time the wind had reached 20 knots over such a lumpy sea that the start was delayed when one of the official start boats dragged his anchor and had to re-set it. Kieler Woche-Berichterstattung Bilder sind honorarfreie. Weitere Informationen unter www.kieler-woche.de. Pressekontakt: Hermann Hell Tel. 0049 (0)431 – 24 01 524 Mobil 0049 – (0)172 – 260 9350 hermann.hell@svg-verlag.de Tensions high – the race began nervously with all vessels being short of the line at the gun. Once underway Bekkering and Duetz had failed to come away in the top ten, but now sailing at their very best they made the most of every gust and fluke in the wind (for which Kiel sailing is famous) to claw their way up the pack. By the first turn they were in fifth place …at the second mark they were in third place and on the final downwind sprint toward the finish line they were snapping angrily at the heels of the Spanish boat ahead of them in second place. In order to cross the finish line, between the marks, vessels have to perform one of the most dangerous manoeuvres in sailing – a ‘Gybe’. This is when a boat has the wind behind but slightly to their left hand side (let’s say) and has to steer a new course so that the wind will be behind but slightly to the right. During this turn all three sails must be taken inboard and immediately set on the other side. The full power of the wind (which wants to blow the boat over) will change suddenly from left to right – requiring perfect control to stay upright. I mention all this because Bekkering and Duetz had already performed their manoeuvre when they were chasing the Spanish boat hard. The Spanish boat chose to perform their manoeuvre just metres from the finish line but cracked under pressure from the Dutch boat. In a dramatic turn of events, sailing at twenty knots, the Spanish vessel capsized so close to the line that they bounced over it upside down – but not before Bekkering and Duetz had shot ahead of them to claim a very well deserved 2nd place! On the fourth and final day Bekkering and Duetz were back on form – quickly establishing themselves among the leading five, and staying there. Their consistency during those last two heats (finishing fourth, then third) helped them to a very respectable fifth place in the competition overall. In fact they finished with the same number of competition points as Denmark (4th overall) and Great Britain (3rd overall) – but with other performance factors during the competition taken into consideration they were awarded fifth place. Just one more point would have gained them a place on the podium. They will, however, be relieved to have cleaned off their ‘lockdown’ rust and to have returned to top-flight standard. The competition winners were Germany who having put in a very consistent performance during the event will be delighted with a win on home waters. Second place went to the USA – exceptional sailing from the Americans lifted them onto a previously unfamiliar position – the podium. Third place was won by the British boat – Dobson and Tidey being well known names at international events. In summary we look back on a thrilling event where capsized boats turned the races into an obstacle course on occasion – some boats going inverted even before the start! Such is the choppy water of Kieler Fjörd where, undaunted by Covid 19, the annual event was held for the 139th time! Kieler Woche-Berichterstattung Bilder sind honorarfreie. Weitere Informationen unter www.kieler-woche.de. Pressekontakt: Hermann Hell Tel. 0049 (0)431 – 24 01 524 Mobil 0049 – (0)172 – 260 9350 hermann.hell@svg-verlag.de At the end of the month the Dutch team will be in Austria competing in the European Championship. We will bring you all the news. Victron Energy is proud to sponsor the Dutch 49erFX racing team who never fail to provide professionalism and action when it counts. Thanks to Sailing Energy who own the copyright to the first two images in this story, and to Sasha Klahn who owns the copyright to the last. ( Other credits appear below the image to which they relate.)
Justin Tyers • 05 August 2020
Rowing the Atlantic Ocean
This month two rowers from Finland hope to take delivery of their offshore-rowing boat and begin some serious training. Rowing 24 hours a day in two-hour shifts, Markus Mustelin and Jolle Blässar hope to cross the Atlantic in forty or fifty days, covering 3000 miles, and raising €100,000 to protect the Baltic Sea in the process. Expedition commences 2021 Their expedition begins late in 2021, and is an annual event organised and sponsored by Talisker Whiskey . Both Markus and Jolle have plenty of ocean experience – both have circumnavigated the globe (Markus three-times). So they know the hazards they face when they set off from the Canary Isles to battle the waves. Fifteen years ago they took part in an endurance rowing race with traditional single lake wooden boats just for fun – sparking their interest in rowing, and their annual participation in the event known as Sulkavan Suursoudut. This is a famous event in Finland which has been known to attract up to 10,000 rowers. The Atlantic Crossing will combine our off-shore sailing background with our passion for rowing, and our project management experience ; says Jolle Blässar. Markus and Jolle Raising awareness of the Baltic Sea Through this campaign they hope to raise awareness of the decline of The Baltic Sea which they say is in a critical condition and considered one of the most polluted seas in the world. The most severe problems are hazardous substances; risk to marine traffic; loss of biodiversity and eutrophication – an excess of nutrients often caused by run-off chemicals such as nitrate and phosphate leading to many undesirable effects including algal bloom and oxygen depletion. Ocean-going rowing boats Their boat – indeed all participating boats – are built to withstand whatever the North Atlantic Ocean can throw at them. It has two cabins – one forward and one aft. The forward cabin is for sleeping, and the aft stores all Navigation and Communication equipment – including an Automatic Identification System (worldwide vessel tracking ); and an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. The expedition starts from the island of La Gomera, Canary Isles. Victron is going with them To power these systems and to provide lighting and appliance-charging the boat will be fitted with two Lithium SuperPack 100Ah batteries , charged by solar panels. The most important piece of equipment onboard will be the watermaker. Pumping sea water under high pressure through a membrane, these devices remove salt and other impurities producing potable water on the low-pressure side. Jolle and Markus calculate they will require at least 10 litres of fresh water each per day for drinking and to reconstitute the freeze-dried food they need to provide them with 5200 kCal / person / day. Taking that much fresh water with them in a tank would add a ton to their displacement. And why would you row a ton of water across an ocean? The watermaker has a power consumption of 110W/h and a peak demand of 200W – so having a reliable energy system on board is absolutely critical. Previous participant riding the ocean swell Baltic Sea Charities Speaking about their charitable efforts Jolle says: The Baltic Sea can still be saved but will require immediate action. We have two organizations as our charity partners: John Nurminen Foundation ; and the fifty-year old charity Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association. The mission of John Nurminen Foundation is to save the Baltic Sea and its heritage for future generations. They implement concrete Baltic Sea protection measures that bring results, and ensure that the stories of the sea are passed on to future generations. Their work is guided by measurable results and impacts. Keep the Archipelago Tidy association maintains environmentally important services, such as dry toilets, pump-out stations and waste-collection points on all the main coastal and lake areas in Finland. The aim for their environmental work is to make sustainable boating and recreation by Finnish waterways possible. Boat delivery After a slight delay caused by the COVID 19 outbreak they expect to take delivery of their boat soon, in Helsinki, and immediately trial it in the Baltic. You can follow their progress during the build up to the race using the link below. FACTS Team: Two Rowing Finns www.tworowingfinns.fi Athletes: Markus Mustelin & Jolle Blässar Event: Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge 2021. https://www.taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com/ Race start date: 13.12.2021 Route: La Gomera to Antigua Distance: 4800 km /3000 miles Estimated time for the Atlantic crossing: 40 – 50 days
Justin Tyers • 24 June 2020
Hartmandrifting – sliding into a pro career.
Since deciding to become a professional racer the road has occasionally been bumpy for Pontus Hartman . Motorsport and cars have always been a big part of his life – so a couple of years ago he and his girlfriend made the decision live the dream …to the max. Hartmandrifting were immediately rewarded with a win, and a second place in the Swedish Drift Championship Semi pro series – ending the season with a third overall place. Twenty-nine year old Swedish national, Pontus is philosophical when he hits the low spots. In 2019 it must have felt like he needed to draw hard on those reserves – that year was beset with trouble: two major engine failures; a faulty fuel pump; a broken clutch release bearing. Yet even with all those pull-outs he only just missed the podium gaining fourth place at the Swedish Drift Championship which were held at Sundsvall Racecourse. When the car is on-point and really delivering performance, what are the driving skills which win races, we wondered? I would say that drifting needs a calm driver who uses Adrenalin to perform on the track – who, as soon as you let go of that clutch pedal at the start, turns from nervous Adrenalin junkie to 100% focused and calm. You need to be very precise throwing your car just inches from your competitor or alongside a solid concrete wall at speeds of around 150kph. So you need to be fearless behind the wheel. Pontus Hartman Putting disappointments behind them, last year, they began early to focus on the 2020 season and to make Big Plans! They applied to the Drift Masters European Championship securing the chance to be one of among 50 teams from all over Europe to get the opportunity of fighting for that European top spot. Life on the road Off the race track Pontus, his girlfriend, and his son travel to events in a Eurocruiser. For 2020 we decided to build ourself a Van, a “Eurocruiser”. Since that would be a much more comfortable way to travel around Europe. Racer / Cruiser Victron on board Admiring Pontus’ passion and dedication; and knowing how important it is for sports professionals to live life on the road just as they would at home – being rested between events – Victron decided to help with the power set-up of his Eurocruiser with: 3kVA MultiPlus ; a DC-DC charger; and a BMV battery monitor 2 x AGM 165Ah batteries The DC-DC charger allows safe battery charging from the output of a high-power alternator – maximising charge efficiency, and limiting absorption times to prevent over-charging. The team enjoy a near-normal family life between races. On board the Eurocruiser Pontus and his family can cook; they have a fridge; a heater; extensive lighting; they can edit vlogs, recharge cameras, phones, laptops, power tools – and keep the race-vehicle battery topped right up. Amidst all this luxury, Pontus says he particularly likes the magnetic charger connection cable between his power installation and his race car battery – that way if he forgets to unplug before driving away – the cable just falls harmlessly to the ground! During Lockdown Pontus has been busy finishing his van’s power installation. He’s going to send us a walk through video so that we can take a look at life on the road for a pro driver. Can’t wait! Drift Master European Championship The Hartman team are going to be spending a lot of time on the road: Round One of this year’s ‘European’ is due to take place at the revised date of 14,th/15th August, at the Bikernieki Circuit in Latvia. This will be followed by events in Austria (Sept 5th/6th); Ireland (Sept 19th/20th); UK Oct 3rd/4th) at the Teeside Autodrome – a track billed as offering: ‘a banked corner, tight technical sections and numerous opportunities to get door-on-door’; and finally in Poland on Oct 30th/31st. They decided to take up the challenge with an unusual car set up – running an Australian Ford engine – the only team in Europe to be racing that engine in top level competition. There’s a great deal of interest from all over the world to see how it works out. The engines are widely available, installed in tens of thousands of taxis – the Naturally Aspirated road versions delivering 260HP, whilst the Turbo charged versions deliver a rippling 436HP. You can follow Pontus Hartman and the team on their facebook page. Here’s Hartman – losing a bit of traction:
Justin Tyers • 02 June 2020
Olympic workout with Annemiek and Annette
World Champion sailors Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz, who will represent Holland at next year’s Olympics are working hard during the lockdown to maintain themselves at peak fitness. Want to know how they do it? Cycling Outdoors, social distancing means that the Gym is closed. Cycling is a good way to be safe in the great outdoors. Annemiek says: We bike, as sailors, to build our aerobic conditioning. When our conditioning level is high, we can train longer on the water – and make more progress. Also during a regatta we don’t race on only one day, we race six days in a row. On day six we need to be as fit and sharp as day one. When we bike, we use our heart-rate monitor. So our trainer sets us a goal for how long we need to bike and in which heart-rate zone. During lockdown our program was at least 3 bike rides. Two sessions for about 120 min and 1 session for at least 180 min. This last session we really enjoyed, because you can really go for a trip somewhere. The best route we did was a bike ride around the Markermeer – a 700 km 2 (270 sq mi) lake in the Netherlands – on a route which runs for about 140 km. On the bike we also do intervals, we most often do this on a Wattbike (indoor). With the intervals our coach gives us an amount watt we need to stay on. Annette prefers the rowing machine for the intervals. Stopping for a spot of sightseeing at sunset Home-Gym Our gym programs vary during the year. Because we have more time now than normal – when we are traveling and sailing – we can focus more on building strength and hypertrophy (muscle growth). In the FX we need a strong upper body, but we also need power in the legs. The upper body is needed to work the sheets of the sail, hoist the gennaker [a downwind sail, similar to a spinnaker] and to pull ourselves in quickly when we go out on the trapeze. The exercises we do for this are pull ups (all kinds of), push ups, bench press, bench pull, rope pulls, bend over row, trx pulls… and variations of all these. We focus on our legs so they are strong, explosive power, but also quick on our feet. We need to be quick through the boat – and when it’s heeling heavily it’s like walking up a mountain (we say sometimes). In light winds we bend our legs all the time. With very small movements we try to balance the boat. To get strong legs we do squats (front/back/split/single leg), deadlifts (also good for hips/back), box jumps, speed ladders…. In the gym we always focus on our core. We start a training with core and flexibility, and we end a training with core and some stretching. To maintain the work load it is important to have core strength, to avoid injuries. Also on the boat using the trapeze it’s important to have strong core muscles. Running We don’t run a lot because there is a risk of injuries on the joints. If we run, we run no longer than an hour. So we mainly run for fun or when we arrive in a new place – it’s a nice way to explore a new area. We like to be active in all kinds of sports – depending on where we are. We use these activities as a bonus session: Hiking, supping [Paddle-boarding], mountain biking, playing squash, surfing, climbing, skiing. Running to discover the landmarks! Annette (left) prepares to go Paddle-boarding with her sister Carolien Food binge? The overall plan is to gain weight. So we try to eat enough protein during the day. We eat normal food, with the addition of some protein shakes after training. Sometimes people think it is easy to gain weight, but in top-sport it is not that easy. With all the sailing and fitness training we do, we need a lot of calories. This needs to be well-planned, too, in order to acquire enough protein. Wherever we go, we always need to take food. It’s something we have to think about every day. We wondered if they ever cheat with their diet. Annemiek says: It is good to treat yourself some times 🙂 Victron Energy sponsors Annemiek and Annette – together with the Dutch National 49erFX sailing team. The team work hard – always striving to be better, we look forward to seeing the fruits of all their hard work when we watch them in action soon.
Justin Tyers • 28 April 2020
The world’s first comfortable lifeboat?
Having bought a lifeboat and converted it to a houseboat, Guylee Simmonds and David Schnabel were ready to leave Newhaven on the South Coast of England. At this point most people would head south, but as noted in an earlier report they chose to sail north …to a point 350km north of the arctic circle, in Tromsø, Norway, where they have now arrived safely. Arctic Circle recap Within the Arctic Circle, in midsummer, the sun is visible twenty fours hours a day. In midwinter it isn’t seen at all. Why did the adventurers decide to travel so far north, and are they planning to stay? Both Guylee and David are keen skiers. They’re outdoorsy types who enjoy hiking and camping in the wilderness. And Tromsø is a lively city of 70,000 people – a tourist destination for people who wish to see the Northern Lights; it’s a student city where there is a great sense of community. Guylee and David are both Architects; Guylee has found himself a job in an architectural practise in Tromsø. So it looks like Tromsø will be home for a while. They only set off last summer, but it’s already been a life changing experience. Living aboard a boat all year round, in the arctic, may not sound like everyone’s cup of tea – yet on board they enjoy all the comforts of home. It’s roomy, well fitted-out, it has a wood burning stove. They have AC and DC electricity so they can work and play whether off-grid, or connected to shore power. Guylee has produced a video which talks through his electrical installation: Here’s a list of the Victron Energy equipment fitted: 1 x Color Control GX 1 x Battery Monitor BMV-700 3 x 1 x 12V/230Ah AGM Super Cycle Battery (House) 1 x 12V/165Ah AGM Deep Cycle Battery (Starter) 1 x EasyPlus Compact 12/1600/70-16 Inverter/Charger 1 x SmartSolar MPPT 150/60-Tr Solar Charger 1 x 25A Buck-Boost DC converter They’re very satisfied with the performance of their electrical system having lived with it summer and winter alike. The only change they would make, now they are so far north, would to install a more powerful wind generator than the 70W model they have. Also, in addition to the lack of sunlight during the winter, there is often a covering of snow on the solar panels so they don’t produce energy at all. Under way electricity is produced from an alternator attached to their engine which is a 30 hp Lister 3 cylinder diesel. The voltage from the alternator is stabilised by a Buck Boost converter to protect the battery from over-voltage charging. The engine was already installed on the lifeboat which they purchased from the Scottish ferry operator Caledonian Macbrayne for £7,000. The main and auxiliary fuel tank give them a range of 500nm. The engine has proved very reliable except for some recurrent fuel problems – which they attribute to the reduction in temperature as they prosecuted their voyage. And on another occasion a nut came loose which they had to fish out from behind the bell housing. Yacht owners – whose primary propulsion comes from their sails, and for whom an engine is auxiliary – marvel at intrepid nature of Guylee and David who rely on a functioning engine for safety, and to make their progress. At the time of purchase the lifeboat was painted orange, of course. Anticipating the circumstance where their newly-purposed vessel might be mistaken for a vessel in distress, they painted it yellow. That choice of colour didn’t entirely mitigate the problem – as they discovered whilst sailing off the coast of Denmark. Overhearing a VHF radio call between another vessel and the Danish Maritime Authority they realised that it was they who were being reported as ‘a lifeboat drifting aimlessly’ off the coast, and were compelled to report themselves ‘all well’. They found the description ‘drifting aimlessly’ quite a hurtful as they happened to be maintaining a steady course and speed at the time. Seas of three or four metres are more than rough enough aboard Stødig. In those conditions, to control excessive rolling, their vessel has to be brought head-to-wind …but with a 30HP engine and minimal keel it’s challenging to maintain that attitude. After a rough passage they were always relieved to make their destination. Looking back, both Guylee and David agree that it was the slow nature of their travel which they found most valuable. A time to reflect and live life in the slow lane. The Norwegian coast is breathtaking with thousands of islands and archipelagoes – deep fjords and steep mountains whose sides fall straight into the water. It was interesting to observe how both the wildlife and the scenery change between the start and the end of the voyage. As they travelled they watched the summer peter-out. Pleasure craft declined in number, before disappearing altogether – eagles and whales took their place. It was the isolated communities who were most welcoming, yet even in marinas “ …where our life is visible because of the boat’s glass section – says Guylee – no one takes us too seriously, which makes us approachable, so it’s easier to meet people. David recalls a favourite part of the trip which occurred fairly early on in their voyage: Anchored in a lonely bay they climbed a hill to look back on their little yellow boat – and the enormity of what they had taken on it struck him for the first time. Another came later when they were at anchor with a glass of whisky, and saw the northern lights. Their adventure is open ended. They are undecided if or when they will move on. They may stay and sell the boat to new adventurers. But for them life is a journey, and you never know what lies around the next headland. Follow them on Facebook.
Justin Tyers • 24 April 2020
Brazilian Solar Boat skims in to Bronze
The Arariboia Solar Boat Team is delighted to have reached 3 rd place in the Brazil Solar Challenge, catamaran class – their best performance yet! They generously attribute this performance, at least in part, to the use of Victron Energy components for their power harvest – centred around the SmartSolar MPPT 100/20-48V The Brazil Solar Challenge is a competition between solar boats built by students from Brazil’s Universities. The result was achieved early in February with this 2020 event taking place in São Francisco do Sul – Santa Catarina, Brazil. This was the first time in the history of the Arariboia Solar Boat Team that participants had climbed onto the podium! Brazil Solar Challenge Brazil Solar Challenge has the purpose of encouraging the development of technology related to clean energy. It also provides an environment of good-natured competition in which Brazilian students can learn and grow together. Based on the Frisian Solar Challenge – an annual event which was dreamed up… and takes in Holland – Brazil Solar Challenge receives applications from teams all over the country for craft in two separate classes: the Catamaran ; and the Free Class . During a week of events the teams participate in many different race-styles, including: Speed Races, Long and Short Races, Relay and Slalom. At the end of the week the winner is the team which has completed all events in the least time. Arariboia Solar Boat Team The Arariboia team was founded at the end of 2011 and has been taking part in the competition since 2012. Today it is composed of 22 students all of whom are studying a range of disciplines at the Fluminense Federal University. Climbing the results table has taken an accumulation of knowledge. Through the years since the team has been focused on innovation, trying new ideas, building on what has gone before – and approach which achieved recognition at the event held in 2016 – when they won the Innovation Award for their development of a telemetric system, and for developing a vessel-control ability using a tablet. For this latest season – 2020 – the team decided to change the entire electrical and propulsion system, encouraged, they say, by the support of all companies that believed in the project. Understandably, then, the team is delighted with this year’s result. Lucas Ferreira, who is the team’s current Electrical Sector Leader, explained how important Victron Energy’s products were to the boat’s performance: “ They were extremely suitable for our necessities on building the 2020 electrical system. Firstly, the charge controller MPPT 100/20-48V with telemetry by Bluetooth was vital for us to analyze photovoltaic generation during the competition. Furthermore, the BMV-702 allowed us to study levels of energy and voltage in the main battery, as well as in the auxiliary one (both competition’s requirements). These are high quality commercial solutions, which were key factors for the team’s system operation, as well as validating results of technologies we have been developing .” Victron Energy is proud to sponsor the Aroriboia Engineering students; we enjoy their enthusiasm for green energy, and their uncompromising search for performance.
Justin Tyers • 31 March 2020
Olympic torch continues to inflame our passion
Sportsmen and women across the globe will be disappointed by the postponement of the Olympic games. Yet their striving for greatness goes on as Athletes continue to prepare. If you’ve ever wondered how these talented athletes earn their chance to compete on the world stage, this interview is for you. We’ve been thrilled to follow the progress of our sponsored 49erFX sailing teams, most notably perhaps Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz as they became reigning World Champions in their sport not once, but for two years running …and then qualified for the Olympics. Who helps them to become the best of the best? Is the training all carrot-and-stick? We spoke to the Netherland’s Head Sailing Coach Jaap Zielhuis to see what we could learn. Jaap has been sailing all his life. His parents put him in a boat a bit like a Mirror dinghy. My earliest memories he says were that I was afraid to capsize – but once I lost my fear of that, sailing turned into a life-long passion. He began sailing with his brother but turned to single-handed boats because it was more convenient. Later, Jaap was to represent the Netherlands at the Athens Olympics in 2004, sailing a Finn. I found it was hard to earn a living from competitive sports so eventually worked in commerce for a time but sport is my passion, and I managed to get work as a coach. So you’ve got a lot experience from the bottom up, we suggested. I never think of myself as ‘experienced’ – each coaching programme will be different every time …so you start again …you’re continually starting again …you keep trying something new. Of course, you don’t notice changes in your approach over time until one day a colleague says: ‘Hey – you’ve changed!’ What was that change? I used to ‘Tell’, now I ‘Ask’. The Netherlands is a small country, we don’t have the budget of a large country so we have to come up with new ideas, new ways to train. For example for the 2008 Olympics we started a project in the Yngling class. This boat is sailed with three girls per boat, and we had three boats – so that was nine girls rotating to find the best team. Back then one coach would make all the decisions and that method did win a medal – but these days we’ve learned to motivate sailors through a sense of ‘ownership’. Dutch 49erFX The sailors are involved in a lot of the decision making. They know that only one boat can go to the Olympics, for example – so how are we going to select the Olympic team? Well, we asked the Windsurfers to come up with their own selection process and were surprised when they suggested a system which takes into account their championship performance over the last three years. But that is what we adopted. So what’s unique in our coaching is that we try to give ownership to the sailors. It’s like a marriage – in a good marriage both parties have a veto. You can’t have coaches telling the sailors what to do – they are intelligent, well-educated people. Another change is that we used to pick teams based on skill sets, body weight, height …that sort of thing – but what we found is that the team which is technically optimal is not necessarily the best. So we let everyone sail with everyone else for over a year and then choose their team: 4 crews 4 helm who do you want to sail with – make a list in order of preference. We found that three out of four teams got their first choice, and team-work was improved by this selection process. More than that – we discovered that by holding training sessions from time to time where everyone sails with everyone it raises the standard of the whole group. Is it difficult to keep coming up with new methods, new enthusiasm? Working with young people motivates. They have more talent than they know – and they want success badly. Their craving for success drives me on to new heights, you keep finding ‘more’ …new ideas. Their energy is contagious. RIO DE JANEIRO, 08-08-2016, RIO 2016 OLYMPIC SAILING REGATTA. Marit Bouwmeester, Laser Radial. Fotograaf: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images. What about discipline? G iving the sailors so much freedom and power they realise that it comes with a lot of responsibility and we don’t have to worry about a lack of discipline. In any case if you tell someone what to do they just do it – if it goes wrong they say ‘…well, that’s what you told me to do!’. What lies beyond your control? Weather. We try to get all-round experience but some countries are better than others in different conditions of wind or water. If they get the weather or sea state they are most familiar with during the whole regatta – they get the advantage. Another thing beyond our control is related to the fact that there’s more pressure on Sailors and Committees – resulting in more protests. Sailing is a self-policing sport; there are no referees on the water and in case of an incident you have a small court case on shore (protest). During the Olympics stakes are high and some countries bring rules experts (lawyers). Like any court case the outcome can be surprising and feel really unfair. It can get pretty heated. The Netherlands focus their sail training on six classes of Olympic sport: Windsurfer (Men and Women), Laser Radial, Finn, 470, 49erFX . Coronavirus has set the Olympic games back a bit. In the old days of sailing ships whenever a storm was approaching wise mariners used to say: Mackerel skies and Mare’s tails make Tall Ships carry low sails. Once the storm had passed and full-canvas was hoisted once more, it was a jollier, more experienced, more confident crew who crested the ocean waves at full speed. When the present storm has passed and the Dutch sailors are cresting waves in the Sea of Japan we shall be following the action. In the meantime their preparations continue and we wish them all luck – but with Jaap at the helm, it sounds like they’re in great hands. We’re grateful to Richard Langdon for the images which feature Jaap Zielhuis. The image of the Mirror dinghy is in the public domain. The image of the 49erFX copyright Sailing Energy
Justin Tyers • 17 March 2020
Signers ….left in the dark.
Fulton School for the Deaf is located in the leafy suburbs of Gillitts, South Africa, and has just celebrated its 60th anniversary. They teach children aged from 2 ½ years – right through to senior education, and have around a hundred pupils, half of whom are boarders. When our installer Bernd Wellmann – from BK Energy , South Africa – was asked to inspect an ageing backup power system he found that the supply to one dormitory block had failed completely; another was charging a 12V battery at 22V; and a third was able to provide back up power for just ten minutes. Not surprisingly the school was struggling to provide lighting during South Africa’s many scheduled ‘load-shedding’ power cuts. Why is back up Power so important in South Africa? Government owned energy provider Eskom has been unable to meet power demand for over a decade. Their not-so-temporary solution to this problem has been to disconnect the power supply to areas and provinces according to a rolling programme of denial of electricity. Power provision is worse than at any time in Eskom’s almost 100 year history says Business Maverick’s Justin Brown. Last year 1350GW of power was load-shed at an estimated cost to the economy of around 100 billion Rand. The situation is expected to get worse before it gets better. Private back up energy supply is a must-have. Gerrit Tromp, Victron Business Development Manager for South Africa says: I believe we are the top selling brand in South Africa when it comes to meeting the demands of home owners wishing to install Energy Storage Systems in order to guarantee permanent power supply. No one in South Africa is left unaffected by these drastic load-shedding measures. At Fulton School the children – who communicate by sign-language – cannot chat with each other during the long dark evenings, homework is left undone, and safety is impaired. Principal of Fulton School Odette Swift and some of her pupils. Victron installer Bernd Wellmann recommended the installation for sponsorship. Importance of charitable donations Fulton School is heavily reliant on charitable donations so it occurred to Bernd – who’s wife is a Speech Therapist at a special-needs school, and who is therefore familiar with the struggles faced by specialist schools – that Victron could play a small part in keeping the lights on at Fulton. Odette Swift , Principal of Fulton School, emphasised the difference that this installation has made to staff and children alike. She points out that just 30% of the school’s income is derived from tuition fees, so they are really grateful for the corporate and private support they receive which makes up the shortfall …and without which they would not be able to maintain the high standards of education for which, as an education-provider, they are admired (my words, not hers). One of the three installations at Fulton School which now provide an uninterrupted power supply. If ever the building had to be evacuated during a power outage this installation ensures that lighting will be available. Odette says that prior to this donation they have had to resort increasingly to candles. The new back up system for each of the three dormitories system uses one of the MultiPlus 24/1200 Inverter/Chargers which provide an uninterruptible power supply. When grid power is available the batteries are recharged and maintained. During load shedding or whenever there is a power failure the MultiPlus instantly switches to battery power. Energy storage is from a pair of reliable AGM 12V/165Ah batteries. Bernd completed the installation. He says: The staff and kids were extremely excited and very glad that they would not have to struggle through more load-shedding. Fulton even gave me a ‘Thank You’ card which some of the children had made for me. It’s a really great feeling to be able to help those that need it . Signing off Pupils at Fulton wanted to express what the new installation will mean to them, and sent us the following pictures. Excellent – this allows us, for the first time ever, to publish our blog in two languages:
Justin Tyers • 12 March 2020
Ice Picks
As the 2019/2020 speed skating season comes to a close we look back on some of the latest successes achieved by skaters from Gewest Fryslân. The National Championships Short Sprints 100 metre, 300 metre and 500 metres were held at the Jaap Eden ijsbaan in Amsterdam on February 22nd – which is an outdoor track, open to the elements. Aron Romeijn gave a stunning performance establishing new track records in all events – and becoming the first skater to break the 37 second barrier in the 500 metre event with a time of 36.9 seconds. Aron Romeijn In the women’s competition the whole podium was coloured blue with Frysian speedskaters. Dione Voskamp took gold, skating three track records. Silver went to Helga Drost and bronze was clinched Isabelle van Elst – a really great tournament for the Frysian Team. Tomaszow Mazowiecki – central Poland The Junior World Championships were held between 21 – 23 February. Winning the all-rounders World Champion Juniors for a second impressive year in a row Femke Kok gained World titles in both the 500m and the 1000m as well. Marrit Fledderus gained third place in the 1000 meter in Poland – but had the misfortune to fall during the 500 metre event during which she had been expecting a place on the podium. Nothing daunted she rallied during the 1000 meter and gained a well deserved medal …a result made all the more impressive by the fact she had been competing in the USA the weekend before. Femke Kok – Myrthe de Boer – Marrit Fledderus Salt Lake City – USA At that Salt Lake City venue Femke Kok together with teammates Letitia de Jong and Jutta Leerdam won the World Champion title in the team sprint event. Melissa Wijfje gained 5th place in the 1500 metres – she made a slow start, followed by an incredible second lap, but couldn’t keep at full power for long enough to get to the front. She continues to make impressive progress, however, and was rewarded with a silver medal in the team pursuit event together with Antoinette de Jong and Ireen Wust – setting a new Dutch record. Lausanne Myrthe de Boer won the 1500 meter at the Youth (14 – 18yrs) Olympic Games which took place at the outdoor rink in Lausanne. World Cup Melissa Wijfje and Sanneke de Neeling both qualified to take part in the World cup. Melissa got 3rd place in the 1500 metre event – her first podium appearance in the 1500 at international level. A major triumph came with teammate Irene Schouten in the mass start event where the pair fought a strong and tactical race resulting in a world cup win. Melissa Wijfje Another achievement for her to look back on during the long hot summer will be her World Cup medal win in Japan where she slipped past the title holder Nao Kodaira to win the 500m event by 0.18 second. World Cup Japan – Sanneke de Neeling Sanneke won her first World Cup medal in Japan this season. After competing in many World Cup competitions she managed to get 3rd in Obihiro …keeping the World Champion 500 metre skater behind her by 0.18 second. A really strong performance. The ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2020 planned for March 13-15 in Seoul cannot be staged owing to travel restrictions. Victron are proud to sponsor Gewest Fryslân and admire the energy and enthusiasm they invest in their performances. We thought we’d leave you with a video clip which captures the power and control of these races. We could have chosen any – but what better than the Ladies 500m? We join the video as Femke Kok is in competition with Norway’s Ida Njātun. Images are by: ©foto’s Martin de Jong
Justin Tyers • 18 February 2020
49erFX World Champion racers back in action
Our World Champion 49erFX sailors Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz – together with team mates Odile van Aanholt and Cecile Janmaat have been competing in the World Champion series 2020 held in Geelong, Australia. Fiercely contested with lots of fast action the World Champions will be disappointed to record an 8th place in a competition which was interrupted by strong winds and bad weather …conditions in which they usually thrive. © Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy 15 February, 2020. They will, however, take some consolation from the fact that their arch-rivals the Brazilians were further down the table in twelfth position. Annemiek explained that the problem they – and the Brazilian’s – faced during the competition was the result of tiredness, through overwork, and not taking enough time off. Teamwork relies on subtle harmonies between members – and when that goes out of kilter, through stress or trying too hard, nothing goes like it should: clues are missed, communications misunderstood. Never-the-less, out on the water the wind conditions made for a thrilling competition, forcing many mistakes leading to spills, collisions and disqualifications. © Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy 15 February, 2020. …And it also allowed the skippers and crew to exhibit some of their finest skills. In one memorable moment during the medal race, the Spanish racers ECHEGOYEN and BARCELÓ almost missed the downwind buoy around which they had intended to turn. Correcting the error at the last moment put them on a collision course with Netherlands – dead ahead, and France approaching from their left hand side – all sailing fast they arrived at the same spot, at exactly the same time. The Spaniards slalomed – first to clear the buoy, and then to clear the other boats – but only the helmsmanship of France’s Lili Sebesi (who did well to control a delayed gybe) and Netherlands’ Annemiek Bekkering – who gave the other boats ‘sea room’ – avoided a disaster. The Spaniard’s were stunned into taking a long turn out of the gate; French crew Albane Dubois was forced to temporarily abandon her work to get the spinnaker down – throwing her weight out to the wings to avoid a capsize …a necessity which cost them ten seconds; whilst Netherlands’ crew Annette Duetz single-mindedly concentrated on her spinnaker work in spite the disaster breaking all around her …she snuffed the sail, and when the bow was clear Netherlands’ skipper Annemiek Bekkering steered around the buoy and zoomed away like a racing car – gaining two places out of the chaos! The competition closed on Saturday 15th and produced Gold for Spain’s Támara Echegoyen and Paula Barceló; Silver for Great Britain’s Charlotte Dobson and Saskia Tidey; and Bronze for USA duo Stephanie Roble and Maggie Shea. Victron Energy are proud to sponsor Olympic 2020 qualifiers Bekkering and Duetz …and the rest of the Netherlands 49erFX team. They never deliver less than 100%! Annemiek says that she and Annette have learned a lot from this competition. They intend to plan their practice a bit better – to make time on the water more effective …and to build ‘time off’ into their schedule. When you are at the top of your game and the demands on you are great, it’s important to remember you still have to have fun! Watch this video footage and you’ll see just how hair-raising 49erFX racing can get!
Justin Tyers • 12 February 2020
No Plastic Waste yachtsman anchors in St Helena
Solo yachtsman Jon Sanders AO OBE has dropped anchor in St Helena, South Atlantic, on the third planned stopover of his ‘plastic research’ circumnavigation. Jon, who is 80, is sailing the world’s remotest oceans to establish a database of micro-plastic pollution. Every day he filters 100 litres of ocean water, recording the location of the sample, and send the filters for analysis to the Department of Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre, Curtin University, in Western Australia, each time he puts into port. He has twelve planned stops along the way during his voyage – though he is not expecting to despatch filter samples from St Helena as it has no scheduled courier service. The best known event in St Helena’s history was the confinement of Napoleon Bonaparte on the mid-Atlantic island in 1815. He died there in 1821. An international runway was completed there in 2017 with a view to improving economic conditions for Saints (as the locals are known) – though safety concerns linger as the runway is exposed to strong crosswinds. This research – and Jon’s 11th circumnavigation – is the brainchild of #NOPLASTICWASTE a not-for-profit organisation whose campaign is aimed at stopping the flow of plastics into our environment. Their ambition is a world free of plastic waste …they believe that we can restore the health of our oceans within a generation, and they’re working to achieve it. Of course, they cannot do this alone – it is the responsibility of all of us. It’s cheaper for manufacturers to make new plastic resource material for industrial use than it is for them to offer recycled plastic. #NOPLASTICWASTE believe that by making the production of new plastic less profitable they will help businesses choose recycled plastic for all their production needs. At the moment just 9% of plastic is recycled …so the room for improvement is huge. Jon Sanders is a sailor of enormous experience – he was the first man to circumnavigate Antarctica solo, circling that continent twice in 1981 – 1982 in his yacht Perie Banou . He also holds the record for the longest sailing voyage (of 71,000 miles) which remains unbroken thirty years after it was set. He began his present voyage on November 3rd 2019. Aboard his 39-foot boat he has seen a great deal of change over his decades of exploration – witnessing industrial fishing and exploration activity taking place hundreds, or thousands of miles offshore and continually encountering plastic waste despite the remoteness of the location. No accurate measure of pollution has so far been possible in the Southern Oceans due to insufficient data. Figures extrapolated from the more frequently studied North Pacific suggest there might be 21,290 metric tons of floating micro plastic in the remote regions Jon will explore. Jon’s work, however, will provide a much more accurate assessment and establish a datum from which comparisons can be made in future. We at Victron are proud to sponsor Jon Sanders by providing him with the power he needs for his research, navigational systems, and domestic equipment. Here’s a list of the equipment Jon has chosen: A Battery Monitor BMV-712 provides him with at-a-glance status information about his batteries. It can be set to display, in percentage terms, how much of the battery’s capacity remains. It can also provide much more detailed information: battery voltage; rate of discharge; hours remaining at present discharge rate …together with historical ‘highest/lowest’ information. A low-voltage alarm can also be set to trigger a relay which disconnects loads ensuring that the battery is never accidentally drained too deeply. A MultiPlus Compact 12/800 provides domestic 230V true sine wave electricity capable of running computer-controlled equipment. Often used on board yachts to ensure a high quality Uninterrupted Power Supply, its high peak power capability makes it ideal for running motorised equipment which typically has a high start-up current draw. Jon’s two 12V/230Ah AGM Super Cycle Batteries are charged using a couple of monocrystalline solar panels rated at 175W-12V. He has previously sailed with a wind turbine and found that it was great when sailing to windward – but not quite so great when sailing downwind …or in light airs. The solar power harvest is maximised by a SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 . MPPT solar chargers work hard to convert and store the sun’s energy – particularly in the partially-shaded conditions typical on a yacht. To make the charging process worry free, Jon has a Cyrix 12/24V-120A intelligent battery combiner which works as a relay …directing power from an alternator to a principal battery bank, and then automatically transfers the charge current to a second battery bank when the first bank is recharged. If a new demand is placed on the principal battery bank – the Cyrix will restore charge to the original bank. All of Jon’s installation can be controlled from a single device which lies at the heart of the system – the Color Control GX . Not only does the Color Control harmonise the system – channeling intelligent data between components – but it has extensive menu’s which allow for detailed interrogation and programming. More than that – the Color Control can be connected to the internet for remote monitoring and control by Jon’s shore-based engineering team, for example. This is made possible by Victron Remote Management Portal VRM which is free to use. Cruising yachtsmen typically achieve distances of 100 miles per day. Jon is expected home in October this year – until then you can follow his blog here. You can find out where John is at any time by clicking here: You can find the #NOPLASTICWASTE Facebook page here :
Justin Tyers • 23 January 2020
Impossible Robotics 2020 – Star Wars themed Challenge
Impossible Robotics – a team of fifteen Dutch engineering students – have accepted this year’s challenge from FIRST inspires . Every year a new game is revealed by FIRST – a not-for-profit organisation which nurtures young engineering talent all around the world. Last weekend Impossible Robotics began building their robot, they now have six weeks to complete it to competition standard. On March 20th they face Forty-Eight teams who will be competing at a venue in Sydney, Australia. The challenge ahead This year’s robots – competing in a game called Infinite Recharge – must be capable of working both autonomously, and under the control of the team to complete three principle tasks: They must be able to collect power cells (balls) from the play arena, and then launch them through high and low target holes. [Headline image]. They must have the ability to rotate a colour wheel disc a certain number of times – or to a specific colour. Their robots must be equipped with an arm which can be extended vertically, and hook itself to a overhead triangle (something like a clothes hanger in appearance) and raise itself off the ground. If two suspended robots can achieve a level-balance on the hanger, more points are earned. The Impossible Robotics team met on January 4th at a secret hideout to watch an inaugural kick-off video which reveals this year’s mission. Later they discussed the challenges ahead; made their strategic plan, and agreed their build-process for the next six weeks. Impossible Robotics – boys and girls aged 13 to 18 – comprise Middle School students, University students, together with older past-members of the team who will act as mentors – and who all share an interest in computer sciences or mechanical engineering. The team believe the greatest challenges will be in perfecting the robot’s ability to pick up fuel cells (balls) …and to provide it with ‘hanging’ ability. You can follow progress on their Facebook page. Here is the video by FIRST inspires which explains the game, and how it might look. Victron Energy sponsor the Impossible Robotics team, and are proud to play our part in encouraging young people to take an interest in practical engineering and programming. We wish our team well in this exciting challenge and look forward to hearing how they get on.
Justin Tyers • 14 January 2020
Ice Cool Performance
European Championship highlights Together with team mates Ireen Wüst and Antoinette de Jong , Melissa Wijfje secured a win for the Netherlands in the Team Pursuit event of the European Championships which were held in Thialf, Netherlands. They beat Russia and Belarus to secure victory. Mass Start Twenty-four year old Melissa Wijfje gained a further medal – Bronze – in the MassStart event. Racing strongly she gave every appearance of winning until the last few metres when she was pipped at the post by Italian Lollobrigada, and compatriot Schouten. Never the less it was another brilliant achievement for Wijfje who recently made a dream come true when she was allowed to carry the Dutch flag during a lap of honour – having then beaten big names Ireen Wüst and Jorien ter Morswon to win an earlier 1500 metre event also held in Thialf. That success assured her of selection to participate in the event we are discussing …also in the World Cup Speed Skating event to be held in Calgary, Canada on the 7th and 8th February; and again in the forthcoming World Speed Skating Championships to be held in Salt Lake City, USA – February 13th – 16th. The world will be watching! Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA) – Irene Schouten – Melissa Wijfje Junior World Record Femke Kok surprised herself by breaking the Junior World Record for the 500m event. She shaved almost a second off her personal record for the distance to achieve the accolade. Together with Letitia de Jong and Ireen Wüst, Femke Kok won Silver in the team sprint during her debut at the European Championship distances in Thialf. With this success Kok – who races as a Junior – has won a place at senior level in the World Cup Distances in Calgary – but must now decide whether to take up that offer, or to continue her Junior race programme by taking part in the Junior World Championships to be held in Poland only a few days later than the Calgary event. “The Junior World Championship is still my main goal for this season.” she says, as she considers her participation plan against these new developments. Femke Kok with her Junior 500m World Record certificate. Overwhelming success in Thialf Taken all together the Region of Fryslân scored a hefty blow to the opposition in front of a large crowd of enthusiastic supporters in Thialf – and more than 1 million fans watching on TV. The tournament is always one to watch – producing national titles – and consistently being a venue where places can be earned for the European Championship, the World Championship and the World Cups. Sanneke de Neeling (500/1000 meters) and Jesper Hospes (500 meters) prove this by both qualifying for the tournament in Calgary by finishing among the top five performers. The Netherlands have a history of producing top international skaters – amid such stiff competition Hospes and De Neeling have given a performance to be proud of. Gewest Fryslân have much to celebrate from the performance of their skaters, trainers and coaches. Letitia de Jong – Femke Kok – Ireen Wüst win Silver in the Team Sprint. Victron Energy is proud to sponsor all at Gewest Fryslân and we are thrilled with these latest successes. (Images © Martin de Jong)
Justin Tyers • 18 December 2019
Catch-up on ice…
Sanneke de Neeling has gained her first World Medal as an individual in the 1000m event of the World Cup Skating races which took place last weekend in Nagano, Japan. She finished in a time of 1.14.89. Securing Bronze, she crossed the line only half a second later than American Brittany Bowe who set a new track record to take Gold. Ahead of De Neeling – by the narrowest of margins – came Japanese skater Miho Takagi to take Silver. De Neeling’s performance gives the Dutch skaters something to smile about at a competition which did not bag the number of medals they have become used to bringing home. Only nine women and eleven men represented the Netherlands and their skating was not quite at the level we have become used to seeing. A number of skaters decided not to attend the event citing the 8 hour journey – and the fact that no 1500m event was to be hosted at the venue – among the reasons for the lower take-up. Gewest Fryslân skater – Dione Voskamp The highlights of the weekend for the Dutch were the following four well-deserved medals: Gold for the Women’s Team Sprint event with a great performance from team members Michelle de Jong (20); Dione Voskamp (22) and Sanneke de Neeling (23). Equally thrilling performances won Kai Verbij (25) and Hein Otterspeer (31) a Silver and a Bronze medal, respectively in the Men’s 1,000m. All in all the number of medals was not too bad for the small and relatively inexperienced Dutch selection. Junior: Femke Kok Back home Junior Femke Kok continues to thrill: She was by far the strongest in the Juniors ‘A’ team, and although hampered by the wind at the ‘Alkmaar Four Distances’ held at the De Meent ice rink she won the 500 meter event smashing her own record – set a day earlier – to complete the race in 38.58. Behind her, Fryslân skater Marrit Fledderus came in second and Maud Lugters third. Victron Energy is proud to sponsor the Dutch Speed Skating club Gewest Fryslân . Photo Credits: ©foto Martin de Jong
Justin Tyers • 10 December 2019
Our rough-sea champs DO IT AGAIN!
The reigning World Champion 49erFX Dutch sailors Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz have successfully defended their title – becoming the first ever team to hold the title twice. Six days of racing in Auckland, New Zealand – culminating in the medal race last Sunday, became a battle of the giants seeing the Dutch team vying to keep their title from Brazilian Olympic Gold Medallists Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze. Here’s how that final race played out: The Dutch team made a promising start crossing the start line furthest right, and downwind, of the ten racers; but at the first mark after an upwind slog it was Germany who were first round the buoy, followed by Denmark, Nederlands …and hot on their heels Brazil. 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17 World Championships, Auckland 2019 © Sailing Energy In very testing sea and wind conditions which had been building throughout the competition, the first mistake went to leaders – the Germans – whose boat, flying downwind, bit deep into the back of a wave and capsized. At the second downwind mark the racers arrive with their spinnakers – big sails like parachutes – billowing out before them, in a dazzling show of choreography they need to drop that sail in preparation for turning round the buoy to begin a second upwind leg. At that mark Bekkering and Duetz were first and made a brilliantly controlled turn. Seconds later Denmark made the turn without a hitch. Powering down in third place as Brazil arrived at the mark it was clear that they were in trouble – the halyard which raises and lowers their spinnaker had become jammed; losing control their boat collided with the marker buoy and tripped into a capsize. A remarkable photo captured the moment that Martine Grael was thrown through the air. 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17 World Championships, Auckland 2019 © Sailing Energy Bekkering and Duetz rounded the third mark maintaining pole position. Seeing that the Brazilians were out of the race, and realising that the title was theirs if only they could cross the finish line safely they made the tactical decision to play safe – declining to raise their spinnaker for this final downwind leg. First over the line was Great Britain (Charlotte Dobson/Saskia Tidey); second place went to Denmark (Ida Nielson/Marie Olsen); and in third our own Bekkering and Duetz – safe in the knowledge they had defended their World Championship title. An astounding achievement, well deserved by these professional women! A very creditable performance was also recorded by Dutch team mates (NED 6) Odile Aanholt and Cecile Janmaat, who finished the event in tenth place out of sixty-one competitors. Victron Energy sponsor the Dutch 49erFX teams. Our sincere congratulations to Bekkering and Duetz. We admire their detailed planning, constant training – and the positivity which allows them to achieve great things. 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17 World Championships, Auckland 2019 © Sailing Energy This result surely makes Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz favourites to take Gold in the Olympic event to be held in Tokyo next summer?
John Rushworth • 21 November 2019
Start with a Solar Canoe, end up with a Solar Cat or two…
Every waterborne electric propulsion journey has to start somewhere. My own started about 7 years ago, concluding with the sale of Sailing Yacht Elektra in recent weeks. That aside and the insights gained over those years, it was refreshing to hear from Nicoara Bogdan in Romania – who started his own marine electric propulsion journey in 2016. Project No. 1 His first project (shown in the headline image above) was a fibreglass canoe converted to solar/battery/electric, using a small 12V DC electric motor, 6 x 50W flexible solar panels wired in parallel giving 300Wp in total, controlled by a PWM solar charge controller charging a 12V, 100Ah AGM battery, which provided power to the motor. That all worked well but like all journeys, lessons are learned on the way and there are always dreams and improvements to be made with ‘the next project’. Project No. 2 The second project was a solar catamaran using similar electric principles but with increased motor power, more battery Ah and more Wp in solar panels, adding in upgrades and refinements along the way. Project No. 2, with later sponsorship & stickers The Cat concept was chosen for the low drag 5.2 m, 2.2 m width hulls and generous space for solar panels, not to mention being fully demountable for transport by car. Bigger budget required This time everything worked well as before, but two 24V motors were used (one on each hull) giving a total of 2kW of electric asymmetrical thrust power. Plus there was more room for solar, allowing 3 x 250 Wp of panels to be fitted. Still, more could be done… It was at this juncture that Nicoara was fortunate to meet Lucian Popescu , Victron Energy Sales Manager for Eastern Europe and Eftenoiu Cornel of Darcom Energy, who are a Victron Energy dealer in Romania. With some help and sponsorship from both Darcom Energy and Victron Energy in Romania, Nicoara’s craft is now running sweetly. Arriving at the launch site CAT assembly Success! A solar sailing pause & solar recharge On his second trip along the Danube river Nicoara achieved 24 km range entirely propelled by battery electric propulsion and that included going both upstream and downstream. Victron Energy products used 2 x 12.8V, 90Ah LiFePO4 batteries 1 x SmartSolar MPPT 150/35 solar charge controllers 2 x BatteryProtect 1 x BMV-700 battery monitor 1 x MPPT Control 1 x 100-3AC Argo Diode Battery Isolator 1 x Battery Balancer 1 x 24/12 Blue Smart IP67 Charger Waterproof Project No. 3 The 3rd iteration is about to start, with yet different hulls. Nicoara said: “My next goal is to upgrade to a 48v electric system with more solar panels and of course a bigger outboard engine to achieve an epic trip of more than 1,000 km on the Danube river in Romania using only solar power and to prove that this technology is sustainable and will have a bigger impact in the future for all of us.” Project No. 3 begins… Conclusion Congratulations to Nicoara on an evolutionary fun project. Asked why he chose Victron Energy products, Nicoara said: “I chose Victron Energy products because of their known performance, reliability, constant improvements and after sales care and support.” Speaking a little more to him, it seems a future dream is to visit the CLAFIS Victron Energy Solar Boat Team, winner of the Monaco Solar Boat race . Going by Nicoara’s success to date, it wouldn’t surprise me if he’ll be upgrading further and getting into solar boat racing! Regardless, we wish him well with whatever he does next with his solar electric boat passion. Meantime the message from his sponsors is – it has been a pleasure to have helped out to get him thus far. John Rushworth Links Nicoara Bogdan’s personal website – http://bogdanminitehnicus.ro/ Nicoara Bogdan’s YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZOf4if3ny19DhAA92SNsg Nicoara Bogdan’s Solar Canoe on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Canoe-solara-590276254504986/ Victron Energy Romania – https://www.facebook.com/victronenergy.ro/ Solar Cat sponsor (Darcom Energy) – https://www.darcomenergy.ro/ Flexible solar panels – https://www.das-energy.com/
Justin Tyers • 19 November 2019
Speed Skating – first report
The 2019 winter Speed Skating season is already well underway with a new world record and a fiercely-contested season in prospect. Although they would be too modest to admit it – The Dutch are the dominant force in the sport, taking twenty or more medals in each of the last two Winter Olympic Games. How do they do it? One of the most prominent and successful clubs in the Netherlands is Gewest Fryslân – who have trained 5 of the 12 Junior skaters to go forward into this season’s international events. Gewest Fryslân have a reputation for picking the top talent – for speed and individual potential – and then training them to the highest level. Among the reasons for their success, they believe, is that they insist on training athletes across all disciplines of the sport – allowing skaters to learn from each other. Gewest Fryslân. 2019 Athletes. What are the disciplines? We thought we’d take a moment to explain a little about Speed Skating. Although hugely popular in Northern latitudes – and particularly the Netherlands – speed skating is little understood elsewhere. What is all the excitement about? What are the challenges? Who are the names to watch? Powering along the ice at speeds of over 50 kmh; the Olympic sport of Speed Skating witnesses 2, 4, 8 – sometimes 25 skaters – racing on an oval ice rink over distances between 500m and 10,000m (40,000m in marathon events). Perhaps the most exciting moments of each race are the corners! Racers – travelling fast – are often very tightly-bunched as they loop into a sharp corner seeking to take the lead by unexpected lane-changes. Individual- and Team-events. Individual events will have strict rules regarding competitor-interference – but these are more relaxed in the ‘Mass Start’ events …where there may be twenty or twenty-five starters, with the result that in the heat of the moment accidents and incidents are more likely to occur. Team Pursuit races may be strategic – pacers dominating the early stages with sprinters held in reserve for a final burst and an early-burst team member permitted to drop out – or they may adopt the well known ‘relay’ format. A lot of these formats are recent developments, and have made the Sport much more interesting. Victron Energy are proud to once again be sponsoring Gewest Fryslân – the sixth year we have done so. We like their continual striving for excellence. The four disciplines taught at Gewest Fryslân are: Short Track – racers lap a 111 metre oval track for a distance of 500m – 3000m typically. Fast – action packed! Long Track – racers laps a 400 metre rink – typically over distances of 500m – 60,000m. These are endurance races where style counts for everything. Inline Skating – (where the skate has wheels rather than a blade) Summer practise, it also mirrors the winter competitions. Figure Skating – Ballet on ice. Familiar to many people around the world from Winter Olympic events. Speed and Grace; set to music. Figure Skating takes years of dedication Names to watch among the seniors Dione Voskamp (500m), Sanneke de Neeling (500m) and Melissa Wijfje (1500, 3000, Team Pursuit and Mass Start). Melissa Wijfje won last weekend’s Women’s 3000m event. Senior skaters from each country belong to either the A or the B group – the A’s being faster. Melissa’s latest achievement means she now moves up to the A group. Nikola Zdráhalova CZ; Melissa Wijfje NDL; Yekaterina Shikova RUS Dione Voskamp Sanneke de Neeling Names to watch amongst the Juniors In the Junior World Cup held in Bjugn in Norway last weekend the Dutch competitors achieved a clean sweep in the 1000 metres on the first day of the competition. Femke Kok, Myrthe de Boer and Marrit Fledderus achieved 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places respectively. Femke Kok flashed over the line in a time of 1:19.03 She also won the 500 metre event the following day with a time of 39.30s – setting a new track record. Jur Veenje won the 1500 meter men’s juniors in 1:52.06. and Jordy van Workum gained second place in the Mass Start. A very successful weekend, then, for the Fryslân skaters who are already looking forward to next weekend’s event to be held at IJsbaan Twente in Enschede, Netherlands. Competition is so fierce, and the time-gap between winning athletes so small that performance is re-assessed mid season – and so skaters who were selected to represent clubs in international competitions may not be selected when National competitions take place in December. Skating stars have to work hard to keep their place! Femke Kok – a new record in the 500 metre event European Championships. World Championships There are exciting competitions to watch almost every week – building to the European Championship which takes place in January, in Heerenveen, Netherlands; and the World Championship which follow in February, in Salt Lake City, USA. For the juniors the World Championships take place between 21 st – 23 rd February, in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland. A word about the history… The Netherlands are dominant performers in Speed Skating. There is a historical reason for that: a quarter of the country’s land area lies below sea level (the word ‘Nether’ means low or below). Since medieval times the land was reclaimed by pumping the water (using windmills) into newly dug canals which became the country’s communication routes. During the winter these canals freeze over – creating natural ice skating lanes which have been used for speed skating for centuries. Where to watch – how to keep informed: Full race results and news can be found on the Gewest Fryslân News page (links to Google translation). You can catch up on recent events, or live stream current ones, here: https://www.youtube.com/user/SkatingISU Or follow Gewest Fryslân posts on social media: Facebook Instagram
John Rushworth • 14 November 2019
Education at its finest – Steaming along with the STEAM Bus
What a fantastic project and one Victron Energy are proud Platinum Sponsors of, but what is the STEAM bus and project all about? STEAM stands for S cience, T echnology, E ngineering, A rt, and M athematics. The STEAM Bus is Van district’s latest learning resource for teachers and students in grades PreK-12. Van is a city located in Texas and Van ISD (Independent School District) consists of five school campuses that serve more than 2,200 students – all located in East Texas, close to Dallas. The STEAM Bus is makerspace on wheels providing hands-on learning activities, across a variety of STEAM disciplines, where students can spend 45-60 minutes engaged in problem-based activities using technology such as tablets, Chromebooks, microscopes, ARVR equipment, robots, etc. The bus also hosts professional development opportunities, so teachers can have cutting edge resources and the skills needed to provide an enhanced educational experience for their students. The beginning of STEAM The STEAM Bus all started as a dream in the fall of 2017. The idea began when administrators started discussing how to get a makerspace on each Van ISD campus. A makerspace is a collaborative workspace inside a school for making, learning, exploring and sharing that uses high tech and no tech tools. The concept behind makerspace is more of a creative, problem-solving mindset and acquiring 21st-century skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). For our makerspace, the team decided it was also important to incorporate an A for art; hence the name STEAM instead of STEM. The problem they encountered during initial discussions was where to put these makerspaces since most campuses did not have the extra space needed to dedicate an entire room for that purpose. The solution? An old school bus that would be gutted, stripped down and transformed into a mobile learning lab and travel from campus to campus. The old yellow bus before the age of STEAM! Planning The administrative team took the idea to Van High School iTeam students to get their thoughts and input. Kids said they wanted virtual reality, augmented reality, green screen capabilities, and coding opportunities. They then gave ideas on what the design and colour scheme should look like. A group of students and teachers even got to visit the Boy Scouts of America’s Mobile Makerspace in Austin, Keller ISD’s mobile trailer, and Winona ISD’s mobile reading lab to get even more ideas of what they liked and wanted to see incorporated. Countless hours along with numerous challenges and problem-solving opportunities went into making the STEAM Bus a reality through months of in-house work by students, teachers, administrators, the technology and maintenance departments, along with a community volunteer. The vision finally came to life as a 45-foot, one of a kind classroom on wheels that can travel from campus to campus, as well as outside the district to provide a unique learning experiences for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students. The bus is equipped to hold 20 students inside and has additional teaching space on the outside for 10 more students. The STEAM result Here’s two videos of the final result, taken from the inside of the STEAM bus. Going by the noise, the initial test run was a great success! STEAM Bus Facts The STEAM Bus is a 43-foot renovated school bus Design work was done by students, teachers, district instructional staff, technology and maintenance staff, and a community volunteer Took just over a year from when the project started to launching the bus Six hands-on workstations Equipped for indoor & outdoor activities Includes wireless Internet Two large screen TVs and three large computer monitors that project video and web-based content One large 75″ television on the bus exterior Includes a 3-D laser printer Lab equipment – microscopes, AR/VR equipment Set up for green screen work inside/outside of the bus Powered by a generator and solar panels Van ISD STEAM Bus Staff Sponsorship Victron Energy are proud sponsors of the STEAM bus and donated the equipment below, to assist in helping (in part) this fantastic educational project. 2 x 3kVA Inverters 2 x Lynx Distributor 2 x Color Control GX 2 x BMV-712 battery monitors 4 x Battery Protect 2 x Battery Combiners 2 x Digital Multi Control Multis installled Conclusion My, how steam has changed since I started as a Royal Navy Marine Engineering Artificer (steam), over 45 years ago. In my day they just removed the 4.5 gun from our RN training Frigate to act as an at sea classroom, with but tables, chairs, instructor and blackboard… I think I prefer the modern STEAM way of learning! John Rushworth Credits Heartiest congratulations to all that made this project happen. Special thanks to Amy Moffatt (Instructional Technology) from the project for helping with the words and images, also Norm Lagasse their independent consultant to the project and last but not least Mitchell from Victron Energy dealer AM Solar – who stepped in to assist the Van ISD Team in connecting all the electrical components into a fully functional power system. Links STEAM Bus website – https://www.vansteambus.org/ VAN ISD STEAM Bus build images on Flickr – https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanisd/sets/72157709969133971/ Victron Energy dealer AM Solar – https://amsolar.com/
Justin Tyers • 07 November 2019
Capsized – but still in the competition!
Leandri Language – who dreams of becoming a world champion bass fisher-lady – had a frightening incident recently whilst taking part in a bass Fishing League Worldwide event at De Hoop dam, Mpumalanga, South Africa, with her sister, Nichole. The morning started out well with no wind, a warm day, and flat-calm water. The fishing was going quite well, too. But at about 2:30 in the afternoon, whilst Leandri was on the phone to the competition officials to clarify the position on the penalty she would incur for presenting a dead fish at the weigh-in (all fish are intended to be returned to the water alive after the event – but occasionally a fish will die from trauma), she noticed a squall of wind approaching them from the far side of the dam. She asked the official if he had noticed the approaching squall – he had …and his advice was to get off the water! Leandri and her sister made preparations to get ashore as quickly as they could – but not soon enough. They had been fishing amongst submerged trees and when the squall hit them – broadside with winds of over 50mph – it forced them back amongst the branches. Ignoring the fact that the Trolling motor was still down she started the main engine in order to get into to deeper water – but with the wind on the beam her boat took two waves on board. It was a sign of things to come. Not yet incapacitated she headed for the safety of the dam – but the waves continued to build reaching a height of 1.5m. Outboard engines need to be pitched to the right angle to deliver their power safely – but with the boat rising to the waves and tumbling into the troughs which followed it proved impossible to match the pitch to the conditions. Another wave coming on board shorted out the electrics and the engine died. Now at the mercy of the waves the boat turned and began to take water over the stern – which was already low in the water owing to the loading of a full ‘live-fish tank’ weighing 100kg; a full cool box (100kg) Leandri and her sister (100kg) and the outboard …all situated near the stern of the boat. Submerged trees …in calm conditions It wasn’t long before the battery box was flooded – in spite of which Leandri was able to restart the engine but only motored for a few metres before it cut-out again. A further attempt to restart the engine flooded the pistons at which point the engine had to be disregarded. By this time sitting waist deep in water Leandri decided to join her sister on the bow – the only part of the vessel still above water. From there she attempted to get out of trouble using the trolling motor – which is mounted on the bow – in order to bring the vessel head-to-wind. But the nose of the boat was so high by now that the propellor of the trolling motor was scarcely in the water. They feared that the gale of wind would get under the boat and flip it. In the event the boat filled with water and then capsized, leaving the women swimming alongside. Some of the lost gear was recovered later. Leandri had managed to make some emergency calls for assistance as the severity of the incident increased. And a boat nearby seeing their distress came to their aid, but struggled to get the women out of the water in those conditions owing to the dangers of approaching a swimmer with an unguarded propellor; compounded by the difficulties of controlling a planing vessel at low speed. Taking on water themselves the vessel managed to pull the women from the water. They are both strong swimmers, and were wearing lifejackets. Nichole was quite traumatised by the incident and Leandri further damaged some chronic sports injuries. Two more boats answering the distress call managed to get a line to Leandri’s boat and tow it to shallow water where they were able to right the vessel …and then tow it back to base. Looking for her car key, Leandri learned that Nichole had secured all their valuables in the boat’s locker before things turned bad. In the locker she also discovered her competition ‘tag’. Someone joked that she still had time to use her tag to complete the competition weigh-in …and discovering that the fish they had caught earlier in the day were still safe in the live-well – they decided to present their fish where they learned that they had one of the best catches of the day! In a really tight competition they gained fifth place …only a few more grams would have placed them in the top three. Leandri says that the events of that day were a useful learning experience and she looks forward to next month’s competition. Leandri looks for her boat’s gear lost overboard Leandri’s IP65 battery chargers are warranted to be spray-proof but were unharmed by total immersion (this observation makes no extended claims about the product – it’s what happened in Leandri’s case) and the BMV battery monitors were drained, cleaned, and put back in service. Similarly her Mercury 150HP outboard was drained and serviced, and has since run. On reflection Leandri notes that things could have been worse: Unlike the two other dams they regularly fish during competitions the De Hoop dam at Mpumalanga doesn’t have crocodiles!
John Rushworth • 05 November 2019
Off-Grid living, working & educating at Lackan Cottage Farm
I first heard from Steven Golemboski-Byrne of Lackan Cottage Farm around four years ago and wrote a blog in 2015 about their family lifestyle. Things have certainly moved on since then – now Steve is even more of a Victron Energy aficionado, to the extent his product knowledge and practical expertise has increased – which now enables him to run courses for other off-gridders from all over the world. We like what he is doing, so we decided to sponsor some course demonstration equipment to help him out and spread the Victron word. In this guest blog Steve details the history of his family’s off-grid journey and how that has evolved to date. John Rushworth Lackan Cottage Farm Eight years ago now, my wife Claire and I set out on what we hoped would be an off grid adventure. We wanted to see whether we could reduce our ecological footprint, and provide for our own needs in energy, water, food and fuel. To begin with we lived in a tiny house on wheels – a converted horsebox, and our requirements were minimal. All we needed to run were a few lights, a laptop, coolbox and charge a phone. It was at this point we first encountered Victron products, when Phillip Gordon (now a UK & Ireland Sales Manager for Victron Energy) came to see us and gave some much needed advice. Now it is hard to imagine that we managed with 160Wp of solar panels and a little BlueSolar 75/15. After much searching we found a property in rural County Down in Northern Ireland – Lackan Cottage Farm. With two cottages and six acres of land including birch woodland, it was ideal, and we set about renovating the property. As there was no grid electricity connection we decided to develop our own generation, and the gift of some used solar panels gave us a good start. We realised early on that without a substantial solar installation we wouldn’t be able to rely on solar PV alone, and so installed a Bornay 3kW wind turbine to keep our batteries charged through the middle of winter. Bornay 3kW wind turbine It soon became apparent that there was plenty of interest from others interested in doing the same as us, and we began to offer short courses in food growing, natural building and permaculture. A natural progression from that was to develop one of the cottages as self catering accommodation, and we made the decision to use this as an opportunity to try out a variety of environmentally friendly materials and techniques, so that visitors could come and experience off grid, low impact living in a way they could relate to their own homes and lives. Seven years later, Lackan Cottage Farm is established as a pioneer in Green Tourism in Ireland, and we are the first business here to be accredited under the internationally recognised Green Key standard, run by the Foundation for Environmental Education based in Denmark. We welcome visitors from across the world to stay here throughout the year, and offer advice and consultancy to those interested in adopting aspects of what they have encountered here. We also run courses and training both here at Lackan, and across the island of Ireland, predominantly in Practical Sustainability, Off Grid Living and Permaculture. A key aspect of all these courses is energy production, and of course we are able to demonstrate the viability of renewable energy here in the Irish climate. Over the last 2 years we’ve also had the opportunity to film with both the BBC and RTE, UK and Irish state broadcasters, which has been invaluable in getting our message out to a wider audience. Victron products form the core of our power generation system, and increasingly we are assisting course attendees with the installation of their own equipment, once they have attended a course and been impressed with the Victron equipment that they see here. These are typically battery based off grid systems, where reliability is crucial. From cottage renovations to tiny homes on wheels, we have been involved with some fascinating projects and people. Our own system has grown considerably. With over 6kw of installed PV, and a 3kW wind turbine, we run a range of BlueSolar and SmartSolar MPPT controllers, which feed 24kW of OPzS batteries. We then use three 24/3000-70 MultiPlus units connected in parallel to provide power to our cottage. Left to right – Grid tie wind inverter, CCGX/BMV-712; Solar iBoost; 24/3000 Multis, BlueSolar and Smart Solar MPPT charge controllers. The wind turbine is AC coupled to this system, as is an additional 3.9kW of PV, and a load diversion unit uses the majority of the power from these to heat water in the two cottages, with our core DC coupled PV arrays providing domestic electricity. Monitoring is through a BMV-712 Smart, and a Color Control GX (CCGX) unit. We also use Victron Energy meters on the AC coupled wind and solar to provide accurate information to our CCGX and the VRM . Just one of the solar arrays at Lackan Cottage Most recently we have separated the second cottage using its own 24/3000 MultiPlus, and a smaller battery pack charged by a 2kW PV array through a SmartSolar 150/60 MPPT. This is monitored using a BMV-700, and a Raspberry Pi running the Venus OS. Once again it is interesting to be able to demonstrate a different approach to monitoring the system, and we’ve already helped one other user to install a Raspberry Pi based monitor. Steven Golemboski-Byrne of Lackan Cottage Farm, instructing on one of his courses. With another 4 courses left to teach this year, and over 50 attendees to introduce to our systems and Victron products, we’re confident that Ireland’s network of small scale renewable energy producers will continue to grow. Steven Golemboski-Byrne Links Phillip Gordon – Victron Energy UK & Ireland Sales Manager Lackan Cottage Farm – http://lackancottage.co.uk/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/lackancottagefarm Twitter – https://twitter.com/lackancottage
Justin Tyers • 24 October 2019
Yachtsman sails over plastic ocean
Back in 1986, solo Australian yachtsman Jon Sanders began a non-stop voyage three times around the world. His achievement – covering a distance of 71,000 miles – set a new world record for the longest sailing voyage …a record which remains unbroken to this day! Since then he has completed many more voyages. He returned from his tenth circumnavigation just last year at the age of 79, and vowed it would be his last. This weekend – October 26th – he will be setting off on another …I asked him why? Well, first of all I’ve learned to never say never! He told me. … I’ve noticed a lot of changes in the ocean during the decades that I’ve been sailing: Factory fishing ships – thousands of miles from home …plastic bags floating far out to sea from river effluence; so when it was suggested I could help by making this survey – taking samples of ocean water from around the world, working-up the first baseline for the amount of plastic pollution – I really wanted to help. I wanted to give something back. Sailing mainly in the southern hemisphere via the Indian, Atlantic, Pacific and Southern Oceans – as well as the Tasman Sea – aboard his 39 foot yacht Perie Banou II, Jon will pump 50 litres of water through a filter every day as he makes his way east to west around the world, covering about 100 miles per day. He will bring the filters back home for analysis by Western Australia – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC) at Curtin University , providing them with an accurate measure – for the first time – of the presence of microplastics throughout the remote locations of his route. These samples will form a baseline for all future measurements. Jon’s shore-based team recognise the opportunity to further raise awareness about the level of microplastics in our oceans to which end they have begun a campaign: No Plastic Oceans. This initiative is being led by Dr. Stephen Davis and Morgan Flower who have been working tirelessly – securing support from Curtin University, and third party organisations …Fremantle Sailing Club; Royal Perth Yacht Club; Nebo, B&G (Navico) & ClientSAT and a growing number of other sponsors. Jon plans to stop at 11 ports throughout his voyage. A detailed report of Curtin University’s findings will be made publicly available after the voyage. For the journey Jon’s (nearly) 50 year-old Sparkman & Stephens yacht – which has already completed three circumnavigations – is being completely refitted …new sails; running rigging; deck hardware; aids to navigation; together with a new 12V power system …from batteries to inverter. At Victron Energy , reliable, renewable power lies at the heart of everything we do …so we were delighted to be asked to play a small role in Jon’s historic data-collecting voyage by donating the equipment which will provide him with power for his sensitive electronics, communications equipment, and for powering everyday ‘domestic’ items. The equipment Jon will be taking with him on Saturday are typical for blue water cruising: A Battery Monitor BMV-712 will provide him with at-a-glance status information about his batteries. It can be set to display, in percentage terms, how much of the battery’s capacity remains. It can also provide much more detailed information: battery voltage; rate of discharge; hours remaining at present discharge rate …together with historical ‘highest/lowest’ information. A low-voltage alarm can also be set to trigger a relay which disconnects loads ensuring that the battery is never accidentally drained too deeply. A MultiPlus Compact 12/800 will provide domestic 230V true sine wave electricity capable of running computer-controlled equipment. Often used on board yachts to ensure a high quality Uninterrupted Power Supply, its high Peak power capability makes it ideal for running motorised equipment which typically has a high start-up current draw. Jon’s two 12V/230Ah AGM Super Cycle Batteries will be charged using a couple of monocrystalline solar panels rated at 175W-12V. He has previously sailed with a wind turbine and found that it was great when sailing to windward – but not quite so great when sailing downwind …or in light airs. The solar power harvest will be maximised by a SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 . MPPT solar chargers work hard to convert and store the sun’s energy – particularly in the partially-shaded conditions typical on a yacht. To make the charging process worry free, Jon has a Cyrix 12/24V-120A intelligent battery combiner which works as a relay …directing power from an alternator to a principal battery bank, and then automatically transferring the charge current to a second battery bank when the first bank is recharged. If a new demand is placed on the principal battery bank – the Cyrix will restore charge to the original bank. All of Jon’s installation can be controlled from a single device which lies at the heart of the system – the Color Control GX . Not only does the Color Control harmonise the system – channeling intelligent data between components – but it has extensive menu’s which allow for detailed interrogation and programming. More than that – the Color Control is that it can be connected to the internet for remote monitoring and control – by Jon’s shore-based engineering team, for example. This is made possible by Victron Remote Management Portal VRM which is free to use. Professor Kliti Grice, from the WA-OIGC, whose department is in Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, says that at present the measurable risks of marine plastic pollution to marine life, ecosystems and fisheries were largely unknown. He continues: Every year, up to 14 million tonnes of plastic flows into our oceans, breaking down to micro- or nanoplastics that can be ingested by marine organisms. It is not currently possible to rank the risks posed by marine plastic pollution in the marine environment, so this research will aim to set a baseline for the future monitoring of southern oceanic microplastic pollution. Jon Sanders’ support for the research will offer vital information that may help preserve the ocean and marine environment. By helping with this research Jon is playing into his strengths: After I’ve spent two Wednesday afternoons playing pool down at the club, I start to feel that it’s time to go back to sea. He says. When sailing, Jon – whose mother Dorothy Lucie Sanders was an author – likes to keep himself busy writing a blog about his travels over the watery wilderness – follow his story here .
Justin Tyers • 17 October 2019
Bass Fishing and Boat Electronics
Bass fishing – the exciting, fast-growing sport which blends traditional techniques with electronic technology – has mostly been taken up by men …but South African national Leandri Language plans to rock the boat. She has just taken delivery of a fully-equipped Bass Fishing boat with which she intends to claw her way up to International Competition level. She’s just formed South Africa’s first ‘Ladies’ team: When competing in Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) events she fishes with her sister Nicole …and when she fishes in Ebass leagues her competition partner is Molly Roodt. Leandri Language and new teammate Molly Roodt What’s installed on her boat? Let’s have a look at her new boat. The Crackleback 500 is a five metre purpose-built bass boat fitted with a Mercury four-stroke 150HP outboard. That’s for getting between fishing grounds …but there’s also an electric trolling motor: a Motor guide Xi5 24 VDC Trolling motor, which delivers 80 lbs of thrust almost silently. As the name implies, the trolling motor is used whilst fishing. To find out where the fish are lying she has two Lowrance elite touch screen fish finders – one mounted on the console and another right on the bow. The Crickleback 500 Competition bass boats have to be fitted with a vivarium or ‘live well’ requiring constant aeration with a pump. This is because in competition fishing, only live fish can be presented at the weigh-in. It makes perfect sense to return all fish to the water to fight another day. Power for all Leandri’s equipment comes from a single 125Ah Super cycle AGM battery. Her 24V electric outboard motor is powered, separately, by two 60Ah Super AGM’s wired in series. Let’s see how these dissimilar battery banks can be charged conveniently… Battery Charging – on land and underway Shore-side charging of her battery banks is achieved by separate Blue Smart Chargers – one rated at 12V (for the engine cranking battery), and the other at 24V for the electric outboard. These seven-step Lead/Li ion compatible Smart Chargers can be interrogated by your phone or smart device allowing you to monitor the charge process, battery voltage, or to initiate a periodic reconditioning phase to keep your batteries in tip top condition. Charging is temperature-compensated, and an automatic Storage mode allows you to leave the charger connected to the battery indefinitely, without fear of damage. The IP65 (Ingress Protection) rating means that the charger is impervious to water spray – an IP67 version is available if the unit is likely to experience full water-immersion. The IP65 charger – designed for working environments There’s a really smart deck-socket available for connection to shore power – further enhancing the appearance of your boat …and allowing shore power be connected professionally between supply and your sub-deck boat electrics. These chromium plated sockets can be ordered on the shore power cable page of the Victron website. Boat Bling – a really smart shore power deck-socket By the way – some electric outboard motors are rated at 36VDC which presents an apparent difficulty when it comes to battery charging. There are almost no chargers on the market rated at 36V and those which are available come with a prohibitively high price tag. A cost-effective solution is to connect each of the three series-connected 12V batteries to a separate 12VDC Blue Smart-charger . Charging 12V and 24V Batteries …at the same time …on the water Leandri’s on-board battery-charging comes from a 12VDC Alternator rated at 80A. Her first battery – which as we mentioned is a 12VDC 125Ah Super cycle – is used for engine cranking, and also powers all 12 of her accessories …the fish-finders; the live-tank aerator pump and so on. Her second 24VDC battery bank consists of 2x 12V 60Ah, batteries wired in series, and is used only to power her electric trolling motor. She monitors the status of both battery banks using separate BMV 712 battery monitors – which not only work as a kind of fuel gauge for the batteries by showing how much power remains as a percentage …or how much time remains at the present output – but as you would expect from Victron electronics they will also show much more in-depth information about the voltage/ the current / historical use; together with low voltage alarms and automatic shutdown of non- essential loads …ensuring she always has enough power in the battery to start the engine. Voltage Percentage remaining Hassle-free; worry free: Leandri’s alternator is wired to charge both the 12V and the 24V battery at the same time – so charging is worry free. This is achieved by connecting the alternator to the starter battery; and then on to the 24V battery via a Buck-Boost DC – DC converter . The job of the Buck-Boost DC-DC converter is to receive 12VDC alternator output and convert it into a 24VDC supply for charging her second battery bank. Boats (or vans) with two battery banks – including dissimilar 12V and 24V battery banks – can also be charged using our new Orion DC-DC converter . This product was described in a recent blog post. Larger boats, fitted with two 12VDC battery banks – one for engine cranking, the other for service, will find it convenient to install one of our Cyrix battery combiners. This device will detect when your engine cranking battery (for example) has been re-charged, and then divert the charging current to the second battery bank. It works both ways – whilst charging the second bank, it will detect a voltage drop in the first bank (indicating that a load has been placed on it) and restore the charge current to the first battery. Reliable electronics will ensure you have a great fun on the water – and that you will always return safely to shore at the end of the day. Safely back on shore A note about Glass Bridge Integration… Early on in the development of our electronics for the Marine market we saw that the ability to integrate Victron products with third-party marine electronics using the NMEA 2000 communications protocol would herald a new era in terms of the value of the data available to the skipper. Years of work has resulted is plug-in compatibility with leading navigation systems – and the ability to read data straight from a glass-bridge Multi Function Display. You can read more information about the latest exciting developments in this field; the latest compatibilities; and cross-brand support by following the link. Leandri’s Boat Baptism Equipped with her new boat – towed behind a Toyota Hilux D4D double cab 4×4, -Leandri teamed up with her sister Nicole, to notch up their first win in an FLW competition recently on the Witbank dam, in Mpumalanga province, SA. Boat baptism Leandri and her sister Nicole went to fish the (to her) unfamiliar water the weekend before the competition in preparation. She wanted to mark some of the fish lies, and get a feel for the topography under her hull – generally do a bit of homework to get acquainted with the dam. A week later, with sixty fishermen on the water in 30 boats, a difficult day presented itself to all competitors. The water level had fallen by a metre so that all Leandri’s marks were now either too shallow to hold fish, or else they were actually dry! Add to that a severe depression earlier in the week which had brought with it cold temperatures and strong winds. That kind of meteorological event sends the fish into deeper waters; and they lose interest in feeding. Facing up to those challenges Leandri and Nicole had to start from scratch – rediscovering the grounds, and trying their luck with both Spinners, and Plastic lures until eventually they discovered what was ‘fishing’ that day …and at last began to retrieve enough fish to allow them to choose their best five to present to the judges at weigh-in. Their persistence paid off and they won the Ladies competition. Leandri and her sister Nicole Leandri, 24, is committed to becoming a world class competition bass fisher-woman. Victron is committed to helping make her mark in the exciting world sport of Bass Fishing. If you’d like to see how simple it is to install reliable power on your boat, this instructional video shows Gerrit Tromp – one of our sales manager in South Africa – demonstrating how it all comes together on a boat owned by Bass fisherman Marius Mostert. Have fun!:
John Rushworth • 15 October 2019
Cape Town International Boat Show & the Great Optimist Race
This weekend (Friday 18th to Sunday 20th October) is the 2019 Cape Town International Boat show . Taking place annually the show is South Africa’s premier boating and luxury lifestyle event, held at the V&A Waterfront. At the show Victron Energy will of course be exhibiting, based at stand no. M42. Also Victron Energy dealer PowerSol will be at stand no. M42. Tickets for the event are available here . In addition to a great range of Victron products on display, with professionals to answer your questions, the Great Optimist Race will be taking place again after a successful inaugural event in 2018. What is The Great Optimist Race? This charitable race is a result of Greg Bertish’s passion for sailing, his Optimist dinghy and his escape from reality. Infected by a rare tropical bacterium in 2001 at the age of 30, Greg spent over 200 days in hospital and underwent two open heart surgeries. The power of positive thought and the strength of the human spirit have helped him piece back his life and his lifestyle. In April 2016 Greg Bertish sailed an 8 foot children’s Optimist dinghy around the Cape of Storms. He crossed False Bay, rounded Cape Point and headed for Langebaan Lagoon on the wild west coast. His 200-kilometre journey matched the 200 days he had spent in hospital, whilst fighting life-threatening heart infections. He raised R300 000 towards a new Intensive Care Unit at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. He then went on to raise R1 million for a renovation of the entire exterior of the hospital. Greg Bertish is a big wave surfer and a South African Champion Lifesaver and Stand Up Paddle Boarder. He is an ambassador for the Children’s Hospital Trust and the National Sea Rescue Institute, and founder of the Shark Spotter Program. He has helped raise over R2 million for these charities to date. Greg Bertish is the founder and Ambassador of The Little Optimist Trust . The Great Optimist Race 2019 Around 45 Optimist dinghies are scheduled to compete in this year’s event on Saturday 19th October, starting at 12pm sharp. The fundraising is to benefit multiple charities in Cape Town – spreading the optimism and the good work across so many sectors. The funds raised by each boat will be split between The Little Optimist Trust and the charity supported by that boat. The format is as follows: Many of the Optimists are sponsored by a company. Most Optimists sail to raise money for a charity of their choice. A Minimum of 30 Optimists will be sailed by either a Survivor, a Champion of Industry or Celebrity as skipper. A number of celebrities will be involved again this year. They include: Scarra Ntubeni (Ace rugby player) Pippa Hudson (Cape Talk presenter) Craig Lucas (Musician) Majozi (Musician) Josie Borain (Supermodel and photographer) Riaan Manser (Explorer) Not to be outdone by the celebrities above Victron have their own colourful skipper for the race. His name is Chad Smith. Affectionately he is known as ‘The Chad’ or ‘Deep Chiller’. About Deep Chiller Chad is a surf and fitness coach, social enterprise manager, action man, and DIY guru – going from donor, to volunteer, to 9Miles Project boat skipper and staff member in the last 3 years. Chad’s love for the ocean and kids stem from his experiences in lifesaving, sea rescue, yacht building and youth leadership; which makes him the perfect mentor and role model for the children at the 9Miles Project He doesn’t have much sailing experience but has always loved swimming and being near the ocean, so it was a natural progression for him to get his Lifesaving training and accreditation at the age of 17. He also worked with Strandfontein NSRI and spent time on their boats on various training initiatives. After studying yacht and boat building he really developed a passion for sailing and yachting. Washing boats at the marina, working as a deckhand, and sailing vessels in commercials, just further strengthened that passion. “I developed a real love for these luxurious and masterfully crafted vessels, and marvelled at the things that they could do and the way that they harness the ocean. One of my biggest dreams is to build my own yacht someday which will allow me to sail the corners of the earth” – Chad Smith Chad’s love for the ocean, surfing, and children led him to volunteering, and then working full-time at the 9Miles Project, a non-profit organisation based in Cape Town which uses surfing as a catalyst to engage and empower vulnerable and at risk youth in coastal informal settlements. His background, coupled with his second job as a stuntman, actor and adventurer made him the logical choice for skipper of the 9Miles/Victron boat. Back the 9Miles/Victron boat in the 2019 Great Optimist Race Victron Energy and PowerSol are sponsoring Chad and the 9Miles Project race boat. The race takes place on Saturday 19th of October, during the Cape Town Boat show. This is one of the biggest charity events in Cape Town and we are proud to be associated with the 9 Miles Project . Our Skipper Chad has been practicing and getting use to his boat. Why not support them – Victron Energy/9Miles Project – https://www.backabuddy.co.za/ve-9miles-optimist Chad is totally dedicated to the 9Miles Project and spends all his free time helping the kids. Conclusion What a great event, history and range of charitable causes. Go on, why not Back Chad and our Boat if you can, and your donation will go towards the most worthwhile 9Miles Project. 9Miles Project is a registered non-profit organisation that was founded in Cape Town in 2013. The project works with youth in coastal informal settlements and provides mentoring and support to the at-risk youth in the areas of Cape Town, Elands Bay, and St Francis Bay. 9Miles Project website – https://9milesproject.org/ 9Miles Project on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/9MilesProject/ Back the Victron Energy/9Miles Project – https://www.backabuddy.co.za/ve-9miles-optimist John Rushworth Race day details & map
John Rushworth • 10 September 2019
Shackleton reaches Arctic Circle
On August 28th just over three months and 4,000km since their departure, Shackleton and her crew aboard the converted lifeboat Stødig have now crossed the line of latitude that marks the Arctic Circle. Their voyage so far has taken them via 7 countries, since leaving Newhaven in the UK – which we reported on in a previous blog . Having overcome engine troubles in the Baltic, Stødig and crew made steady progress north. Now they are only a month away from their destination Tromsø, which will be used as a base to explore Arctic Norway. Shackleton, a Duck Tolling Retriever, guards the converted lifeboat Stødig. Stødig is owned by two architects – Guylee Simmonds and David Schnabel, both aged 28. Theirs is an adventure of a lifetime. Accompanying them is Shackleton, Guylee’s Duck Tolling Retriever. Passing through Lysefjord One of many super photos of Shackleton and crew adventures, as Stødig passes through Lysefjord in southwestern Norway. More photos on Stødig’s Facebook page . One of the reasons Guylee and David have been able to take this extended adventure is they are both self employed. The speed (or lack of!) and sea conditions has often meant that whilst one is at the helm, the other can sit below and get stuck into some work. Stodig’s adventure is also a way to help raise funds for Hope Health Action , who provide life saving health and disability care to the world’s most vulnerable without discrimination. Guylee has been involved in their work in Haiti since 2009, most recently spending 18 months working there. Stodig at anchor, showing off her solar panels and curved windows. Stødig is equipped with solar and wind power, a composting toilet and generous space for both equipment and guests. Victron Energy equipment fitted: 1 x Color Control GX 1 x Battery Monitor BMV-700 3 x 1 x 12V/230Ah AGM Super Cycle Battery (Domestics) 1 x 12V/165Ah AGM Deep Cycle Battery (Starter) 1 x EasyPlus Compact 12/1600/70-16 1 x SmartSolar MPPT 150/60-Tr 1 x 25A Buck-Boost Conclusion Victron Energy and Barden UK are pleased to help with sponsorship of Victron equipment, for this unusual yet worthwhile and fascinating adventure. Here’s what Stødig’s crew had to say about the Victron products they use: “Now that we’ve reached the Arctic with more changeable weather and remote places to visit, our ability to live, work and explore from Stødig is all the more important. Our electrical systems enable us to stay off-grid for extended periods of time, whilst living comfortably and working remotely aboard our floating home. Our batteries and inverter are very reliable, maintenance free and coupled with the easy monitoring through the Color Control GX, – we are able to spend more time enjoying our surroundings and less time worrying about electrical systems.” John Rushworth Here’s what a few well known adventurers also have to say: MARK BEAUMONT adventurer & broadcaster – Stødig exemplifies a lot of things I am passionate about: adventure, self sufficiency, sustainability and a dogged determination to explore remote places in new ways. With Guylee and David’s design skills I am looking forward to seeing how they overcome the challenges facing them during the lifeboat’s conversion and how they can capture and share this entire odyssey. SIR ROBIN KNOX-JOHNSTON sailing maverick – Everyone should do something like this when they are young, this voyage should inspire others to take on their own challenges. Links Stødig Website – https://www.arctic-lifeboat.com Stødig on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/arcticlifeboat Stødig on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/arcticlifeboat Hope Health Action – https://hopehealthaction.org Barden UK – http://barden-uk.com
Justin Tyers • 05 September 2019
World Champion sailors strike Gold!
Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz – the Dutch World Champion sailors of the super-fast boat known as the 49erFX have won Gold Medals in the Hempel World Cup Series – in Sagami Bay, Enoshima, Japan. These waters will be the venue for next year’s Olympics. The present race reached its climax last weekend. 36 boats entered the competition in unsettled weather. Early on, some racing had to be cancelled owing to light winds – later, it was strong winds which caused some cancellations, and marked the rest of the competition. Happily, Bekkering and Duetz love strong winds! We practise a lot in these winds, and we are not afraid! Says Annette Duetz. By the final day of the event they were in first position on points, and needed to secure 4th-place-or-better from amongst the ten boats who had earned the right to contest the final medal race …in order to win gold overall. They may have been ahead on points – but so close was the gap between contestants that any of the final ten could have taken gold! In choppy conditions, at the gun, they began that final race in 6th place in a poor position at the back of a cluster of fast boats, all choosing the left side of the course. Bekkering and Duetz took an early decision to tack away from the leading pack, on their own, into the open water and clean air to the right. The race had four legs: upwind-downwind-upwind-downwind – by the first mark their decision had already helped them climb into fifth place. The danger as the boats flew downwind was that the bow would bury itself into the back of one of the steep waves being kicked up by a strong on-shore breeze, resulting in capsize. All teams, out on trapezes, must keep their weight at the back of the boat – standing on tip-toe – as their boats skim the water. A great turn at the second mark put Bekkering and Duetz into fourth place. Annette Duetz, on the foredeck, controlling speed, called out observations about the wind and water ahead, looking for early signs of wind shifts they are about to encounter …meeting those wind shifts with alterations to the set of the sails. If they don’t make any mistakes during the rest of the twenty-minute race, the gold medal might just be theirs. The pressure is on. Fighting for every inch, with a faultless turn onto the final downwind leg …followed by a perfect hoist-and-fill of the spinnaker – giving them a colossal 57m² / 600ft² total area of sail – got their boat skipping from wave to wave like a skimmed-stone. One final gybe – to bring them inside the committee boat – and they bounced over the finish line in fourth place to secure the premier result for the event – GOLD! Not shy of publicity – they tacked straight for the media boat to strike a victory pose! Their coach Alain Sign met them on the water for a victory chat. The hard-earned gold medal had been won. Victron Energy sponsors Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz, and the Dutch Olympic team. We’re proud to be a part of their success and send them our heartfelt congratulations!
Justin Tyers • 13 August 2019
Olympic sailors discover source of Sushi
World Champion sailors Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz take a break from the waters off Enoshima to discover Sushi. Pictured here with fellow Dutch 49erFX dinghy sailors Cecile Janmaat and Willemijn Offerman – they were in Japan for three weeks during July to begin their Olympic Campaign. The 2020 Olympics don’t take place for twelve months – yet such is the professional determination of the team that they plan to spend a lot of time at the Olympic location between now and next year – getting to know the water; the weather; and the topography. Bekkering points out the logic behind this: . ..if you build up your sailing experience in a location, you begin to know what you can expect from the wind, weather and current …and you can start to make a strategic plan for the day when it really counts. In the image below we glimpse famous Mount Fuji on the horizon. Mountains, plains, cities …any topographical features alter wind direction and speed in predicable ways (though at unpredictable moments), and so getting to know what can be expected in a location gives you an edge. Mount Fuji above the bow Annemiek Bekkering says she really appreciates having a whole year to focus on their Olympic Gold Medal bid. They have a new boat, sail and mast – so they can take all the time they need to try out the new boat and discover what combinations of rigging tension and mast bend is working well for them. Those combinations will be different for each team owing to body mass, and sailing style. You can’t materially change the hull or sail, of course, but you can set up the running-rigging to suit skipper and crew; and can change the position and shape of the sail by adjustments to the standing rigging. Working on those details makes your Olympic entry unique …and I got the impression I wasn’t going to get much information about that. Practical sailing rehearsals are ongoing of course – but I was surprised to learn that Mental Skills are practised just as hard. You can learn mental skills easily enough, but you have to keep practicing them just as you practice tacking. Annemiek told me. So every day there is something new to think about on the water- and where better to practice practice practice than Enoshima where the Olympic sailing events take place. Running into Enoshima with its distinctive tower Annemiek and team mate Annette were back home at the time of writing, but have left again, now, to spend another month on location. During the first week of December they will take part in the World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand ; and they will participate in a second World Championship event which takes place in Victoria, Australia , during the second week in February, 2020. Are you going to win? … I asked her. Yes. She said. I think it was the shortest answer she gave me. We – who seek to succeed – can all draw lessons from their Olympic bid: Focus on your one big goal – to the exclusion of all else. Sweat the little things – but focus only on today. Believe you will win. Victron Energy are proud to sponsor Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz – and the Dutch Olympic 49erFX sailing team. We’re excited to help them be the best Olympic athletes they can be …and to learn a little bit more about Sushi. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 25 July 2019
Let’s meet Leandri Language – Bass fisherwomen
Bass Fishing is a hugely popular, fast growing, multi-billion dollar sport. Bass are exciting to catch and they fight hard. Large-mouth Bass can grow to over 10kg – though only a couple of fish of that size have been caught in the last century. Farm girl, Leandri, 24, has been Bass fishing for almost twenty years. Her father began taking her to fish the local dam every Sunday from the age of five – she says she was immediately ‘hooked’. She became good at it, too. When her Mum and Dad opened a campsite four years ago near the De Hoop Dam in Mpumalanga South Africa – where a lot of the campers were bass fisherman – Leandri heard them telling fireside stories of competitions they had entered, and the tactics they had employed to win. Those tales sparked up an interest in competition Bass fishing and Leandri became determined to compete with the best …and to win in this male-dominated sport. In her first competition she came fifth out of sixty keen anglers. After finishing her education at North West University Leandri began her teaching career at Laerskool Roossenekal Primary School – first grade – where she has a class of 36 children. She loves her work and gets a lot out of giving the children in her care both an education and emotional support whenever they need it. Life for some of the children can be very tough – but she is determined to give them a great start in life. Last Christmas every child in her care got a teddy (knitted by Leandri’s Mum, Melinda) and a sweet. South African national, Leandri Language has set her sights on representing her country in a major international Bass fishing event – the biggest competitions take place in the USA. But you can’t just put your name down and enter at this level of the sport – there’s a kind of apprenticeship you have to go through and it takes about three-years just to take part in these competitions. The ‘apprenticeship’ involves working your way up through the ranks of Fishing League Worldwide regional competitions – regularly coming fifth or better to establish your professionalism, and your ability; or you can enter one of the Bass Master Clubs – by invitation only – and after a three-month acceptance period, wait a year and then offer to represent your club in regional competitions. With boat partner Tyron Mortimor – first EBASS event. You will also need your own specailized Bass boat – fitted with a live tank – so that fish can be caught-and-returned. State of the art boats are fitted with a lot of electrics – from silent trolling motors, to sound emitting fish attractors. There’s glass bridge instrumentation for depth sounders, fish finders, and navigational instrumentation …and you’ll need to be able to charge your phone and go-pro. A number of trolling motors run on 36VDC – so the boat’s power storage and recharging systems can get interesting – and we’ll take a look at that in the next Bass-Fishing blog, due in a month or so. Finally, you have to be willing to spend the time to drive out to competition events – which might take place hundreds of miles away, and be ready to fish at first light. So, as with all amateur sportsmen and women, there comes a stage at which you have to decide if this is really for you …if you can really dedicate yourself to your sporting passion. That’s the decision that Leandri has made. Arabie dam – off to try another spot As she establishes herself on the world Bass fishing stage her ambition is to open the sport up to like-minded women. ‘You sometimes see husband-and-wife teams, and there are a few women who take part – but there are no all-women teams that I know of.’ She says. She would like to be a role model, initiating all-women teams around the world. Large-mouth Bass Leandri will begin her bid by taking part in an EBASS tournament trial on February 1st, 2020 at the Mokolo dam; in the Fishing League Worldwide events starting in Mpumalanga in February 2020; and by taking part in divisional fishing competitions, representing a local club, she hopes, in August 2020. She’ll be doing all this in a Victron-sponsored boat. That boat is currently in-build and we look forward to showing you Leandri’s new boat, all liveried, and ready to take on the Bass fishing world! Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 09 July 2019
TU Delft Solar Boat Team – crowned World Champions at Monaco
During the Solar & Energy Boat Challenge 2019, at Monaco , the TU Delft Solar Boat Team became the World Champion Solar Boat racing Team on the open sea. The event took place on July 5th and 6th, and The TU Delft student’s success was all the more remarkable because they are the first Dutch team to race on the open water in a solar boat; and also because their attempt was hampered by setbacks which would have ended the dreams of a less dedicated team. Damage and setbacks We reported earlier an incident in which the team’s boat lost a hydrofoil whilst still back in their home waters of the IJsselmeer (a Dutch inland sea) during their last minute tests in preparation for the Monaco event. Later, during the event – having successfully completing the long-distance race on Friday – the team discovered damage to the electrical system around the solar panels. Olmar van Beurden, chief electrician, explains: “The damage was caused by internal heat. Unfortunately, this damage could not be fully repaired [in time for Saturday’s race]. To ensure that the boat was [not damaged further], and to guarantee the safety of the pilots, we decided to remove the solar panels from our boat and sail the Saturday race on the energy stored in the batteries.” It must have been a painful decision to enter their biggest race of the year knowing that they will have to fight with one arm tied behind their back. It is a tremendous result for the young team that they have achieved success against such odds. True grit The TU Delft Solar Boat Team – which consists entirely of students – wants to show that solar energy is also viable on the open sea. Kristian Ruiter, team manager, explains: “After all the setbacks, I would not have dared to dream that we would eventually become world champions. I am extremely proud of the team that we have continued despite everything and that this is ultimately rewarded with this fantastic result. ” Speed record The racing days were a huge emotional roller coaster for the team. On Friday the first race took place between Monaco and Ventimiglia (IT) over a distance of 30 km. Ruiter explains: “Due to excellent circumstances, a team that worked very well together and a perfectly functioning boat, we were able to achieve very high speeds and even set a boat record of 35 kmh.” Strategic challenge With the solar panels removed – relying solely on energy stored in the batteries – the 60 km long-distance race which took place on Saturday was a major challenge for the team. “This resulted in lower speeds and a major strategic challenge to match consumption and battery capacity. Nevertheless, I am extremely proud of our team that we have become world champions by sailing efficiently and putting everything in place, ”says Ruiter. The team crossed the finish line almost twice as fast as the competition, who were forced to recharge during the event. The TU Delft Solar Boat Team The TU Delft Solar Boat Team is made up of 28 students from ten different faculties at TU Delft. They are given one year to design, produce, test and then finally race their solar boat. Since its inception in 2005 the TU Delft Solar Boat Team have aimed to demonstrate to the maritime sector that it is possible to reduce emissions. Until last year the students only participated in inland waterway events. With this offshore race they have demonstrated what can be achieved on the open water, by a team of students, through the use of solar energy. They have much to celebrate. Victron Energy are proud to sponsor the TU Delft Solar Boat Team. We admire their ambition and their determination to succeed; and we believe it’s important to encourage young people to demonstrate what can be achieved with solar energy science. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 30 June 2019
TU Delft Solar Boat Team manage a crisis
The TU Delft Solar Boat Team – the young Dutch engineers with big ambitions for competitive solar boat racing – have been experiencing difficulties with their boat’s software for electronic management. Having solved those problems, and whilst out on the IJsselmeer water running tests, after only a short distance their craft hit an underwater obstruction and sustained severe damage – immediately ending further planned test-runs for the day. The incident happened with just 9 days to go before their most important competition of the year – the Solar & Energy Boat Challenge which takes place in Monaco, between the 2nd and 6th of July. Following an out-of-the-water inspection the damage was found to be quite extensive: in addition to a missing hydrofoil, there was impact damage to the propellor blades in a number of places. The severity of this setback would be sufficient to scupper the dreams of most people – but not TU Delft Solar Boat Team! In spite of the damage occurring little more than a week before their biggest event they are absolutely determined to take part in the race. Back at base the team have pulled-together remarkably and are working all waking hours to repair the damage – and to prove that no set-back is so great that it can stop a group of determined people. We none of us know what we are capable of achieving …until we try. With The Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge due to take place just two days from the time of writing – may we take this opportunity to wish all team members luck and success in their participation, and hope that their reward matches their effort. Victron Energy is proud to sponsor TU Delft Solar Boat team – and we gain much from their determination to succeed against all odds. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 20 June 2019
Sixth consecutive win for CLAFIS Victron Energy Solar boat team
World Champions CLAFIS Victron Energy Solar Boat Team have achieved a remarkable sixth consecutive win at the NK solar boat race held in Akkrum, Netherlands, on the first weekend in June. Endurance Race Over a sunny weekend the team boat completed the endurance part of the competition – a distance of 52 kilometres – in just over 1 hour 45 minutes. The team might have done even better, but because the race is held on public waterways, in Friesland, they were delayed twice – once waiting for a bridge to be raised; and again waiting for a sluice gate to be opened. Notwithstanding those hold-ups, CLAFIS crossed the finish line over an hour ahead of their nearest rival: Results Endurance: 1. CLAFIS Victron Energy Solar Boat Team 0.01:45:36 2. Dutch Solar Boat Team 0.02:53:31 3. TU Delft Solar Boat Team 0.03:15:20 4. Sunderbird Solarboot Team Emden 0.03:37:10 5. SDOG Racing Team 0.03:44:14 6. Solar Boat Twente DNF Relay race The second event of the weekend began on foot – a runner has to complete a 1500 metre race which ends by ‘tagging’ the solar boat. When he/she touches the boat, the pilot has one hour to complete as many laps of a course as possible. CLAFIS won this leg by completing 18 laps – two more than they managed last year, and five laps more than their nearest competitor. Sprint The final part of the competition for the team was a sprint – designed to find out what speed the boats can achieve – flat out – over a short course. CLAFIS achieved a top speed of 49.2kmh, completing this section in 33 seconds – putting them 11 seconds ahead of their nearest rival. These constantly good result are a credit to the team – for their relentless pursuit of improving the technology employed in their boat, their discipline, and their determination to stay ahead of the competition. They have very deservingly been crowned Dutch solar boat champion 6 times in a row. Sponsorship Victron Energy also sponsor fellow competitors TU Delft Solar Boat Team. Credit should go to these student engineers, too, for designing and building a brand new boat with which they achieved second and third places throughout the competition. Victron Energy is proud to sponsor both teams; to foster young engineering talent, and to support their endeavours in developing green energy solutions for tomorrow’s maritime transport. Justin Tyers
John Rushworth • 04 June 2019
Shackleton & Crew: 8 countries-3500km-5 months
It’s two weeks since Shackleton (pictured above) left Newhaven Marina , along with chaperone architects Guylee Simmonds and David Schnabel. In that time, since leaving the white cliffs of Dover to port, they have covered 475nm (880km) – passing through four countries and spending many hours on the go. Today there is some respite, as the team have just entered the sheltered waters of the Kiel Canal on their way to the Baltic. On the voyage so far there have been a few mishaps, small leaks and misjudgements – but they haven’t damaged anyone else’s boat, fallen overboard or got lost. So the first fortnight probably counts as a success! Where to now and why? Once into the Baltic it’s up the Danish and Swedish coasts, past Copenhagen and Gothenburg, before crossing the Skagerrak strait and heading north to Bergen, Norway. The team will then follow the route of the famous Hurtigruten ferry, passing up the fjords to Tromsø at 70 ° North. So what kind of vessel would you choose to travel from around 50 ° to 70 ° latitude? For expedition sailing one would likely choose a high-latitudes sailing yacht, but Shackleton’s owner Guylee, along with colleague David are architects – so a re-purposed lifeboat was obviously the logical choice. At some level this makes absolute sense… Once Stødig (meaning sound and steadfast) and crew arrive in Tromsø they’ll spend the winter there, making smaller coastal excursions, exploring the wild and isolated landscape. The purpose – to demonstrate the ability of design innovation to facilitate self sufficiency in an extreme environment and to document and share the adventure through photography and film. You can read more about the unusual voyaging vessel Stødig and her crew at: https://www.arctic-lifeboat.com Stodig’s adventure is in support of Hope Health Action , who provide life saving health and disability care to the world’s most vulnerable without discrimination. Guylee has been involved in their work in Haiti since 2009, most recently spending 18 months working there. Ferry to Fjords For now, until the next update, we’ll leave you with a few photographs of Stødig’s journey so far – as Shackleton, Guylee and David voyage onwards toward the Arctic Circle. Stødig has had a scenic life already. Built in 1997 in Norway by Norsafe, she spent her previous life as Clansman Lifeboat No.1, serving the Western Isles of Scotland aboard the CalMac ferry, MV Clansman. Originally designed to carry 100 people in a survival situation, she next incarnated as an Architect’s dream – an unsinkable and spacious blank canvas. A blank canvas begins to take form…the redesign to include two forward cabins, a kitchen and dining area, bathroom, bunk beds and stern cockpit. Stødig and crew – Shackleton with chaperones Guylee Simmonds and David Schnabel. Nearly ready… Underway at last… Leaving England… Shackleton (a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever) guards the Victron Energy power equipment. Victron Energy equipment fitted: 1 x Color Control GX 1 x Battery Monitor BMV-700 3 x 1 x 12V/230Ah AGM Super Cycle Battery (Domestics) 1 x 12V/165Ah AGM Deep Cycle Battery (Starter) 1 x EasyPlus Compact 12/1600/70-16 1 x SmartSolar MPPT 150/60-Tr 1 x 25A Buck-Boost Last day in the Netherlands, before making their way up to the Frisian Islands and Norderney (one of the East Frisian Islands off the North Sea coast of Germany). Conclusion Victron Energy and Barden UK are pleased to help with sponsorship of Victron equipment, for this unusual yet worthwhile and fascinating adventure. We’ll keep you updated… John Rushworth Here’s what a few well known adventurers also have to say: MARK BEAUMONT adventurer & broadcaster – Stødig exemplifies a lot of things I am passionate about: adventure, self sufficiency, sustainability and a dogged determination to explore remote places in new ways. With Guylee and David’s design skills I am looking forward to seeing how they overcome the challenges facing them during the lifeboat’s conversion and how they can capture and share this entire odyssey. SIR ROBIN KNOX-JOHNSTON sailing maverick – Everyone should do something like this when they are young, this voyage should inspire others to take on their own challenges. Links Stødig Website – https://www.arctic-lifeboat.com Stødig on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/arcticlifeboat Stødig on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/arcticlifeboat Hope Health Action – https://hopehealthaction.org Barden UK – http://barden-uk.com
Justin Tyers • 30 May 2019
TU Delft Solar Boat ‘baptised’ by Laura Dekker
The TU Delft Solar Boat Team – who cherish the long term-goal of changing the way we cross oceans – have just ‘launched’ their competition trimaran with which they hope to win the Solar Boat Race in Monaco …and then go on to break the solar speed record for crossing the English Channel. They’ve chosen to design and built a trimaran for stability – and also because the vessel’s overall dimensions – of 8metres long, and 6 wide – offers sufficient deck space to accommodate a 28m² solar array …which, they point out, provides enough power to boil three kettles at once. Not that there will be much time for drinking tea: In addition to being able to cope with the rough and tumble of offshore conditions, their vessel has wings which enable the three hulls to lift out of the water and ‘fly’ on hydrofoils. – considerably reducing drag. At the kinds of speeds for which their vessel is intended all concentration will be required to meet the demands of the sea. Presumably to emphasise the extraordinary scope of their ambition, the team chose to have their boat ‘launched’ by solo round-the-world-yachtswomen, and Dutch national, Laura Dekker . Laura’s name will be familiar to many of us for her own perseverance and determination in becoming the youngest sailor in the world to achieve a circumnavigation – setting off on her voyage at the age of fourteen. So precociously ambitious was she, that she first had to win her battle with the authorities in order to be allowed to embark on her 50,000 km voyage. Baptising the boat Dekker said: just like me, the TU Delft Solar Boat Team also received some skewed eyes when they announced their project. It would be impossible and crazy work, certainly at such a young age. And at that time it was of course impossible, just as many people thought it would be impossible for a 14-year-old girl to sail around the world. In response TU Delft Solar Boat Team say that this is exactly what inspires our team to win the world championship for solar boats in Monaco next summer – which consist of two legs sailing between France and Italy – and then to break the world record by crossing the Channel as the fastest solar boat in the world. Victron Energy is proud to sponsor TU Delft Solar Boat Team, and to encourage young engineering talent. We look forward to bringing you more news as TU Delft Solar Boat Team take on the challenges they have set themselves in their eight metre, three-man craft. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 20 May 2019
Annemiek and Annette qualify for the Olympic Games 2020
Remarkable World Champion Dutch sailing duo Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz put in an extraordinary performance at the 49erFX racing which has just been held in Weymouth, UK – this weekend …pulling victory from the very jaws of defeat! The odds were really stacked against them at the start of this event …but their experience and professionalism provided us with a nail-biting spectacle! Imagine competing against 56 boats and knowing that in order to hang on to your dream of taking part in next year’s Olympic’s you’ll need finish 3rd, or higher. So consistently had the Brazilian team performed throughout the competition that they were assured of a Gold medal whatever happened to them in the final. For Silver and Bronze, however, six boats were in contention – the fight was going to be hard, and the gloves were off. Having secured an excellent position on the start line Ned 1 (the Dutch boat) got away fast with clean air and Gold-placed Brazil chasing them hard. They turned at the first buoy having built a ten second lead over the Brazilians and Great Britain in 3rd. The downwind leg saw the Dutch pair execute a perfect gybe with beautiful athleticism. But being ahead of the pack brings its own danger: When they get excited both Annemiek and Annette tend to go quiet – and lose concentration – it was then that Annemiek called: “Please keep talking…” that brought them back into the race mentally and they continued to verbalise their observations, and to supply each other with positive feedback. Crouching before the mast Annette played the spinnaker to increase their lead by the next mark …but a great piece of tactical racing by the Norwegian team took advantage of a 20° windshift during the following upwind leg forcing ‘Ned 1’ into second place. Silver will do nicely… and all the girls had to do was defend their wind-lane (where the boat behind you has the advantage of taking your wind) and hang on to their position. Keeping us on the edge of our seat, requiring one last gybe within metres of the finish line – an adrenalin-fired manoeuvre which saw skipper Bekkering throwing herself out on the trapeze to prevent a capsize – and shot over the line for Silver. Their performance so far this year brings home the silver trophy from Weymouth; makes them European Champions; and Oh! …did I mention that they’ve qualified to represent the Netherlands in the 2020 Olympic games – to be held in Tokyo? Credit : Lloyd Images After an extremely frustrating competition last month Annemiek and Annette teach us that Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising each time we fall. Victron is proud to sponsor Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz, together with the rest of the Netherlands 49erFX top team fleet. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 07 May 2019
It’s all hands on deck for the TU Delft Solar Boat team 2019
For the first time the TU Delft Solar Boat Team is developing a solar boat for the sea. It will be a trimaran, capable of crossing the ocean on solar energy. With this boat, the team plans to win the world solar boat championship in Monaco this summer, and then attempt to break a world record by crossing the English Channel as the fastest solar boat in the world. Before TU Delft Solar Boat Team can engage in this battle, they have to build their boat. Production began a couple of months ago. Since then, their office has been almost empty! The whole team is focused on producing the parts in order to assemble the boat. Most members work in the D:Dreamhall – their home base. The Vehicle Dynamics department is milling and turning parts of the driveline and components for the steering system in their own workshop. The Electronics department is employed in soldering and manufacturing parts like the circuit-boards. The software for the boards is written by the team members and tested continuously. Elsewhere some of the team – in particular the Hull & Body department – is working to build the three hulls at their production location in Emmeloord. There, they have use of the necessary space to work, and are assisted by the extensive experience of professionals from corporations, who are helping to perfect the hulls. In another corner of the Netherlands, Medemblik, some team members are producing the front hydrofoils. The expertise found at all these production locations from their partner companies is crucial for producing high quality parts in a short period of time. Help and guidance for which the TU Delft team is very grateful! Hard but exciting work lies ahead as everything comes together. Working long days and sometimes even longer nights, the team is making progress, and getting better at collaborating. When the parts are produced, assembly can begin – then they can begin testing and fine-tuning …working toward the moment the team has been waiting for: competing in the World Solar Boat Championships in Monaco which takes place between the 2nd and 6th July …and then making an attempt to break the world record by crossing the English Channel as the fastest solar boat in the world! Victron is proud to sponsor the TU Delft Solar Boat Team, and to encourage young engineering talent. Justin Tyers.
Justin Tyers • 30 April 2019
Dutch Sailing Triumph
Van Aanholt and Jongens take gold whilst World Champion sailors Bekkering and Duetz had a frustrating few days at the 49er FX series held in Genoa last week. By the final ‘medal’ race of the Genoa event it was still far from clear who the medal winners would be – but Dutch team Odile Van Aanholt, and Marieke Jongens had notched up consistently fast performances in the conditions. Of the ten boats on the start line, five of them were in contention to take Gold from the points already earned in earlier heats. In this final race, and in flukey winds of about 6 knots, Odile and Marieke’s was one of only three boats to break out to the right hand side of the course – a tactic which quickly paid dividends as a wind shift of 20° arriving moments later favoured their group. ©PEDRO MARTINEZ/SAILING ENERGY/WORLD SAILING By the time they turned at the first buoy Van Aanholt and Jongens were in the lead ahead of Americans Roble and Shea by a single boat length – but a clumsy turn by the Americans soon increased that lead to five-lengths – which the Dutch Pair not only held onto but increased as they sailed downwind on the homeward leg of the course – eventually finishing twenty seconds ahead of their nearest rivals. So tight had been the racing at Genoa that as the pair crossed the line, it was still unclear whether it was enough to secure them gold – that would not be known until the rest of the fleet crossed the line to claim their own positions. But win Gold they did! Many congratulations to Van Aanholt and Jongens. ©TOMAS MOYA/SAILING ENERGY/WORLD SAILING Forty-nine teams from over twenty countries competed in this selection event where tactics were the key to success, and lighter crews found themselves at an advantage. I say ‘selection’ event because many countries use the world series as an opportunity for their sailors to earn a place at the Olympics – which will take place in Tokyo, 2020. The Dutch team Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz – current World Champions – fought hard to secure a place in the top ten. The challenge is to be first across the start line and straight into clean air from where they can dominate the field, but in difficult conditions – with so little wind that races had to be postponed, and some race days were lost completely – the pair found themselves on the back foot having made poor starts. ©PEDRO MARTINEZ/SAILING ENERGY/WORLD SAILING Bekkering and Duetz are used to pressure, however. ‘It is what it is,’ says skipper Annemiek Bekkering, ‘and we just move on to the next event fighting hard.’ The Netherlands has four national 49erFX teams and makes their Olympic team selection process on a points basis. Only by setting up fierce competition between its national hopefuls can the team most likely to secure an Olympic medal be sent forward. The next selection event will be the European Championship to be held in Weymouth, UK, between the 13th and 19th of May. Bekkering and Duetz will need to finish the Weymouth event in the top three to stand a chance of representing their country in Tokyo. And they will need to keep cool heads now that Van Aanholt and Jongens have shown their colours. ©JESUS RENEDO/SAILING ENERGY/WORLD SAILING Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 09 April 2019
Annemiek and Annette are ready to take on the world
We’re getting so excited in the run-up to this year’s Sailing World Series – the first event of which is to be held in Genoa, Italy between April 15th and 19th. Victron family sailing stars Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz – the current World Champions of that super-fast racing dinghy known as the 49er FX – will be fighting it out with the world’s best competitors in this year’s international events …and hoping to secure their opportunity to represent The Netherlands in next year’s Tokyo Olympics. Let’s hear how they have been preparing… Skipper Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz have been keeping their powder dry. They attended last week’s Princesa Sofia Regatta in Palma in the Balearic Islands but left early: ‘is everything OK?’ fellow competitors wanted to know, when they saw them packing up …but this is all part of the plan. Palma has been a warm up event for them; this year Bekkering and Duetz have their eyes fixed firmly on two pathway-to-the-Olympic events in 2019 – April’s event in Genoa, and the European Championship – to be held in Weymouth, UK, in May. The duo have got a plan – and they’re working it. Bekkering and Duetz, who have been sailing together for about six years, have once again been training hard all winter, practising their boat-handling skills, and polishing their teamwork. (There’s a lesson there for all of us who aspire to greatness!) They’ve been trying out combinations of sail, boat, and mast; and have come up with a combination they like. They’ve been agreeing tactics, and they’ve been improving their communication so that when a situation arises on the water, they spot it early and both know what they’re going to do about it. They know what their boat is capable of, and after all this practice their orchestrated response to wind and water is both instinctive and immediate. Preparation is only part of the story: On a race day they look at the weather forecast, the course, and the water – and from that information they decide a strategy for the day. Plans need to be flexible, too – so that if an unexpected opportunity arises mid-race Annemiek might choose to play one of her ‘Jokers’! (She says that she and Annette have agreed that she’s allowed one Joker per race – but sometimes plays two!) The women race well together: Annette will frequently make in-race suggestions, too, and the key to their success is that they know each other so well, that they have spent so many days on the water together, and they think so much alike. Equally uncompromising – they both pour energy into perfecting their craft; and they’re both as-keen-as-mustard for success. Those are the qualities which have made them World Champions. But they cannot rest on their laurels – they have to fight to stay at the top; fight to represent The Netherlands in the 2020 Olympics …for there are three other Dutch 49er FX teams snapping at their heels, trying to depose them …that’s why world-class sport is so competitive – that’s what a Nation needs to do in order to present its best athletes at World events. Victron Energy is proud to sponsor the entire National women’s team of Olympic 49er FX hopefuls – whose ages range between 19 and 30 – and who train under the banner the NED High Performance team . The older members of the group pass on their experience to the younger members. L-R: Annemiek, Annette, Willemijn and Marieke When they are ashore the women are the best of friends – loving nothing more than to play together. Yet out on the water that changes – each team is fighting to be the best in their country – the best in the world …and they don’t take prisoners. The Netherland’s four top partnerships sailing the 49er FX are: Dewi Couvert and Tess Wilschut Odile van Aanholt and Marieke Jongens Willemijn Offerman and Cecile Janmaat Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz Together with team coaches – Alain Sign and Harvey Hillary With all this competitive spirit there is a really exciting racing season ahead and we look forward to bringing you news of the racing action in Genoa whilst it’s still wet with salt-water. Justin Tyers Headline photograph also by Richard Langdon / Ocean Images. All photos by courtesy of the Watersportverbond
Justin Tyers • 02 April 2019
Impossible to leave Mexico?
Impossible Robotics – the Dutch engineering students whose team competes in the FIRST Robotics challenge have completed the Mexican leg of their journey, and received some great hospitality along the way. FIRST organisation seeks to generate cross cultural cooperation whilst encouraging an interest in the sciences among young people. Each team becomes ambassadors for their country – Let’s find out what Team 5412 have been up to: The Mexican team Panteras were excellent hosts – collecting Impossible Robotics at the airport, and laying on a tour of Mexico City; a second Mexican team Nautilus providing accommodation with one of the team’s ‘Mum’s’! After a cultural tour of the city – with its 22 million people – and sampling authentic street food – it was time for the competition. Their robot which had been dismantled for transport had to re-assembled – a pretty thorough customs inspection had resulted in everything being in the wrong place. Last minute help from their team mates with the re-build and with the loan of a team-player saw them rising through the ranks during the eleven qualification matches. After a difficult start in 26th position the team were happy take control of their robot and climb to position 12. A respectable performance on day two saw the team picked for the playoffs, and they were very satisfied to have made it that far. During the award ceremony which concluded the event the team were delighted to win the Industrial Design Award. This prize is given for the most professional-looking robot-build. The team will take away great memories and gratitude for the support of team Panteras, and team Nautilus …and their thanks to the games Regional Director, Babara Gomez and her colleagues. It’s been a tight schedule with never enough time for sleep – but when you fly across the Atlantic to be with new friends there’s so much to do. A twenty-four hour drive, and the next round of the competition takes place in Bayou. We look forward to hearing news. Victron Energy is proud to sponsor Impossible Robotics as they participate in the FIRST games. Victron believe in encouraging young people to explore science, and to be the best they can be. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 14 March 2019
Sunny days ahead for the TU Delft Solar Boat team
We at Victron have recently extended our sponsorship to include a hard-working team of young scientists who are building a solar-powered hydrofoil. In addition to the annual Dutch solar boat race at Akkrum, they’ve set themselves some exciting goals for 2019 – let’s meet the team. We asked Redmer Aarnink – who acts as Exposure Manager for the team – to tell us about the project and their 2019 schedule: The TU Delft Solar Boat Team was founded by students from the TU Delft to train engineers by working on a highly innovative and professional project. We also want to raise awareness of sustainability in the Maritime sector. Since the inception of the project in 2005 there has been a new team almost every year who have designed, built and participated in a number of international competitions for Solar Boats using their own project-built craft. The 28 student members of the 2019 team began work last August and have so far created a unique design and begun production of the first ever offshore Solar Boat in the team’s history. We will be the first Dutch- and the first student-team ever to participate in the Monaco Offshore challenge. This means that we will have to sail 93 km on the open seas, from Monaco to Cannes and back. Our boat will also be the first ever solar-powered, foiling trimaran. Most of the team work full-time on this project which runs from the calendar year August 2018 until August 2019. We have two main goals this year. In addition to our participation in the world championship for Solar Boats in Monaco, which takes place at the beginning of July, we will also attempt to set a world record, the following month, by being the fastest solar boat ever to cross the English Channel. We at Victron Energy wish the team every success in their ambitious plans and look forward to bringing you news as it happens – particularly the exciting launch day which is planned for mid May! Here it is at the design stage. You can follow the team’s progress – through designing, production and racing their offshore solar boat – on social media! Instagram Twitter Linkedin This TU Delft video shows the standard of achievement to which previous teams have attained: Thank you to TU Delft for providing all visuals which are reproduced with their permission. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 07 March 2019
Is it Impossible: uniting the world’s youth across borders?
Impossible Robotics – the Dutch student/inventors who compete in the global FIRST Robotics Competition – have learned that Science can solve humanity’s problems when the world’s youth work together. That ethos lies at the heart of the FIRST organisation which is a not-for-profit charity fostering a global interest in science amongst young people, whilst encouraging teamwork and competition in an environment of mutual respect … Gracious Professionalism . Impossible Robotics are living that philosophy, and this year have devised a schedule which demonstrates it powerfully: In March, FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team 5412, otherwise known as Impossible Robotics from the Netherlands, will be competing as the only International FRC team in the Mexican FRC Regional …the first time this has happened. The event will be held in March in Mexico City with 26 Mexican teams taking part. After the event Impossible Robotics will travel by bus with Mexican FRC team 2283, Panteras on a symbolic journey across the Mexican/US border to attend the next stage of the competition – the Bayou Regional – where the two teams will join forces …competing together as one. The Mexican/US border has been in the news a lot lately, and not in a positive way, so the two teams are delighted to make this gesture in the interests of international harmony. “ FIRST isn’t so much about robots, but about culture, cooperation and the youth from around the Globe working together crossing lines in the sand”; says the team spokesman Henk van der Wal. This is the fifth season that Impossible Robotics are competing in a FIRST event. Previous successes include winning First Place for Inspiration; forming a second Dutch FRC team; earning the right to represent the Netherlands twice at the FIRST Global Challenge event – in the USA, and in Mexico; …and winning awards along the way. FIRST encourage teams to organise outreach work to further encourage an interest in science among young people around the world: Impossible Robotics say: “What we are even more proud of is the fact that we can manage to build a working robot within six weeks with inexperienced Middle Schoolers from seven different schools and we have attended over one hundred outreach events over the last four years, inspiring thousands of children with our robots and stories about our adventures.” “Our fifth season is going to be a very special one; they tell us: For the first time we will be competing in two FRC Regionals back to back. We were impressed by the Mexican hospitality and their passion for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and the FIRST program …so we decided to return to a Mexican FRC Regional, in addition to the Bayou Regional we will be attending.” In the true spirit of the games, Impossible Robotics say that they have seen an opportunity to become: “International Ambassadors for the Mexican FIRST Community to show our appreciation and to inspire other International teams to follow over the next seasons. Needless to say we are thrilled and looking forward to this event.” Well done to the team. We at Victron Energy sponsor Impossible Robotics . We’re excited about the work they are doing and look forward to hearing reports of their progress in this year’s competition; and more stories of cross-border diplomacy in the name of harmony and compassion. You can follow Impossible Robotic’s journey on Facebook and Twitter. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 28 February 2019
Introducing World Champion sailor Annette Duetz
2019 has scarcely begun – and yet we can already bring you the news that world-champion sailers Annette Duetz and Annemiek Bekkering have triumphed in their first competition of the season! More on that below… but this is an exciting year for the sailors as they bid to represent their country in the 2020 Olympics. In previous blogs about the duo we’ve learned a little bit about Annemiek – so before this year’s action gets fully underway let’s meet Annette: 25 year old Annette shares accommodation with her sister and friend in Amsterdam. In spite of the fact she didn’t grow up near the sea, she inherits her interest in boats from her parents who are themselves keen sailors of the 470 Class of dinghy – a craft in which they both competed at the very highest level of the sport …Annette’s mother Marion Bultman took part in the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988. Childhood holidays in a lakeside house in Friesland allowed Annette to spend weekends and summer holidays on the water whenever the weather was good, sailing together with her older sister Carolien . When the girls outgrew the performance capabilities of their Optimist and Splash, it was time to have some fun with the super-fast, directionally-unstable, 29er! ‘At last – a cool boat!’ Annette remembers thinking …even though in the early days of learning to sail that boat they spent a lot of time swimming! The time had come to get some proper training – and it was then that Annette’s sailing career really began. By the time Carolien went to University, the girls had learned to handle their flighty boat – but it was a new partnership with her friend Max that taught her about sailing strategy . Her new skills eventually earned her a Bronze medal at the ISAF (now World Sailing ) youth world championship …which was her first big win. Annette began trying the 49erFX – the boat she now sails with partner Annemiek Bekkering – in 2012. Once the two sportswomen had sailed together – they decided to stick together …finding that the arrangement ‘ worked our pretty well ‘. (That kind of modesty is typical from the formidable world champions we so much enjoy watching – Annette and Annemiek!) As mentioned in the introduction, this year they have already won both stages of the Portugal Grand Prix (14th – 17th February). The conditions were so rough and windy that the first day of racing was cancelled. The following three days saw 36 teams taking to the water as big waves rolled in – and still plenty of wind. These are the conditions that Annette and Annemiek like best. They have had plenty of experience in boisterous seas and put it to good use – particularly on day three – smoothly controlling their craft over the waves, and managing to avoid capsize in strong winds on each turn to win both stages. ‘It was a real adventure!’ Says Annette. When she is not on the water training or competing; Annette is studying for a master’s in Applied Physics. Enough said. We at Victron are proud to sponsor both Annette, and her teammate Annemiek, and look forward to hearing more about the exciting schedule of competitions they have lined up for the 2019 season – next up: a training regatta in Palma in March. Stay tuned! Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 20 February 2019
Speed Skating: Friesland club slides into first, second AND third place
There was a remarkable result in the 500 metre event of the 2019 World Junior Speed Skating Championship which took place in Baselga Di Piné, Italy, last Friday – a single club claimed all three podium places! Gold, Silver and Bronze medals went to skaters from the Dutch club Gewest Fryslan; and the stars of the show were Femke Beuling (Gold); Femke Kok (Silver) and Michelle de Jong (Bronze). The Netherlands began the competition as favourites to win the Ladies’ heats and certainly didn’t disappoint in that event – denying all other countries a place on the podium! Nineteen year old Femke Beuling is riding particularly high – in achieving first place she has also recorded a personal fastest-time of 38.38 seconds for the 500 metre distance. At these energy-bursting events split-second timing is everything and all three winners crossed the line with less than half a second between them: Eighteen year old Femke Kok coming in 0.25 seconds later to claim silver; and nineteen year old Michelle De Jong 0.16 seconds after that. ©International Skating Union (ISU) Michelle de Jong The 500 metre race is so quick that even when you are ahead you never really know you will win until you cross the finish line – so says Gold medallist Femke Beuling; ‘…the most dangerous part of the race is going into the second corner …you are at full speed and need to get the right line – so you don’t have time to think of anything else anyway’. She says she has never heard of three contestants from the same club taking all three spots on the podium in an international competition – but what makes the achievement even more special is that the 500 metre event isn’t one to which the Dutch teams, historically, contribute particularly notable performances, she explains. It’s in the longer events that the Dutch are feared. Dutch Junior speed skaters are a formidable force: since Junior Speed Skating (under 21) became an international sport in 1974 the Netherlands have taken 77 Gold medals competing alongside 20 Nations. The careers of these young skaters is shaping up nicely – Michelle De Jong went on to win the 1000 metre event the following day, with Femke Kok gliding into second place less than half a second behind. And as if to prove Femke Beuling right about Dutch success with the longer distances – in the 1500 metre event Femke Kok took first place. Neither was that Femke Kok’s first gold in the 1500: just three months ago, attending her first ever big event – the World Cup for Juniors in Poland – she returned with three gold medals, winning the 1000m; 1500m; and Team Sprint events. ©International Skating Union (ISU) Femke Kok Our applause cannot pass without acknowledging the work of trainer/coach Wouter van der Ploeg – who accompanied the contestants to Italy and witnessed their win – and also all the hard-working staff at Gewest Fryslan. Victron Energy sponsors the skating club Gewest Fryslan – where Beuling, Kok and De Jong train – and here at Victron we are all very proud of their performance. Wouter has also provided us with the photograph from the podium. Thank you. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 11 December 2018
World Champion prepares to defend her title…
After a month’s relaxation from a sailing season which saw Annemiek Bekkering and her crew Annette Deutz become world champions in that super-fast dinghy, the 49erFX, it’s straight back to training. A gruelling winter schedule has been planned, and finds the Netherland Olympic hopefuls in Cadiz, on the Atlantic coast of Spain. Most people who visit Cadiz during November go for a glimpse of winter sun, and perhaps to admire the relics of maritime trade which stretches back for thousands of years. Annemiek and her team go for a workout, and to find a bit of wind and rough water. Constant training is the key to achieving success in any discipline. Annemiek has her eye on defending her World Champion title next year …and is ambitious to qualify for a place in the Olympics to be held in Tokyo in 2020. 2019’s racing season begins in March with the Princesa Sofia regatta (30th March – 6th April) which takes place in Palma and is immediately followed by the two big competitions of the year: The World Cup in Hyeres, on France’s Mediterranean coast to be held late April 2019; …and the European Championships to be held in Weymouth, UK in mid May. Among Annemiek and her Dutch colleagues, the team producing the best performance at these two events will go on to represent the Netherlands in the Olympic competition in Tokyo. So what is on Annemiek’s mind as she, and her crew Annette Duetz, prepare for the important year ahead? Mainly it’s about improving skills, she says – both with regard to boat handling – but also with a focus on brilliant communication between Annemiek and her crew Annette Deutz. Communication is vital to producing the choreography of movement we see breathtakingly performed whilst gybing their boat at speeds of up to 30 knots! At this top level there’s simply no room for mistakes. Annemiek says the endless training has the aim of ‘making sure your weaknesses are good enough to win races’. Yet there is more to it than great boat-handling: the ability to spot imminent changes to the wind or water and deciding to change your plan to take advantage of those new conditions may prove to be instrumental in winning a race …if you’re brave enough to strike out from the rest of the pack! It’s a gamble – but that’s the fighting spirit which keeps us on the edge of our seats! Victron Energy is proud to sponsor Annemiek Bekkering, and to nurture young talent. We look forward to following her through the thrills and spills of the coming season. Justin Tyers
John Rushworth • 13 November 2018
Losing Sight of Shore – The film
It’s that time of year in the northern hemisphere maritime climate areas, where many sailors put their boats to bed for winter and dream of next year’s adventures. Or maybe your sailing days are just youthful dreams or conversely all but over and you simply delight in the exploits of others, safely from your armchair! I fall into the latter category these days and thanks to Johannes Boonstra he reminded me of the blog series I did about Doris and her adventures – plus the fact there’s also a film about her and the Coxless Crew available on Amazon and iTunes . Got an armchair or just need to be awed – do watch LOSING SIGHT OF SHORE! Synopsis “LOSING SIGHT OF SHORE follows the extraordinary journey of four brave women known as the Coxless Crew that set out to row the Pacific Ocean from America to Australia unsupported. As they row over 8,000 miles during their nine months at sea, they face extreme mental and physical challenges they must overcome in order to go down in history. This is a story of perseverance, friendship, and the power of the human spirit. Everyone has a Pacific to cross.” Trailer Here’s the trailer to give you a taste, in case you don’t have immediate access to the streams above. Statistics Apart from the incredible tenacity of the Coxless Crew, here’s a few stats to put the challenge in perspective. First attempt aborted Doris is a 29ft, 1 ton rowboat 257 days at sea 8,579 miles rowed Conclusion Whilst the film has been around for some time, it seems worthwhile to remind folk of its existence and (now I know the details) to say why the initial attempt had to be aborted. As you may recall from the blog series , Victron sponsored part of the solar system onboard and that system failed. It’s not that there was anything wrong with the components (Solbian & Victron), it was the installation itself that caused the system to stop working due to water ingress. That meant the Coxless Crew had to turn around to get it fixed in Santa Barbara, resulting in 16 days lost. It’s heart breaking stuff to watch, but thanks to teamwork everything was sorted and the girls set out once more across the Pacific. This just goes to show how solar and battery power has become essential for sailors, especially in challenges and emergencies such as those experienced by the Coxless Crew and respectively the ongoing Golden Globe reenactment race . The moral of this blog has to be – use the sailing off-season as yet another opportunity to check and double check your safety gear and systems – or maybe it’s time to upgrade old systems. If you do, all the latest kit in the world won’t help if it’s not installed perfectly in the first place! John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 26 September 2018
STEPSOVER World Tour – A helping hand
It’s almost a year ago today that we published the blog – Globetrotting with Victron Energy . Things have certainly moved on since then for Simone Monticelli (Simo), Lucia Gambelli (Lucy) and their Victron equipped globetrotting truck, Valentino – named after possibly the most famous GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) motorcycle racer, Valentino Rossi. To date this intrepid couple and their 4×4 supertruck have over 500 days of travel with 13 countries crossed and 3 different continents under their belts – as this map shows. Upgrades A few months ago Simo got in touch with me about the possibility of some Victron upgrades and a little sponsorship. It took seconds to say yes to this enthusiastic couple. Passionate about Victron kit and with the fantastic photos they post – it was hard to say no! Here then is the first in a series of blogs by Simo about their travels and what makes their globetrotting tick. A selection of photos too… John Rushworth Why our equipment and choices are so important for us Independence and budgeting Over five hundred days ago we left Italy in order to start our journey. At the time we knew our travels would last, but not take us as far as they already have. What we did know back then is we would leave Italy and our first destination would be Morocco. Beyond such initial certainties we only knew that our truck would become our new home for some years. Argentina wasn’t even on the agenda back then. Argentina – Montagna. Trying to work along the way, to finance our journey, it has been important to calculate a daily budget that we must try to respect. The way you prepare a vehicle for independence, that is also a home on wheels, is important for not only comfort but equally for the daily budget. Additionally we have to consider that turning a truck into a four-wheeled house, ready to face a hypothetical tour of the world, means that both the vehicle and the owner/s must be ready for anything. Argentina – Salar de Arizaro. Off the beaten track We have always been passionate about off-road vehicles, remote locations and generally inaccessible places – but above all the most important thing for us in such locations is independence and self-sufficiency. For us also it is important to forgot the typical situations of a conventional overland trip, i.e. camping or rest areas. Staying for a few weeks in solitude in the desert, in the steppe or wherever we want to park is an essential prerogative of our journey, so the vehicle has to be set up accordingly. Victron equipped. Today as I write we are in Perù, far from Senegal, the country from which we first presented ourselves to the Victron Energy blog a year ago. Actually we have been travelling for about a year and a half and from the day of our departure we have crossed: Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia and finally Peru, the country where we are now. Here’s a selection of photos from these areas. Bolivia – Panatanal region. Bolivia – alone on the road. Chilly in Chile… Bolivia – Salar de Uyuni. Patagonia – Torres del Paine National Park. Argentina – Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego (The End of the World). Vehicle choice Now you have a flavour of our travels let’s get back to our choices – and why we chose Valentino to be our home. Many ask us why we have chosen a truck for our journey and the answer is very simple, because this is the only vehicle that could allow us to carry the weight of a truly independent set-up while remaining comfortable in the days when we have to live inside (rain, snow, illness). For us, as previously stated, it is important to limit the travel budget as much as possible and for that reason we can say that the more independent the vehicle is, the more we can limit daily costs. Some may think that a truck like ours consumes more than a smaller vehicle and that therefore their savings may somehow be relatively smaller too. However, during our trip we have interviewed dozens of travellers, many that are on the road for many years, from those who travel by motorcycle to those who use trucks like ours through to normal 4x4s and VW Kombi type vehicles – that today are so fashionable (just look for #vanlife on Instagram). Many of these people have found that they spend twice our monthly budget, and this stems mainly from the fact that they have to use services that their own vehicle cannot deliver (bathroom, electricity, cooking, heating, clothes washing, security…). How we achieve independence Think about the electricity needed to power our induction cooker for instance, which allows us to cut the costs and inconvenience of any propane cooking gas. Cooking with electricity eliminates the difficulties of finding the correct size and shape of gas bottles when changing countries. True, you can say that there are kitchens that are powered by diesel, but these are more for the marine world – where the altitude is never a problem! We however have ascended to 5,000 metres for many days in Bolivia and would have found ourselves in serious problems with the difficulties of operating gas cooking devices over 2,500 metres. In the overlanders world energy means independence, and the energy we use is produced exclusively by the solar panels that we have installed on our roof. Actually we have 1.5kWp of Victron Energy photovoltaic modules that are controlled by two BlueSolar MPPTs , a 150/70 and a 75/15. These controllers (our source of power conversion from the panels) charge a Victron Energy Gel battery bank, which stores around 21 kWh of energy. Our 4×4 truck is also equipped with a combined oven, which we use a lot to cook our favourite dishes, plus a washer-dryer that for us is fundamental to limit, by comparison, the dependence others have when using paid facilities. Again our solutions are ones we chose in order to limit the travel budget. Onboard, therefore, we need a fair amount of electricity at 230 volts. This is produced by our Victron Energy Quattro 24/5000/120 inverter /charger, which has become the real heart of our plant and the true power of our daily life. As you can see, the batteries are really important for us and for this reason we have included in our system the 220 Ampere BatteryProtect and a Battery Balancer which together with the Color Control GX (CCGX) guarantees protection and visibility of the status of the entire system. Therefore, whilst limiting travel costs is good, it also makes sense to keep your equipment monitored and under control – these components then become a very worthwhile investment indeed. In the daily budget that we calculated before we left, we also estimated the costs of repair, replacement and adjustment of systems that might fail. For example, many travellers limit themselves to using batteries and systems without protection, balancing, monitoring and control – to the point their batteries stop working – and then maybe complain when those batteries ‘seem to’ fail prematurely. Maybe they were equipped with good kit, but failed to adequately monitor their system and then end up spending on new kit they hadn’t budgeted for. This is why we have chosen to monitor everything properly. We simply can’t imagine our daily life in the truck without a BMV and CCGX for example – they are really fundamental for us. Independence means not only energy, but also water and for this reason we have equipped our truck with a system capable of rapidly creating potable water in large quantities. It’s thanks to our water purifier that we can then drink water safely, without the need to buy plastic bottles. A small amount of energy is involved in this process, in fact we have to feed a high-pressure pump and a UV lamp for this. We also use our onboard clean water to wash our clothes and for that reason we decided to recycle a part of the grey water. The waste grey water is cleaned by filters and can be reused for the washing machine or rinsing the toilet. Electronics There are conflicting opinions regarding the use of on-board electronics for overland vehicles. In our experience these doubts are better founded if they concern the vehicle chassis, but they are really unjustified where the living quarters are concerned. The electronics in our vehicle are monitored by a tailor-made domestic system and this allows us, in addition to increasing the comfort on board, to monitor many aspects concerning the safety and reliability of our housing module. Temperature probes check if thresholds are exceeded and then they can trigger problem-mitigating mechanisms, such as fans or heaters in case temperatures drop below zero. Sound alarms are ready if there are some water leaks, and if there are problems with the water pumps. A constant monitoring of the battery status allows the domestic monitoring to turn off utilities that may have been left on, as well as turn on the cameras that allow remote surveillance. These systems help us to preserve our investment, but also to keep the travel budget as low as possible. Time for upgrades In over 500 days of travel we have cooked, heated, cooled and lived in our truck without ever having to recharge the batteries from a paid energy source whilst always trying to work in compliance with the optimal parameters for the life of our battery bank. However, each system can be improved, so now we are going to perform some upgrades by installing for example a second inverter/charger that will be a backup for the primary – being previously just one Quattro and the only non-redundant component of our entire system. The new inverter will also be used to supply external utilities, such as a welding machine in case we need to repair the truck, a winch to unload our motorcycle and other heavy items. We will also install an intelligent device able to recharge the batteries using our alternator. In this case we will use a Victron Energy Buck-Boost DC-DC Converter capable of 25 Amps, that properly programmed will allow us to have a new source for recharging – this in view of the days we may spend in the cold when we reach Alaska. The inverter we are going to add will be a MultiPlus 24/3000/70 and will be equipped with its own Digital Multi Control , as well as a BMV-702. We will document the upgrade of our system through articles that you can read on our Stepsover blog and view on our YouTube channel. Links below. Until then and a next update here on the Victron Blog – do think carefully about your overland choices before diving into worldwide travels. Simone Monticelli Links Website – http://www.stepsover.com Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/stepsoverASD YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/smontic Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/stepsover_ontour Twitter – https://twitter.com/stepsover
Justin Tyers • 12 August 2018
World Champions!
The action was truly spectacular yesterday on the final race of the Sailing World Championship – held at Aarhus in Denmark. Victron Energy sponsored Annemiek Bekkering, and her crew Annette Duetz, tore across the finish line as Sailing World Champions …for the 49erFX class! A whole week of sailing was turned on its head in the final few minutes of the competition: We were telling you in our last bulletin – half-way through the competition – that Annemiek and Annette were sailing high at second place – out of 60 competitors. Competition for a place is fierce and by the end of the next days’ racing Annemiek and Annette had slipped to third position …they were still clinging onto third place on the final ‘medal’ race day. Austrian rivals Frank and Abicht had built up such a lead during the competition that even a sixth-place in this final race would have been enough to secure them Gold for the whole event – but the excellent sailing tactics and experience of Annemiek Bekkering and her crew changed all that: Annemiek spotted a squall of wind rolling down toward the course and in anticipation of the wind-shift it would bring she decided to leave the fleet to her port-side, and sail instead off to the right of the course. Becoming more confident of her choice she settled the boat onto a course which would upset the outcome of the whole competition… Her decision paid huge dividends …the lead boat was caught completely off-guard by the size and strength of the wind-shift. The squall brought an increase in wind speed from near-calm of 6 knots to a fresh breeze of 18 knots; and that together with a sudden change in direction of 40 degrees was enough to capsize the Austrian boat! They recovered quickly enough – but had fallen from first to last place. Not only had Annemiek correctly interpreted the increase in wind but her tactical sailing shortened her course to the next mark by about 250 metres – placing her in the lead. It was a dramatic triumph executed amid the gusty unpredictable conditions so beloved of Bekkering and her crew who – having sailed together for five years – are able to exploit amazing choreography of movement to keep their vessel under control as it flies along at speeds of up to 25 knots! Having said that even Annemiek and Annette capsized their boat – but fortunately not until after they had crossed the finish line in First Place! They took Gold, becoming Sailing World Champions, the medal being handed to them by Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark – himself a keen sailor. Glimpses of the action can be seen in the video of this Dutch report from Omroep Brabant. Many, many congratulations to both of them!! Victron Energy is proud to sponsor Annemiek Bekkering, and to foster young talent. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 09 August 2018
Annemiek – making a helluva splash in Aarhus
Sixty boats are competing in the 49erFX sailing class at the Sailing World Championship currently being held in Aahus, Denmark . The battle for the World Champion title – and for qualification in the Olympics in Tokyo in two years’ time – is being fought-out over six days of racing …with the final ‘medal’ race taking place on Saturday 11th – this coming weekend. Impatiently, perhaps, we couldn’t wait until the weekend for news so we thought we’d phone Victron-sponsored Dutch sailor Annemiek Bekkering who is taking part in the competition to find out how she is getting on. Amazingly… it turns out! After completing three of the six days of racing – which have presented the teams with a variety of wind conditions from ‘flat calm’ (that race had to be cut short) to ‘quite blowy’ – we phoned Annemiek on her day-off for an on-the-spot-report, and of course to hear how she is getting on – and were delighted to hear that she and her team mate Annette Duetz are lying in second place! What? …out of sixty? Yes! Annemiek and her team mate have been sailing together for five years; as a result they know each other’s moves, and work together very well. The 49erFX is an Olympic class dinghy capable of sailing at 25 knots – at these kinds of speeds things happen pretty fast and maintaining control depends on split-second timing, immaculate tacks and gybes …and on well-orchestrated responses to wind shifts. At 25 knots of hull speed the wind will be blowing quite hard – and any error of judgement could be catastrophic. Having said that, these are the conditions which Annemiek prefers! Annemiek is racing a new boat for this regatta – and, of course, it has new sails. After extensive sea trials (on which we reported a couple of weeks ago) they decided that they preferred their ‘old’ sails …believing them to have a slight edge for speed – and so the ‘old’ sails have been rigged onto the new boat. That decision has obviously paid-off – it’s only through weeks and months of continual practice that this kind of intuition builds. One of the races at this event did not go very well at all for Annemiek and Annette – it was the day calm wind. A poor start, or an unlucky position in the lee of another boat – particularly if the blocking boat is sailing to very different tactics – can compound the challenge of trying to climb up the fleet. Fortunately teams can choose to discard the results from one race – the advantage being that one bad result can’t drag down an overall excellent performance. To put things in perspective – let’s have a look at the difference between the highest , and the lowest ranking teams, halfway through the tournament – that will illustrate just how good you have to be to get on top: (Lowest Points = Highest Rank) The leading team, from Denmark, have 13 points at the moment; Annemiek and Annette have 23 points; and in third place Austria have 28 points. At the other end of the scale the bottom three teams each have around 140 points. Victron Energy is proud to sponsor Annemiek Bekkering, and we are excited to follow her progress. In the words of an old song: Ain’t no stopping me now… Justin Tyers
John Rushworth • 31 July 2018
Western High Solar Cats – Race success
Western High is a high school located in Davie, Florida . The Western High Solar Cats school team have been racing an updated version of their Solar Cat V2 in the 2018 solar car challenge – a cross country race from Fort Worth , Texas to Palmdale , California. Solar car class The class for their solar car is the classic, where students build a metal framed vehicle from materials like aluminium and steel. The cars are powered with lead acid batteries that are charged by a solar array (no more than 19% efficient). The goal of the competition is to drive the solar car as far as possible, whilst maintaining at least 15mph. Race success Victron Energy dealer eMarine Systems of Fort Lauderdale had this to say about the 2018 race: “I have great news. The Western High School solar car that you help sponsor just completed the race yesterday evening, travelling from Texas to California. Out of the 14 cars racing in their division they have taken first place overall. In addition they have picked up additional trophies along the way. They were declared champions of the SCC classic division and won trophies virtually every day over the 6 day race. Additionally the car was awarded the Lockheed Martin ‘best in class engineering award’ for the best designed car. One of the team members also won an award because of his passionate interest in solar that he demonstrated throughout the race. This has been an exciting event. Your solar charge controllers, BMVs and Color Control GX worked flawlessly in extremely high heat and challenging road conditions, travelling through the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona – where temperatures soared as high as 110° Fahrenheit (43° Celsius). Thank you for the support.” Victron support To help the team with their challenge Victron Energy supplied the following: 2 x MPPT 150/35 solar charge controllers 1 x BMV-700 battery monitor 1 x Color Control GX 2 x VE.Direct to USB interface , 9m & 5m 1 x Color Control GX Wi-fi Module Conclusion It gives Victron Energy great pleasure to support the young engineers of tomorrow – and to enjoy their success! Thanks to Justin Larrabee of Victron Energy in the USA, and Paul Landino of eMarine Systems for the photos and information received. John Rushworth
Justin Tyers • 19 July 2018
Clafis Victron Solar Boat Team are World Champions!
Many congratulations to the Clafis Victron Solar Energy Boat team who defended their title at the Solar Energy Boat Challenge which took place in Monaco between the 12th and 14th July. The annual event in Monaco – home of the Super Yacht – is held to encourage technological innovation to meet the energy needs of leisure boats and shipping of the future, sustainably; and to imagine and build the boats of tomorrow. Since the first event took place in 2014 it has grown – this year the Clafis Victron Solar Boat Team was one of 30 teams with 200 competitors from 12 nations. The team always looks forward to the Monaco event for its agreeable climate and the ambience of the principality. Three classes of event were organised for this year: Solar; Offshore, and a new category – the Energy class – where competing teams fight it out using the same hull design, but build in their own propulsions units which may be powered by Bio-fuel, Battery, Hydrogen, Compressed air …or any ‘clean’ fuel. The Monaco races take place in open water which tests the craft to the limit when there is any swell running, and the craft are traveling at speeds approaching 50km/h! On the day, during the first race – where the challenge is to complete as many laps of the course as possible in a 2 hour time limit – the seas built to such an extent that some of the craft began to sustain damage; and eventually our own team boat – Clafis Victron – suffered the loss of a forward hydrofoil and had to return to harbour. At last the race was stopped owing to the deteriorating weather – but not before Clafis Victron had stolen the show by completing 24 laps against the 18 laps of our nearest rival! Nerves were running high in the afternoon when Clafis Victron were called to defend the speed record they had held for five years. Of particular concern was that a new class of boats were competing this year whose pedigree lies in commercial electric speed racing. In the event the fastest speed achieved on the day was 48km/h – leaving the Clafis Victron record of 49.2km/h intact! The second day of racing featured a slalom course where, having qualified during morning heats, the afternoon saw duals where one boat is pitched against another to complete the course in the shortest possible time. Our team won the first heat no problem; but it was in the second heat – which would decide the winner of the slalom event – that more drama unfolded: Gerard van der Schaar – who pilots the Clafis Victron craft – screamed away from the start line arriving at the first corner too fast; in a dramatic turn he nearly lost control of his craft as he rounded the mark. Fortunately for those of us who were not there to witness the event the moment was caught on video and is posted below! He managed to maintain control only to experience the loss of another forward hydrofoil at the second turn – regardless of which he achieved the fastest time, securing the winning place! A difference between the Monaco event and some other competitions is that during the evenings teams are invited to make a presentation about their technology – to provide an open-learning opportunity for other engineers in order to move the technology forward for the benefit of all. Among the presenters, to take only one example, was Solarboot team Emden whose boat will be used, very practically, on lake Buyonyi in Uganda to ferry schoolchildren to and from school. If you’re already planning next year’s holiday, and fancy rubbing shoulders with the super-rich, get to Monaco between the 4th and 6th of July 2019 to witness more Solar Boat thrills and spills. Many congratulations to the Clafis Victron Solar Boat Team on their achievement. Just hearing about it makes thrilling reading! Victron are proud to sponsor the team, and to play a part in broadening the development of practical uses for solar energy to meet tomorrow’s energy demands. Justin Tyers.
Justin Tyers • 17 July 2018
Well-begun, is half-done.
Here at Victron we like to support young inspiring talent – to help them be the best they can be. One of those we sponsor is Annemiek Bekkering who is a professional sailor who trains and competes full-time. She is already in Aarhus, Denmark, training for the Sailing World Championships which take place between July 30th and August 12th …and we were wondering about her training regime between races – what does her work day look like?! Arriving sometimes weeks early at the sailing venue allows her to acclimatise, and to learn the wind shifts on the water in that region – surrounded as Aarhus is by hills, trees, and buildings which modify the wind – and of course create wind shadows, or nulls. Annemiek sails an Olympic class dinghy known as a 49erFX – a physically and technically demanding boat capable of speeds up to 50kmh. Designed by Julian Bethwaite, the 49er made its Olympic debut in 2000 and first became a women’s Olympic class boat as the 49erFX in 2016. A typical day for Annemiek begins at 8am with breakfast. The team has a dietician – although after eight years of professional sailing Annemiek is familiar with the dietary regime of high-protein foods and drinks, taken every couple of hours throughout the day. After breakfast the team get to the harbour, do some loosening-up exercises, and some exercises to strengthen the back muscles – then they rig the boat. After attending a briefing meeting to plan the days’ sailing they finally get out on the water by around 11am. Sailing practise goes on for 2 -3 hours and is followed by washing the boat down and then, of course, a de-brief meeting. After lunch (more protein and powder) there will be a session in the gym, or a cycle ride followed by (…if you’re unlucky , says Annemiek, who clearly doesn’t like this bit) some maintenance – replacing any worn ropes or blocks. Cycle training usually lasts 2 or 3 hours. Annemiek rides a Sensa Latina Lite Alloy . Cycling enthusiasts will know that this is an aluminium-framed Ladies road bike with a Carbon Fibre fork, and a wide-range 11-32 cassette – which allows her to use it for training wherever she happens to be …even way up in the mountains. Cycling in the mountains, not surprisingly is one of Annemiek’s favourite bits of the training – and I suppose most of us could get used to the idea of being paid to cycle through mountain scenery. All of this training is in preparation for an event which will be furiously contested by the best sailors in the world – 1500 sailors, from 100 nations, will be sailing in 1100 boats – fighting for a medal …and for qualification in the Tokyo Olympics of 2020 – so how does Annemiek feel when she thinks about her chances in the forthcoming competition?: It’s exciting… she says; of course there are times when you have doubts – every athlete does – but we know that we are in a strong position, and have a very good chance of winning a medal. For now, I keep myself open to learning. The weather in Aarhus, at the time of writing is 25°C and the wind is blowing at 20 knots …time to get back out on the water. Victron Energy are proud to sponsor Annemiek Bekkering. We wish her the very best of luck …and we will be sailing with her in spirit at the Aarhus Sailing World Championships 2018 . Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 26 June 2018
Solar Boats fly under Low Bridge.
The Clafis Victron Energy Solar Boat Team have been limboing into action again – negotiating a sailing course which includes passing at speed under a bridge with headroom of just 1 metre – to record another spectacular 1st Place result! The races were held on the Noordhollandsch Kanaal around the Dutch village of Purmerend on the 22nd and 23rd of June and featured several stages, the main one being a course of 48 km along what is a working canal. The original course was planned to be 64km – but the stage had to be reduced owing to the weather conditions. Our team finished this course in a time of just 1h:33m:39s Because it is a working canal, despite flying along at speeds which average over 30kmh, normal canal traffic has to be taken into account. One of the obstacles they encountered was a house-boat section – of just under a kilometre – where strict speed limits apply in deference to those who use the canal 365 days per year! The course also includes no less than 21 bridges …under some of which you have to duck. In the afternoon of the first day Clafis participated in the Speed run, clocking a top speed of 48.9kmh. The second day of the event began cloudy, but gradually brightened allowing Clafis to reach average speeds of 39kmh over the 26 kilometre event. The Solar boats are not only tested on their stamina and speed – there was a slalom event to test the pilots skills at manoeuvrability, and we are delighted to announce that the Clafis Victron Energy Solar Boat team came first in all events! A great deal of planning, reconnaisance and maintenance goes into securing repeated success on the water, and you can meet some of the team responsible for sustained performance by watching their FaceBook video of that most nervous of operations …the launching of the boat! Participating boats in the adult races have a maximum length of 8 metres and beam of 2.4 – the deck being almost entirely taken up by solar panels to a maximum area extending to 9.2m². Effectively the panels deliver all the required power to drive the 115kg vessel through the water in real time – with battery storage limited by the race regulations to a maximum of 1.5kWh. This allows boats to sustain their maximum speed whilst ironing-out the fluctuations caused by changes in cloud cover. The cockpit must be such that the pilot can evacuate his vessel in less than 5 seconds – all of which leads to uncluttered decks and complete absence of covered cockpits or aeronautical profiling. When you get plenty of practice lifting the First Prize Silver Cup – eventually you’ll be able to lift it with one hand. Victron sponsor the Clafis Victron Energy Solar Boat Team and are delighted with their un-broken string of first-place successes. Even for those of us who are not yet fluent in the Dutch language, the video on the ‘Clafis’ homepage makes compelling viewing: Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 31 May 2018
Stealing the Silver…
Dutch sailor Annemiek Bekkering and her crew Annette Duetz put on a scorching display in their 49erFX to secure second place in the Medemblik Regatta which concluded last weekend. The Dutch team had taken delivery of a brand new boat a couple of weeks earlier – they get a new one every couple of years – and spent five days setting-up the rig to their preferred arrangement, followed by five days of sea trials …then they were ready to go! Medemblik is an historic town about 40km from Amsterdam. It offers protected seas to watersports enthusiasts and race competitors alike in all conditions except winds from the East – which was the prevailing wind direction during the regatta! Fortunately the wind was not too strong. In fact it was the light wind conditions on all race days but one which made this a very technical race for the competitors. You may remember that at her last event – the World Cup Series in Hyères, France – Annemiek was frequently disappointed with the position they achieved as they crossed the start line. For the Medemblik event they concentrated a lot of their effort on achieving great starts …and succeeded in that ambition 90% of the time. It was their over-enthusiasm in this regard which earned them a disqualification in one of the heats! What Annemiek aims to do is to cross the start line, at full speed, one millionth of a second after the gun has gone off. That’s a pretty fine-call! She misjudged it on one single occasion, flying across the line slightly before the gun, and paid for the mistake by being excluded from that heat! Women L – R : Annette and Annemiek share the podium with compatriots Odile van Aanholt and Marieke Jonges who won bronze. The man in the middle is the British coach who received the medals on behalf of first place winners Charlotte Dobson and Saskia Tidey …who had to catch a train! Each heat lasts for about half an hour, there are 12 of them during the event, and the competition is fought between 24 teams – so there is plenty of opportunity for a determined team to make up for past errors, and climb back up the table. Hence the superb performance from Annemiek and Annette which achieved for them second place in the event. Look out for Kieler-Woche 2018 Germany in a couple of weeks time – we’ll bring a report from that event. Victron is proud to support Annemiek Bekkering as she strives for excellence in her sporting career. Photo credits for the Headline and final image go to: Sander van der Borch Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 21 May 2018
CLAFIS Victron Energy Solar Boat Team – making waves?
Well, this is embarrassing. Imagine entering a 55km solar powered speed boat race and finishing the course an-hour-and-ten-minutes ahead of your nearest rival! It was a sunny calm day for the race – ideal conditions for vessel’s powered by the sun. The CLAFIS Victron Energy Solar Boat flew around the course, at Akkrum, in the Netherlands, last weekend (11th-13th May) at an average speed of 35km/h. With no sign of the other competitors, there must have been times when skipper Gerard van de Schaar wondered if had taken a wrong-turn. Day two hosted a relay event whereby a runner, having completed 1.7km on foot, ‘tags’ the solar boat which then has to complete a 1.2km sprint around the town of Akkrum – Akkrum, for those among us who are not aware of Netherland infrastructure, is surrounded by water, and looks like this: The third and final day of racing was a sprint of 350 metres. This allows competitors to show-off their craft’s abilities! Gerard’s boat achieved an almost unbelievable time of 33 seconds, topping out at 49.8km/h! More races are on the way – and the only problem with being so successful is that even greater things are expected of you every time. We can’t wait to see what happen’s at the next… 29/30 of June Solar Sport One race, Groningen 4/5/6/7 of July Solar Sport One race, Groningen – Leeuwarden 13/14 of July World Cup race, Monaco Victron Energy sponsor the CLAFIS Victron Energy Solar Boat Team and are very proud of their achievements. You can follow their news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/furiaonesolar/ Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 08 May 2018
Indian Summer
Solar car team DJS Helios have had a meteoric rise to success. Last year (2017) they took part in their first ever competition – Electric Solar Vehicle Challenge 17 …so far this year they have won both competitions they entered! Their vehicle is powered by a 2kW motor and can reach speeds of over 55kmh. Very impressive – yet winning the competition demands more than just a great turn of speed. Entrants have to demonstrate their vehicle performing a number of demanding tasks …and also show how they have developed design and commercial skills, as a team: Brake and acceleration – accelerate for 50m, then stop within 5m. Cross pad test – negotiate a slalom course, keeping in lane, against the clock. Hill Climb – inclined road, fastest to the top. Solar Only – disconnect the battery, then complete 50m powered by the sun. Endurance – how far can you travel in 90 minutes? Design and Innovation – each car is evaluated on its merits Business Plan – Is the vehicle commercially viable? Weight test – lightest vehicle gets maximum points… Winning three categories (Acceleration, Hill Climb, Business Plan) – DJS Helios came second in all other categories, with a third place in Design. Their consistently high-achievement easily won the competition for them – outstripping the runner-up by 150 points. The second competition Indo-Asian Challenge 18 runs – not on a course, but on actual roads. In this event the team came either first or second in five categories. A major highlight of the event was the team’s ability to travel 94km in 2 hours. Great! On behalf of the team, Pranay Shah, who is their Captain wishes to thank Victron for our sponsorship – and, using his entrepreneurial skills, has gone to some length to promote Victron Energy as a brand – thank you Pranay! We wish you and your team continued success. You can follow the team as they trail-blaze future events on their Facebook page. Justin Tyers
John Rushworth • 03 May 2018
Cambodia: PV Powered Off-Grid School
This guest blog (by Off-Grid Energy Australia) relates to a CoGood Australia project which has brought much needed electricity to Kompheim Village School in Cambodia, positively impacting over 300 families in the process. In 2011, CoGood Australia’s founder Gail Jackman became inspired, after hearing an address by Dr Lynn Arnold titled ‘Slumdog Engineer’. She made a decision to kickstart a program to mobilise university students to get involved in humanitarian projects in communities living under the poverty line in Cambodia. Since then, she has led numerous student groups to Cambodia and has helped to improve the education, health, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition at Kompheim and other villages in Siem Reap, Cambodia. In addition the visiting university students have gained from life-changing experiences, becoming more community minded, more culturally aware and even more ready for the world of work. Gail also freely states that sponsorship by Off-Grid Energy Australia, Victron Energy and others has also been key in bringing this project to fruition. In 2017, Gail’s non-profit organisation CoGood Australia (CGA) in partnership with the University of South Australia and Off-Grid Energy Australia raised funds for this life changing off-grid energy system. Green team – ready and willing to help Off-Grid Energy Australia take up the project’s story: Vital power “Electricity is a vital source to support the economic and social development of any society; it is clearly one of the key innovations that has transformed humanity. Today, society’s reliance on electricity is so substantial that it is considered a basic need. Although there are people who cannot visualise life without electricity in developed nations, there are approximately 1.2 billion people who have not been so lucky to enjoy the beauty of electricity. According to the world bank, only 10% of people in Cambodia have access to the electricity grid. Photovoltaics (PV) and battery based buildings/applications therefore are often the most appropriate source of electricity in locations where the grid is unreliable or unavailable. System design The students with assistance from industry partners researched, designed and developed a low cost, easy to use renewable stand-alone power solution, specifically tailored to power the newly built computer lab at the Kompheim village school. The project was undertaken in several steps, initially, consultation with the client in Cambodia was conducted to identify the types of appliances/applications (loads) that are used in the computer lab and for how long (i.e. to quantify the electrical energy required to operate these appliances). Education & computer centre Furthermore, research, evaluation and review would be completed on PV panels, charge controller, inverter and a battery components for suitability. Victron Energy products and solutions that can be tailored and adapted to the target market were found to be the most suitable for a multitude of reasons. The final system design and component choice was simulated to ensure the proposed equipment would deliver: The maximum power and energy capabilities to suit the load requirement. Component quality, cost effectiveness, availability and manufacturer continuing support. Transportation and packaging of the finished product. End user ease installation guide, commissioning and use. Students involved in solar installation System components The system equipment selected included: Victron Energy Multiplus 48-5000-70 Inverter/Charger Victron Energy BlueSolar 150-35 MPPT Solar Charge Controller Victron Energy Color Control GX (CCGX) Local and remote monitoring 18 x 260W Tindo Solar PV Modules 16 x 100Ah 12V sealed Lead acid batteries (supply of suitable batteries in Cambodia was a real challenge) Power – from components to completion The results The results of this project demonstrates that a specific small off-grid power solution for small communities in developing nations is feasible and offers significant benefits to all of those involved in such projects. Benefits and learning for all involved Victron Energy B.V. kindly donated the Victron equipment for this project, with the assistance of Off-Grid Energy Australia who are an authorised dealer and integrator of Victron PV and battery storage system for both grid connected and off the grid applications in Australia, Asia and the Pacific regions.” Off-Grid Energy Australia Conclusion Victron Energy are delighted to be associated with this worthwhile project. Our thanks to Sean LePoidevin, director and co-founder of Off-Grid Energy Australia for the text and images used in this blog. Credit must also go Jan Klumpenaar and Philip Crotty of Victron Energy in making sure that the much needed power equipment was made available for Kompheim Village School. We wish the school and its pupils every success. John Rushworth
Justin Tyers • 01 May 2018
Sun but no wind
Dutch sailor Annemiek Bekkering and her crew Annette Duetz have been in action again last weekend in their 49erFX . They had a frustrating week attending the World Cup Series in Hyères France – a week which produced the Sun (for which we envy them), but no wind. The key to a successful race under sail is to make a great start. If you’re out in front as you cross the line you already have two big advantages: you have clean wind; …and you can make independent decisions about your sailing course. Annemiek laments that during these heats she repeatedly failed to get good starts. Light winds added to the frustration. But although she blames herself she is pleased with the lessons learned – particularly her consistent ability to climb through the pack by the first mark. Deciding the approach to get around crowded marks requires tactical skill and judgement – which you don’t need so much when you’re ahead of the fleet! She and her crew finished the series in 9th position, out of 39. The next big focus is the World Championship held in Aarhus, Denmark – beginning 30th July – which will be attended by thousands of crews …hundreds in her own class. Held every four years it is the largest event for Olympic class boats …and an important run-up event to the Olympics in Tokyo 2020. Annemiek is already coming out fighting. Victron Energy are proud to sponsor Annemiek Bekkering. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 13 April 2018
On the road – with a professional sailor.
Last weekend we brought you news of Annemiek Bekkering’s triumphant Gold medal win at the Princess Sofia 49-er event in Spain. She has a busy schedule coming up and we look forward to following her progress. Before all that we thought we would learn a bit more about how she prepares for these events, and take a look at the life of a professional sailor. Annemiek, who has an older sister, is the youngest member of a family of keen sailors. In the beginning she didn’t like sailing at all – but merely joined-in so that she didn’t get left out of family events. Now, as a champion sailor, she leaves them in her wake! Annemiek has been a professional sailor for seven years – that’s her day-job. She lives in Holland and spends the summer competing in sailing events – mainly in Europe. Between competitions you’ll find her in the Gym. Things get a bit hectic when she’s competing – she and her team always arrive a week or so early in order to prepare for the event: the boat has to be maintained, the rig tuned, the running rigging checked and checked again – so that everything will perform faultlessly when it really matters. Arriving early also allows her to acclimatise to the new location. Having a great boat – perfectly tuned; and being prepared mentally and physically for the challenge ahead is only half the story: on the morning of the race you have to feel the wind. The wind is your engine. What is its direction and strength; is it steady or turbulent; how is it affected by the topography; is it forecast to change direction and speed …and how does all this apply to the race course? During the winter – when it’s too cold to sail in Holland – she will usually be found in the Southern hemisphere. Because of the distances involved, her trips will be much longer – she’ll stay in Australia or New Zealand for up to two months at a time – practising, or competing in events. During those long periods of absence Annemiek misses her home and family – but there’s no point in flying half way around the world for a fortnight. The advantage of spending so long in warm climates is that it allows you to practice, practice, practice – if you’re determined to be the best you can’t practice enough – after all, Daniel Barenboim is still practicing the piano for hours and hours every day! In addition to this Annemiek still finds time to study and has a particular interest in Movement Science – a pathway to careers in medicine, physical and medical therapy, and rehabilitation. Her next competition is in a couple of weeks’ time – in late April – and with other major events throughout the summer she’s promised to keep us in touch with her progress. We wish her luck, and look forward to hearing from her as she tries to tame the fickle wind. © Ricardo Pinto Victron Energy is committed to encouraging young talent, and is proud to sponsor Annemiek Bekkering. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 08 April 2018
Pure Gold!
Fantastic Dutch sailing news from the International sailing event 49 Trofeo S.A.R Princesa Sofia which has just been held in Mallorca, Spain, attracting 79 competing teams from all around the world. One of those teams taking part were Dutch sailors Annemiek Bekkering, and her crew Annette Duetz. They were destined for success right from day 1. With the first race held on April 2nd they got off to a flying start – ending the day in first place. That must have been a great boost to their confidence – but five days of racing remained! Annemiek started sailing at the age of 6 and racing at the age of 9. She won the European Championship (youth class) in 2005; together with many top-3 and top-5 placings in International and World Championships competing in the two-man craft known as the Olympic49-erFX . Already an elite athlete she competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro,. During the latest competition their coach urged them to ‘keep it simple’ and Annemiek’s own instinct is to ‘stick with what you know’. Those two mantras – as it turned out – guided them to such success that by the final day – the day of the medal race – they could no longer be beaten. Even as they crossed the start line they were assured of a Gold Medal! This was a truly fantastic performance from 26 year old Annemiek Bekkering and her crew, Annette who is two years-younger. We at Victron Energy are proud to sponsor Annemiek Bekkering and are, of course, thrilled for her to have had this spectacular success early in her career. We look forward to watching her perform, and of course we will be bringing you more news as it unfolds. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 16 March 2018
Nothing is impossible…
When Impossible Robotics – the Dutch science students competing in the global robot games organised by FIRST – arrived in Orlando, so many miles from home, their first job was to finish their incomplete robot. So it says a lot about the spirit of the games that they were helped in that endeavour by another team – competitors Exploding Bacon . Time constraints imposed by their schooling back home meant that only four team members were available to travel to the Regional Qualifying games – so Exploding Bacon lent them some manpower, too! This was the first time in the history of these twenty year old games that such a thing had happened – imagine that at the Olympics! Organisers FIRST liked the idea so much they interviewed team coach Henk van de Wal live at the event to explain how it came about. Last minute modifications forced one or two errors – the back of the robot was now the front …so it set off in the wrong direction whilst in autonomous mode; and there were some problems with chains jumping a cog – the kind of thing many of us will remember from the days of our youth whenever we made modifications to our bike. FIRSTinspires was inaugurated with the vision of encouraging young people all around the world to develop their interest in science. The way FIRST achieves this is by developing a new Robotic game each year in which teams compete. Teams who do well in the competitions are rewarded, of course, by climbing through the elimination stages – but teams who help other teams to be their best are particularly admired. For this kind of effort Exploding Bacon – who are previous winners of the Chairman’s award – won it again at this ‘Regional’ event. So our own team Impossible Robotics are delighted to have worked with them; sharing ideas – as well as team members …and to have been chosen by Exploding Bacon to take part in their Chairman’s Award video which showcases the work they are doing. Their video places Impossible Robotics straight into the footlights! Impossible Robotics have had an inspiring time in Orlando, they have learnt much from their endeavours to put a viable robot into the competition …but most of all they have learnt the power of collaboration. And that’s a tool for life. We at Victron sponsor team Impossible Robotics and are pleased to encourage young engineering talent. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 07 March 2018
Nearly impossible…
Impossible Robotics have built their Robot – crated just in time for the Regional (qualifying) games to be held in Orlando, Florida between 8th and 10th March. The pressure was on to meet the deadline as they struggled to recruit students to participate in the build-program in order to get the robot finished by the cut off date. Remember – all this work has to be completed in addition to a demanding school curriculum! Just as well the team can rely on Stefan Sijbesma who attends the Liudger school in Drachten; and the ever-strenuous efforts of mentor Henk van der Wal to keep it all on schedule. Exemplifying the spirit of cooperation which is encouraged by competition-organisers FIRST , Impossible Robotics were invited by compatriot team Rembrandt to pop over for a bit of collaboration …and to use their mock-up of the competition game arena. Nothing like familiarity with the field-of-battle to give you a competitive edge! The weekend stay over – which they aptly describe as a scrimmage – was all work and very little sleep …but the result was worth the effort. Just like any ground-breaking Formula 1 team, they don’t claim to have solved all the glitches. They will have to work on the Robot – which they’ve named Mario – when they get it out of the crate in Orlando. So there’ll probably a shortage of sleep at that side of the Atlantic, too. This year’s competition has a retro-gaming theme – many of us who are no longer students will identify immediately with the Amusement Arcade styling. Here below is the video instruction which is made available to the 3600 competing teams – from all over the globe – when setting out to design their Robot’s participation in the games. Impossible Robotics believe that winning will depend as much on strategy as it does on their Robot. We like to hear that they’ve thought this thing through – and we look forward to hearing how they get on in Orlando …if you’d like to be the first to hear about their progress – follow them on Twitter, and also on Facebook. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 12 February 2018
Lotte’s passion powers her to the Olympics!
Lotte van Beek provided crowds of Victron staff at our office today – together with millions of viewers around the globe – with some spectacular sport this afternoon. In the thrilling Ladies 1500m Olympic Speed Skating event she finished just 0.9s behind the gold medal wining performance by team-mate Ireen Wust . Lotte is living her ambition to compete at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Skating is my destiny; she says – so we couldn’t be more happy for her – to have worked so hard and be skating alongside her Dutch teammates at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang makes the hairs stand up on your arm! Lotte is no stranger to success: At the European Single Distances in Kolomna (Rus) she came 1st in both the 1500m; and also in the Team Pursuit. And in 2013 she achieved second place at the World Single Distance Championships 1500m event. And, of course, her brilliant third-place in the 1500m event at Sochi in 2014. Competition in this sport is absolutely ferocious, and at average speeds of almost 50kmh very few people in the world can keep up with her! A lot depends on the luck of the day – and with just 1/100th of a second separating her from a medal, we know her performance today will add so much to her experience – as she races toward more world beating performances! We at Victron Energy share Lotte’s enthusiasm for Speed Skating – we are proud of her, and we are proud to be her Sponsors. Lotte van Beek could skate before she could walk. Ever since getting her first pair of skates at the age of two or three she’s been addicted to speed! Two more Dutch medals today : Many, many congratulations to Ireen Wust (Gold) (she now has a record 10 Gold speed-skating medals); Marrit Leenstra (Bronze) – Ladies 1500m – were added to the five already achieved: Kramer Mens 5000m – Gold; and in the Ladies 3000m event all three medal went to the Netherlands after superb efforts by Achtereekte (Gold); Wust (Silver); and de Jong (Bronze); and a silver in the short-track skating. In 2014 the Netherlands won 8 of 12 speed skating golds at Sochi , recorded four one-two-threes, and collected 23 of the 36 medals. We watch Pyeongchang with interest. Justin Tyers
John Rushworth • 12 January 2018
Victron sponsored skater heading for 2018 Winter Olympics
We can’t promise you a trip to PyeongChang 2018 to see speed skater Lotte van Beek compete, now she has qualified for the XXIII Olympic Winter Games – but what you can do is get a flavour of the Dutch speed skating passion, plus the VIP treatment at Heerenveen in the Netherlands, on 27th January 2018. If you were at the Victron Energy training event in Almere last November you’ll already know about this invitation – for those that don’t, here is what’s on offer. VIP invitation – NK Allround & Sprint Victron Energy is the main sponsor of the Gewest Fryslân team. If you are a Victron Energy installer you plus one other are cordially invited to be our VIP guests – giving you the opportunity to experience the enthusiasm and spirit of professional speed skating in the heart of the speed skating world at Thialf . Not only that, but other than travel costs your food and accommodation will also be paid! Please be aware places are limited, so the sooner you book the better. The extras Preview Luxury seat Drinks & bites Speed skating buffet Meet & greet with the skaters Preview In the one and only speed skating café in the world, you will be briefed about the ins and outs of speed skating giving an insight into this Dutch passion, learning about the contenders, the outsiders – so you are prepared to enjoy it all to the full! Where and When Heerenveen , Saturday January 27th, 2018 Speed Skating Café It Houtsje , Oude Koemarkt 6, 8441 EV Heerenveen Programme All times are CET (UTC+1 hour) 09:30 – Coffee and Preview ( Speed Skating Café It Houtsje ) 10:30 – Depart to Thialf by bus Allround event 11:15 – Ladies 500m 11:45 – Men 500m 12:30 – Ladies 3000m 13:45 – Men 5000m Sprint event 15:30 – Ladies 500m 16:00 – Men 500m 16:45 – Ladies 1000m 17:15 – Men 1000m 18:15 – Depart by bus 19:00 p.m. to 21:00 – Speed skating buffet Booking & event information If you want to know more about this VIP event, contact the event hosts by speaking to Eva Lichtenbeld on +31 651 35 45 54 or email her at eva@spids.nl Lotte van Beek For the fourth year in a row, Victron Energy is sponsoring the speed skating foundation Gewest Fryslân . With this sponsorship, Victron Energy supports young talented skaters on their road to international success. The support of Victron combined with the approach of Gewest Fryslân has led to a lot of innovation and success in the last few years – not least of which is Lotte van Beek’s achievement, as she is heading to South Korea in February to compete at PyeongChang 2018 . Lotte van Beek Victron Energy wish Gewest Fryslân and of course Lotte every success for 2018. We also wish to thank Lotte personally for her delightful email which we recently received. A sincere thank you “Let me take the opportunity to thank all the people who have supported me along the way. It has been a long time since I felt so much support and trust and it feels good. A big thanks to Victron Energy. Investing in talent may not be the most profitable, but it really is important for our sport. That I can benefit from this just like in my early years of my skating career, gives me and my team great pleasure. So Victron Energy, I owe my success also to you. Thank you again for that. Who knows, we might see each other at PyeongChang 2018 .” Conclusion Get the 100% speed skating experience – do come and cheer along with us all at this typical Dutch hospitality packed NK Allround & Sprint event. Or to put it another way – whilst translating the event information directly from Dutch – folklore and party are a must during these events! John Rushworth
Justin Tyers • 28 December 2017
Achieving the Impossible…
If things get complicated – bring in the Dutch! That’s the battle cry of Impossible Robotics – the Dutch engineering students and mentors as they compete in this year’s international FIRST Championship . The annual competition, which will be held all over the world …with a Final to be held in Detroit, Michigan, is the brain child of the passion-driven organisation FIRST . For more than 25 years FIRST have been organising science-based games designed to encourage young people to form themselves into teams, and to nurture their interest and participation in Science and Technology. You may remember that last year the students were tasked with building a robot to fuel-up a Flying Steam Ship? Each year students have to design, build and program robots to participate in a new game – a kind of electronic olympics – the final of which will be held this year between April 25th – 28th in the USA. What will this year’s game be …and what will be demanded of their robot? That remains top secret until January 6th! Tension is building! Impossible Robotics will be wasting no time, however: As soon as the announcement is made – at about 1700 hours local time – they will spend the evening brainstorming, before commencing their building project the very next day at Doe Museum in Veendam . Families are invited to attend. The excitement of these events is infectious: Since the end of September Impossible Robotics have attended twelve outreach events designed to spread the word to other youngsters; hone their interpersonal skills; teach programming; and to practice their skills with a series of FIRST Lego League Kickoff Events. Competition for the World Stage is stiff: With 3600 teams worldwide, only hard work will earn Impossible Robotics a place in the finals. If they get their build right – and if they’re successful in the regional competitions held between 7th and 10th March, then they will qualify to take part in the finals held in Detroit, in April. Victron Energy are committed to nurturing young engineering talent and we are delighted to once again be sponsoring Impossible Robotics . Only by feeding the passion of our younger generation – supporting them in their thirst for knowledge – will mankind provide itself with the scientists needed for future innovation. And of course, when you’re in competition with 3600 other teams you need all the help you can get. Though ultimately it’s all down to team spirit: When the going gets tough – the tough get going! Many thanks to Henk van der Wal for providing the information used in this blog. Photographs are by Henk van der Wal and Lars Hoving. Justin Tyers
John Rushworth • 04 December 2017
Victron Energy technical training
Victron Energy technical training is primarily for Victron distributors, dealers and installers – these events having been started some 14 years ago by Ruurd ten Brink (now retired) and Johannes Boonstra . If you’ve not been to one of these events, which are held in a number of countries and delivered in various languages, then let me give you a flavour of what to expect. Recently I was flattered to be invited to an event in Almere, in the Netherlands close to Victron’s head office. The main purpose of my visit, after four years of blogging for the company, was to put names to faces and get a chance to actually meet real Victron folk – something my internet blogging work can’t match. Of course attending such an event, the primary focus for most, is all about gaining a deeper technical knowledge of Victron Energy products and although I don’t fall into the dealer category – this blogger certainly gained valuable insights across a range of products and subjects. For me personally though the highlight was meeting passionate Victron people. Location This event was held over three days at Hotel Almere , part of the Van der Valk group of hotels. A comfortable four star hotel with rooms, dining and conference facilities to match its rating, which I felt was perfect for the stature of a company like Victron Energy. It was a relaxed atmosphere with training taking up most of the days, but still allowing time for folk to arrive on the morning of the event and leave at a decent time for their return trip home, so minimising time away. Socialising in the evenings and at meal times allowed plenty of opportunities to meet like minded people, especially as there were areas reserved exclusively for Victron. It was also good to see Victron MD Matthijs Vader and company founder Reinout Vader, who came to lunch on two of the days and made every effort to meet as many of attendees as possible – 320 of whom attended over the three days of training. Attendees From my own point of view it was great to meet and learn from the sheer variety of people in attendance, from the small to large businesses that use Victron products in traditional and innovative ways, be that simply providing reliable AC power in a van to recharge hand tools for technicians on the go, light weight portable lithium power packs for the military or large grid tied renewable energy projects. Every market sector was represented as were many nationalities, French, Dutch, British, Irish, Belgian and more. Here’s a random sample of a few of the companies that attended: Dobbelaere Auto-Elecktriciteit Fischer Panda Buitendijk Energy Dare Technology Power Saving Solutions Training format In this instance the training was organised by Ruurd and and delivered by Johannes in English, both whom have extensive product and technical knowledge. All jokes though seemed to be in Dutch, so I’m still in the dark as to what I was laughing at! The training format at this event was a sequence of slides with plenty of opportunities for questions and answers. Links to the training slides are at the foot of this blog. Suitably spaced coffee and lunch breaks provided time for attendees to talk not only to fellow dealers but also Victron sales staff from a variety of countries. After a general introduction of personnel and a company progress report, various subjects were covered including batteries, chargers and charging, combined inverter/chargers and Energy Storage Systems (ESS), solar array sizing and so on. Training varies from country to country and indeed some events may be more hands on. To see what is on offer and where, simply check the events section in Victron Professional. A nice touch at this event was a Colour Control GX demo unit with MPPT solar chargers and a MultiPlus, where plenty of conversations at break times ensued about the sheer range of capabilities of this remote monitoring system. Sponsorship Being so close to Victron’s head office and a few of the sports teams that Victron sponsor, it was neat to able to see how Victron products can be integrated and of great value to such teams. For example Team LottoNL-Jumbo brought along their cycling support truck – and what’s all that without power for hand tools and a washing machine, powered by you know who… Checking out the truck, replete with washer and drier. Generator, Victron AGMs and Quattros integration. Blue AC power by you know who… Keeping the wheels turning… Conclusion I hope the above gives you a flavour of what’s on offer training wise and the kind of sponsorship Victron is involved with. In fact at the end of the training event there was even a presentation of – and offer to an expenses paid accommodation and meals (flights excluded) opportunity to attend the Speed Skating Olympic preparation event, in January 2018, of the Gewest Fryslân speed skaters. This might be a Dutch passion but attending I suggest will be a great way to learn more and have some fun the Dutch way, something that also shone through in the training event at Almere. Great people, products and passion. If you want to see the course material from this technical training event you can check out the slides in Dropbox (links below) – and if you have ideas or requirements for training in your region why not discuss it with your regional Victron Sales manager, who can be contacted here . John Rushworth Training slides links: Here are the links to the technical training from the above event held in Almere, November 2017: Automotive_Marine Nov Almere rev 2.pptx in Dropbox ESS Nov Almere .pptx in Dropbox Off grid Nov Almere .pptx in Dropbox
John Rushworth • 08 September 2017
Solar boat racing: CLAFIS Victron Energy unstoppable
I might be on a brief sailing holiday but as my small yacht has a Victron MultiPlus and Victron batteries powering my house loads as well as laptop and 4G router – well I’m happy and able to bring you news that the CLAFIS Victron Energy sponsored solar boat team has done it again. First in their class in all their races. Unstoppable! Blogging from Victron powered SY Elektra at… Tarbet Harbour – Click image to visit www.tarbertharbour.co.uk Wereld Havendagen Sailing holidays aside, the racing last weekend was in Rotterdam during Wereld Havendagen (World Port Days), and their website informs me: “What once started as the one-day event Maritiem ’78 has since grown into the Netherlands’ largest annual maritime festival, which welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors over the course of three full days. In 2017, the World Port Days will celebrate its fortieth anniversary with a party of global proportions!” Click image to learn more about Rotterdam Wereld Havendagen (World Port Days) Solar Sport One Evelien Rooda from the CLAFIS Victron Energy Solar Boat Team sent me this race report for the Solar Sport One races: “On Friday we started the day with a Mini-Endurance race, racing for an hour duration in the Rijnhaven of Rotterdam. It all started in sunshine but the finish was in heavy rain. Despite the rain we completed 26 laps in the hour and won the challenge. Following this we started the Head to Head sprints and won all heats. At the end of the day we participated in the Speed Record and reached a speed of 46.5 km/h. The next day it was an obstacle course through Rotterdam just to get the boat in the water! We walked with the trolley and the boat through Rotterdam to the pontoon, but we made it. The sun shone on us for a morning start in the Sprints and we won both. Made it to the pontoon – and the sun is shining… After a short break the Endurance race started at 1200 until 1400. With 35 laps we won this part too. And for the final classification we also won every part of the race. At the day’s end we participated in the Speed Record again to try and improve our speed from the day before. In the second run we achieved a speed of 47 km/h, which meant we’d improved the speed record. However in our third endeavour our pilot had a speed of 48.5 km/h at the finish!” Evelien Rooda was reporting for the Stichting (Foundation) Furia One team from Leeuwarden, sponsored by CLAFIS Victron Energy. CLAFIS Victron Energy pilot sprints to the finish… Conclusion As I conclude this blog aboard SY Elektra I note the Solar Sport One press release which says: [An impressive performance from the Clafis Victron Energy Solar Boat Team. They won all the elements in their class. Team Captain, Gerard van de Schaar explained that victory is in the preparation. “Preferably we think a step beyond the race so that we are more than ready!” – he said with the shining winners’ cup in his hands.] And here’s that Silverware! Silverware galore for the CLAFIS Victron Energy team. Congratulations from all at Victron Energy – you make us proud. John Rushworth Links CLAFIS Victron Energy Solar Boat Team: https://www.facebook.com/furiaonesolar/ Solar Sport One: http://www.solarsportone.org https://www.facebook.com/SolarSportOne
Justin Tyers • 07 August 2017
Illuminating Burkina Faso
Working with the charity Assolidafrica 07 , a group of teachers and students from the French High School Iscles Manosque have been to install lighting and electricity; computers and a photocopier, in two remote schools in Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso is a landlocked African country just north of the equator whose 17 million people are spread out over 100,000 square miles, and whose official language is French. The two remote schools to benefit from this equipment were College de Boulma and College de Kapon (440 students) – separated by an hour’s drive through the bush by car. Being so remote, on arriving the French students confessed that their first thought was ‘What are we doing here? Is this really a school – where donkeys wander in and out, laundry hangs out to dry right there in the grounds, and villagers are pumping water from a well?’ Assolidafrica 07 have been slowly building the schools for five years whilst lessons to classes of up to 100 pupils proceed. In a project they named ‘Solaire et Solidaire’, as part of their own education the French students, guided by tutors, designed the off-grid Photovoltaic power supply and lighting/electrical systems they would install. Victron provided training and some of the equipment, and the students approached industry themselves for sponsorship …experience which will be invaluable to them later in their own lives. The project included the installation of high-quality suspended lighting systems, very professionally wired in trunking; fabrication of roof-top mounting system for the Solar Panels; and the technical installation of PV panels cabled to Charge Controllers, Inverters and the Consumer unit (distribution panel/fuse board). One of the volunteers, Thomas Tsamen commented: We didn’t have all the tools we needed so we figured it out with the means we did have.’ A point which illustrates the double-benefit of this volunteer program; the volunteers learn as they build projects which provide so much benefit for the African Schools. And as for team-building, working outside handling tools and equipment which the sun has heated to 60 degrees has it’s own challenges! They’re harsh conditions in which students and teachers alike quickly learn that diplomacy is the key to the continuance of smooth relations! Alan Morel and Jean Paul Nabaloum In traditional African society the Tribal Chiefs are guarantors of customs and habits. They’re the ones who regulate society and decide all matters relating to development and problem-resolution. The chief of Kapon – dressed in the robes of his office – said ‘Studying is what’s going to save us. If we stay ignorant, there is no development …I’m so glad to receive these panels and this equipment which will light our classrooms and help our education.’ The lighting now installed allows the schools to extend their curriculum into the evening. Speaking at the Completion of the work tutor Rasmané Ouedraogo said: ‘I’m speechless really. Students will have light and electricity to study for their diploma. And with the computer equipment we are making a giant step.’ In Burkina Faso, where a Broadband subscription costs more than the average annual salary, fewer than 5% of the population have access to the internet. The President of the Parents and Teacher association makes the point that the installation takes a big worry away from parents – about how they would afford an electricity supply. And the principal of the French High School Iscles Manosque, Cyrille Seguin, acknowledging the commitment of both teachers and students who ‘dared’ to bring the project to his attention …and then carry it out, said of his students: They will carry the richness of this experience with them all their lives. Boulma middle school supervisor Mr. Kabore Justin Tyers The image used at the head of this blog, which is of the colourful Leo Market in Burkina Faso, has been slightly enlarged from the original taken by Marco Schmidt .
Justin Tyers • 24 July 2017
Impossible Robotics go all the way to the White House. Nearly.
Impossible Robotics – the young scientists from the Netherlands – have been in action again. Enjoying a spot of intercontinental travel to Washington D.C. they represented their country in the FIRST Global Challenge – a kind of a Olympic Robotic Games. 160 countries took part in the competition held in DAR Constitution Hall – not far from the White House – over a four day period last weekend (14 th – 17 th July). Impossible Robotics flew their robot across the Atlantic in a crate to compete against the robots built by other young engineers from all over the world! The challenge sounds simple enough – robots must be capable of picking up and sorting blue and orange balls and also have the ability to climb. It’s only when anyone of us considers how we might go about designing and building a robot with such capabilities that the enormity of the task becomes apparent! Impossible Robotics fought hard all the way – getting up early and going to bed late to overcome the many problems which beset them. The first hitch came when, having perfected their climbing ability, their robot had difficulty in distinguishing which balls were blue and which were orange! In the first game they had to ignore orange balls altogether, and were further hindered when their supporting ‘allied’ team’s robot failed to function at all. During the second game Impossible Robotics lost communication with their robot and couldn’t get it to move …fortunately, this time, their allied team’s robot was doing enough work for both of them! In the third match their robot was whizzing-away correctly delivering balls, but it’s climbing ability failed. With just seconds to go quick action on the part of the driver saved the day and the robot climbed to win by a single point! By the third day of the competition Impossible Robotics had sorted out all the teething troubles and played a brilliant match, but as Pieter – the team’s spokesman – modestly points out, the other team were even better …so they didn’t win that one! Never mind, these games aren’t actually about ‘winning’. The games are deliberately designed by FIRST to produce collaboration between all teams, working together. The idea is that when teams help each other, they augment their own learning by experiencing – and helping to solve – the difficulties each team has to face. As a result more innovative solutions are discovered than would be the case if each team was ‘closed’ and fiercely independent. Not only that, but mutual respect and often great friendships are formed. Victron Energy sponsors the Impossible Robotics team and is proud to nurture young engineering talent. Follow Impossible Robotics on their Facebook page. Justin Tyers
John Rushworth • 21 July 2017
CLAFIS Victron Energy Solar Boat Team: Monaco race report
We’ve previously blogged about the success of the CLAFIS Victron Energy Solar Boat Team and this year the news is just as good. Success is hard won though – it’s down to the team, the planning and the execution of that plan. Here then is how this year’s Monaco event panned out. Early last Tuesday morning four team members, along with the solar boat Furia III, drove down to Monaco. Furia III arrived at the Yacht Club de Monaco on Wednesday in readiness for the 2017 Monaco Solar & Electric Boat Challenge, with the boat technical inspection taking place on Thursday. The remainder of the team flew down from the Netherlands in perfect time for the race briefing on Thursday evening at 6.00pm – not forgetting the welcome cocktail party after that! Friday at 10.00am saw the first part of the racing, the Endurance Fleet Race. This consists of the first boat to complete 50 laps wins the race, with one lap being 0.5 of a nautical mile. Furia III finished in first place with the second placed boat in the class completing only 30 laps in that time. Furia III At 3.00pm it was time for some press photos in the harbour and along the coast with the other boats. Racing continued at 4.00pm with the International YCM Speed Record attempt. In 2016 the team broke the record with of 47 km/h, setting a new record of 49.10 km/h over a distance of one eight of a nautical mile (231.5m). Unfortunately we couldn’t break the record again this year, but on the other hand neither did anyone else, so the record still stands. Here is an impressive video of this year’s YCM Speed Record event. The following day was the Course Slalom event at 10.00am. Furia III had two attempts to set a time. The second run was the fastest lap with a time of of 1:11.5. Between that event and the subsequent Speed Contests (a one on one duel) the team took a RIB out in order to take some press photos. Having fun… Furia III and one of the many Monaco Superyachts… At 14.00pm the Speed Contests started, one hour earlier than the program indicated. This One on One Sprint Championship Race proved both challenging and exciting – but first place was secured. After the races there was an International Motorsport & Environment Workshop organised by the international Powerboating Federation (UIM). Furia III Skipper (Gerard van der Schaar) told a story about the Solar Boat and how that resulted in starting their own business, after making an initial solar boat. Saturday evening saw the fruition of the team’s efforts with the prize-giving and a Gala dinner. Prizegiving Gala dinner and time to relax… Conclusion Once again many congratulations to the team. Victron Energy are delighted to sponsor and have a part to play in their success. Our thanks to Evelien Rooda from the team for the images and information in this blog. If you’d like to know more, you can check out the Clafis Victron Energy Solar Boat Team on Facebook .
Justin Tyers • 07 July 2017
World Vision Romania – A brighter Future
Christian humanitarian organisation World Vision is committed to helping parents and their children who are disadvantaged by poverty and offering them a brighter future. Rising to that challenge in Romania, Lucian Popescu who runs ProWatt – the Bucharest-based Victron Energy distributor – began in 2015 to provide off-grid domestic electricity, free of charge, to impoverished rural families with the intention that their children could study effectively and comfortably …rather than by candlelight. Quite a number of Romanian rural houses have never had electricity, and even some new houses never get connected to the electricity grid. In Romania it’s possible to obtain permission from the City Hall to build yourself a house on land that doesn’t lie within any village boundary. The land, although cheap, is often too far from power networks to make connection to the electricity grid viable and affordable. In these circumstances households either do without electricity, or otherwise it’s not unknown for some households to make an illegal connection to the grid – in spite of the dangers. Rural Romania Last year Lucian asked Ruurd ten Brink (who has since retired) if he could help, and Ruurd arranged to provide Lucian with a consignment of Victron products so that more families could be helped. This year Lucian and Ruurd have excelled themselves! By arranging to enable teams of personnel from Victron Energy’s base in the Netherlands to join the ProWatt team in Romania, eight more disadvantaged families now enjoy off-grid domestic electricity! Very generously giving up their time, working in teams of three during a rolling-series of consecutive visits to Romania during June, we’d like to take this opportunity to express our very great gratitude to: Peter Baksteen, Parwesh Bodha, Martijn Coster, Cristian Ene, Juan Alberto Felix, Mihai Frandes, Laurens Haijma, Eimert Hendrikson, Bart Goofers, Jesús Pérez, Jaggat Sewsahai, Arie Sulman, Danielle Terlien, Roland Wetering van de. Their generosity will help to improve the chances of children growing up in poverty. Each of the eight dwellings were provided with a 900w PV solar array which charges two 230ah batteries via an MPPT 150/35 to supply the household with domestic electricity using a Multi 24/500. Here is the fascinating diary of one of those visits: The first day. A travel day for a group of 3 Victron staff from Schiphol Amsterdam, to Bucharest (Romania) and then on to lasi. At the airport in Bucharest there was time for a brief word with – and a few stories from – the group going back home to Amsterdam who were very impressed with what they had experienced. After the second flight in a propeller airplane they landed in Iasi where Lucian and his co-workers Cristian and Mihai were waiting to take them to the hotel. Once at the hotel there was time for a quick beer, instructions for the following day, followed by dinner, and a brief walk through town looking for a toothbrush. The second day . The group woke early. It must have been all the excitement. There was time for a quick dip in the pool, then breakfast. At 9 a.m. after picking up everything they needed for the day they were on their way to the first family. What a difference with the city of Iasi …the contrast couldn’t have been greater. The first house was a small cob cottage with a ramshackle roof and a busy yard. It’s almost unreal to see how little these people have – and yet it is so ‘close’ to home. Here in The Netherlands it’s normal to have a water tap, electricity, a toilet, etc. and yet – right there in our backyard, so-to-speak – there are families with no electricity (save those whom we’re trying to help) and their water comes from a well. Our chicken comes out of the fridge; theirs run around the house. Indoors, there is little room to store clothes and cooking smells permeate the whole house. A number of children and their mother were watching very suspiciously what six men with blue shirts and caps were doing in their house. After giving Victron caps to the children, the ice was broken and they could get on with their work. They began by unloading the truck and getting everything ready. Finding a place for the Multi, the battery, and the MPPT. Well, in the hallway behind the door is probably the best place. Hanging everything will be a challenge considering the poor construction of the walls. One lightbulb was installed in the hallway and another in the bedroom (how can you ever get any sleep with so many people in one room?); and then the wiring and switches were completed to the Multi. Under the supervision of Cristian (Prowatt) who has a lot of experience, part of the group was busy with the panels on the roof. A dangerous job, considering the state of the roof. After installing all the Victron equipment and checking everything is in working order, it is time to surprise the children with the toys and the goodies the team have brought along. A football, pencils, paper, candy and much more. After seeing the happy faces of the children you know how true it is that giving is better than receiving. Time to pack up and get on their way for a bite to eat. They brought their own lunch because in the vicinity there are no restaurants, nor anywhere to eat or buy a meal. On a hill with a beautiful view they enjoyed their packed lunches. After lunch it was time to go to the second family. Here the well cared-for children were scrubbed clean and assembled for our arrival – like a royal visit! The father of the household had done his best to improve conditions for a better life for his family. He’d already installed a fuse box, light sockets and switches – but could not afford the power supply. This immediately gives you a positive feeling. Again the team unload the cars and they divide the group in two. One group will keep busy with the panels on the roof and the other will install the Multi, and the MPPT. After helping with a few things Martijn decided to entertain the children. When the work was done, they give the children gifts. You can only imagine how happy they were. And the school supplies were definitely more than welcome. The older children go to school and we were told they do quite well. One of the children is top of her class, (and remember that she achieved this doing her homework by candlelight). So with the new Victron installation her achievements will only improve. That gives you a great feeling and you realize that it really makes sense what you have been doing that day. As Lucian said; if only one of the children makes it then the mission was a success. Time to clean up and be on their way, back to the hotel in Iasi for a beer and a swim. Again, the contrast is great with the experiences of that day. The last day: They began the day with a brisk walk through town and then departed for the airport, and their flight home. What a beautiful experience to have been part of this project and have the opportunity to help these families. For our Victron co-workers it was just a small thing to do …they all wished they could have done more. Today Lucian, Cristian and Mihai have an 8 hour drive back home to Bucharest. They are happy to go home after all their hard work. We told them to drive carefully because they can’t be missed – the world needs people like them. After arriving home we were asked if this project left an impression. We can whole-heartedly say; Yes, it did. So much so, that we all want to go back to help even more families. We would like to thank Matthijs and Reinout for giving us the opportunity to go to Iasi and to participate in this project. And of course many, many thanks to Lucian, Cristian and Michai of Prowatt for everything they did to make our stay in Iasi a memorable one. Very many thanks to Margriet Armour for this insight into an inspiring story, and in particular to the commitment of Lucian Popescu, and Ruurd ten Brink, not just for the work they have done and continue to do – but for reminding all of us that we can make a difference. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 05 July 2017
Cool in the Sun!
Young Solar Challenge – Final Results! A fantastic action-packed final was enjoyed by all the Young Solar Challengers during the weekend 30 June to 1 July at Appelscha, Netherlands. Twenty teams of students aged between 14 and 17 earned their place to take part in the series by building their own solar powered boats! Even the sometimes wet weather wasn’t enough to damp the spirit and enthusiasm of all competitors. See how the bow waves of these speeding, virtually silent, craft chop-up the water on the canal. Pure concentration and tactical positioning are the key to climbing up the grid – a mistake whilst executing a 180 degree turn can result in a collision with the bank, risking damage to your craft …though students were on-hand to help friends and competitors alike fend-off the dangers. After a gruelling race with many dogfights…. …although every team was a winner in this unique challenge, just three teams emerge as the overall winners… …and they were: In first place this year’s clear winner and Nederlands Kampioen (Champion) is Leeuwarder Lyceum with a score of 64 second, Bogerman Sneek who scored 75 and in third place, Da Vinci College on 126. The fantastic image at the head of this blog was taken by Leo Bakker during the second series of Solar-Powered boat races and whilst it isn’t one of the Young Solar Challenge boats it represents the state of the art of Solar-Powered Boat-Racing to which all entrants aspire! The boat pictured is in the same class as ‘Furia’ – the World Champion CLAFIS Victron Energy team’s solar boat. Sincere thanks to Leo for allowing us to use the image …judging by the enthusiasm which Young Solar Challengers have for the race, this is the 50kph class of boat they’ll be building next. Or perhaps they’ll build one that’s even faster!? Victron Energy is proud to play its part in encouraging and nurturing enthusiasm in tomorrow’s Scientists and Technicians by assisting Young Solar Challenge to buy Victron Energy products. A big thank you to Kiki Merkies for keeping us informed. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 14 June 2017
Young Solar Challenge – Stage 2 results!
For those of us who couldn’t make it to the Solar Boat race at Lelystrad, Flevoland, Holland last Saturday (10th June) there was an ingenious real-time vessel-tracker ‘app’ available. Watching it was almost as much fun as the real thing! …almost as much fun as the real thing! However, those who could make it enjoyed over 40 minutes of nip and tuck in the ‘Trial’ race which began at 0900. There were thrills and spills aplenty which caused five of the nineteen competitors to withdraw or fail to finish. The winning time, with sun-generated speeds of around 16kmh, was 41m 50s which was achieved by Bogerman Sneek . Leeuwarder Lyceum came second with a five-lap time of 42m 35s, and Da Vinci College gained third place with a time of 43m 55s. The afternoon saw the start of the ‘Sprint’ races. For these, the average speed is taken over two heats. The fastest average was achieved by Leeuwarder Lyceum with a time of 20.51 seconds; Maritieme Academy Harlingen clocked up an average time of 21.74 seconds to win second place; and Bogerman Sneek came third with a time of 21.4s. All nineteen entrants successfully completed this element of the competition. There is a complicated points system used to arrive at overall winners which I shan’t explain to you as I don’t understand it myself – but I can tell you that the winning three entrants emerged as Leeuwarder Lyceum, Bogerman Sneek, and Da Vinci College, in that order with scores of 7, 7 and 10. Engines revving! Three cheers for Leeuwarder Lyceum! Thanks to Kiki Merkies for those results. At Victron Energy we take a keen interest in news concerning Young Solar Challenge . Entrants are all students aged between 14 and 17 years who have had to build their own boats, install the solar power-train, choose a pilot, and also form a maintenance team to perform dock-side repairs on their boats. All this experience is invaluable to the mind of a young scientist …and we are proud to assist Young Solar Challenge with the purchase of Victron Energy products. All eyes now turn to the final event of the season which is to be held on 30 June at 12:00 to 1 July at 17:00, Appelscha, Netherlands. The event is called Young Emotions. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 01 June 2017
Fastest Boats under the Sun
The Eneco ZonnebootRace must be the quietest boat race in the world. No gas-guzzling engines; no thrashing sails – just the purr of an electric motor …powered by the sun. Some of these youth boats can reach speeds of 20 km/h. The annual event has a number of different classes and one of them is particularly challenging: Open to 14 – 17 year olds, entrants must first build their own boat! The class is called Young Solar Challenge . Is it the drive for speed? is it the fascinating technology behind these craft? or is it the sense of achievement gained through building a boat that drew 24 teams to enter home-built craft in the competition which ran on the 26th and 27th May at Akkrum, Friesland, Holland? Everything about this race is an ideal learning opportunity for young people. Boatbuilding takes the mind to an entirely new plane: The shape of the hull teaches us that we must work with nature; to ensure water-tight integrity we must pay attention to detail; and in order to be fast – yet safe, we must build strength into the hull, whilst minimising weight. And the power-train – instantly converting the sun’s energy into ‘drive’ – teaches us the practical science behind using natural resources. When the boat is finally launched and sitting on the water like a swan, the sense of achievement brings with it a can-do attitude which will last a lifetime. Using 2 x 55 Ah batteries, the Victron Energy MPPT 75/15 and 24/7A charger two races are run – one for speed (with a winning time by Bogerman Sneek of 1 minute 18 seconds); the other tests endurance (with a winning time achieved by d ́Oultremontcollege of 1 hour 9 minutes). The competition is open to all students – details, prices and kits are available from: The Young Solar Challenge . …Each year the number of participating teams grows. News from this event, and of future events, can be followed on their Facebook Page where you can also register your interest to attend upcoming events: Zonnebootrace on 10 June at 09:00–18:00 UTC+02, Bataviahaven Lelystad , Schoonzicht 404, 8242 KH Lelystad, Nederland Young Emotion on 30 June at 12:00 to 1 July at 17:00 UTC+02, Vaart Zuidzijde 55, 8426 AG Appelscha, Nederland Victron Energy believes in inspiring young people and assists Young Solar Challenge in the purchase of Victron Energy components. Young Solar Winners. Victron Energy’s Matthijs Vader presenting. Justin Tyers
John Rushworth • 30 May 2017
CLAFIS Victron Energy solar boat team: Drama in the sun
You may recall we’ve reported before on the CLAFIS Victron Energy solar boat team and their successes. This weekend the team returned to the water with their updated 2017 boat Furia III in the hope of continuing their winning ways. The Eneco Solar Boat Race NK 2017 was held over two match day races. On Friday, May 26th, the Endurance race distance was 52km and on Saturday it was the ’round Akkrum’ race, completing as many laps as possible in a given time. For the last element of the competition it was a sprint race which ended as it did last year at the ‘De Kolk’ railway bridge in Akkrum. Taking these three different race elements into account they were then ‘weighted’, with all of them being counted toward the overall final result. Race classes There are a number of race classes, the A class and the top class – a photo of the top class boat which you can see in the headline image above and below, which in this instance is the Victron sponsored Furia III piloted by Gerard van der Schaar. Rounding a turn – not fully on the foils An additional class, which debuted in 2016, is the Young Solar class where teams are aged between 14 and 17 years old, racing with their homemade boats. Victron sponsor this class too, but I’ll let fellow blogger Justin Tyers explain these enthusiastic youngsters in a separate blog. For now here’s a video of various race boats and the surrounding area of the 52 km Eneco Solar Boat Race NK, held on Friday 26th May 2017. The video is courtesy of Jelte Van Der Meer. Drama and the dramatic To give you a flavour of the racing, these dramatic aerial photos should also do the trick. ‘De Kolk’ railway bridge in Akkrum Bird’s-eye view Dramatic as these photos are, it was not all plain sailing for Furia III as they hit a piece of wood during the race, severely damaging the propeller. Drama indeed – it seemed as though their race was over. Damaged prop Fortunately the well organised team have a spare available for every part of the boat and Furia III pilot Gerard very professionally backed up to the shore, to investigate the damage. Prop check and change Within seven minutes the team had swapped the prop for a new one and continued the race. Furia III relaunches to rejoin the race All is not lost Speaking to Gerard after the race, it became clear that had the prop change not been so quick, they would have come last. Not to be outdone and bearing in mind winning past performance ways the team pushed on – and subsequently won! A testament to team work. Winning ways – yet again! Results & Prizegiving Once again it’s great to see a Victron sponsored boat and team in the No 1 spot, piloted by the ever determined Gerard van der Schaar. Top class 1. CLAFIS Victron Energy Solarboatteam (T) 2. Dutch Solarboatteam (T) 3. New Nexus Solar Racing Team (V) 4. Solarboat Twente (T) 5. DB-20 Racing Team (V) 6. spectrum Solar Team (T) 7. Sunderland Bird (T) 8. TU Delft Solarboatteam 2016 (T) 9. Gowrings Energy Team (T) To add to the team’s success Victron Energy MD Matthijs Vader attended the event to meet all concerned and congratulate them. The wining CLAFIS Victron Energy solar boat team! Conclusion Congratulations to all and many thanks to the CLAFIS Victron Energy solar boat team for the photos used in this blog. John Rushworth Links Event website – Eneco Solar Challenge Facebook – CLAFIS Victron Energy solar boat team
Justin Tyers • 29 March 2017
Nothing beats persistence…
Impossible Robotics – the team of Dutch students who built a robot to compete in the 2017 FIRST Robotics STEAMWORKS competition – spent a great couple of weeks in Florida! FIRST Robotics is a not-for-profit organisation whose world-vision is to find, encourage and enable the young engineers of the future. For 25 years they have been running exciting game-based competitions which encourage talented students to be the best they can. Yet their programmes are not cut-throat! At the same time as working to build their own all-conquering robot, students are awarded points for helping competing teams to overcome problems encountered whilst building their robots; that way students will learn most. The games are highly-competitive – yet they’re held in an atmosphere which is fun, collaborative, supportive, and friendly – the ideal atmosphere, in fact, for creativity to thrive! FIRST Robotics say: “Most of the time you will fail but you will also occasionally succeed. These occasional successes make all the hard work and sacrifice worthwhile.” Perhaps it was the power of these words that carried the Impossible Robotics team from failure to success? Their first practise day didn’t go according to plan – a safety problem with their robot’s bumpers meant it didn’t pass the official inspection. Working late into the night, and lacking the required materials, they improvised a new bumper. First thing next morning it was sent for inspection – and passed! During the first and second matches they employed their robot in a defensive role – hindering the opposing team’s robots. They used the time between matches to improve their robot. Their ultimate goal was to endow it with an ability to climb a rope …which in terms of winning points is a very valuable asset. With the collaborative help of other teams, particularly Florida-based Tech-Tiger Robotics 1251 they finally achieved their goal and could scarcely wait for the next match so that they could watch it perform! Defeat pulled from the jaws of Victory As luck would have it, owing to human-error, when the Impossible Robotics team’s great opportunity arrived the robot wasn’t able to climb a rope – because no one had thrown a rope down for it to climb! Worse was to follow: in the next match their robot didn’t work at all! Victory pulled from the jaws of Defeat When the last match came their robot was performing at its very best. During the last thirty seconds of the game – the time when the robots that can climb do – the Impossible Robotics team rushed their robot toward the waiting rope – and Hurrah! …it climbed!! Energy and persistence conquer all things . Benjamin Franklin. Victron Energy are sponsors to Impossible Robotics – we are proud to encourage tomorrow’s engineering talent. Justin Tyers
Justin Tyers • 01 March 2017
Robot builds young scientist
As the Impossible Robotics team reveal the robot they have built to compete in the FIRST Robotics competition the unspoken question on everyone’s lips is will it work?! They have been working tirelessly to be ready for the competition which will be held on March 9 th – 11th in Florida. Last week they demonstrated their robot at the Victron Energy premises. Left to Right: Niels van der Wal, Jelle van Netten, Ijsbrand Hazenoot, Sjoerd Jannink, Stefan Sijbesma, Anna Woudstra and Henk van der Wal. In the best tradition of engineering prototypes there have been one or two teething troubles: The software is running fine when the robot is tele-controlled but needs additional work for autonomous operation. And the hardware is not completely finished, just yet. With less than a fortnight to go we’re counting down and wait with baited breath to see if our team can pull it off! Inspiring… It’s all about taking part. A lot of behind-the-scenes effort goes into putting up a team for the competition which this year attracts 3,336 competing teams from 25 countries around the world. For nearly 30 years FIRST has been inspiring young people to get involved in science – this year more than 80,000 have, guided by 20,000 mentors. Moment of truth… It’s a huge global effort and you’ll be able to watch everyone in action by livestreaming the event direct from the University of Central Florida on March 9th, 10th and 11th. Look for team number 5412. Victron Energy is proud to sponsor Impossible Robotics
Justin Tyers • 24 February 2017
Back to the Future?
Impossible Robotics – the Science Students of whom we bring you news from time to time – have just been tasked with an exciting challenge for 2017: To build and program robots to deliver fuel, and gears, to Flying Steam Ships! The robots they build will face their challenge at the University of Central Florida on March 9 th – 11 th 2017. During each game three teams from around the world work in alliance to beat three opposing teams – all have two and a half minutes to demonstrate their engineering skills as the robots they have designed, built and programmed fly around an arena – working both autonomously and by teleoperation to fulfil their tasks. It’s fast, it’s noisy, and it’s fun! The idea behind these annual events organised by FIRST Robotics is to stimulate young people’s interest in Engineering, Mathematics, Science, and Technology. Not so incidentally the program builds self-confidence, self-worth, communication and leadership skills whilst allowing young people to discover their hidden talents. Tomorrow’s engineers emerge from these events. Race against time… Impossible Robotics are at full-stretch: They have set their strategy – to Keep it Simple – and, four weeks in, have decided to concentrate their attention on building robots which will deliver the Gears to the waiting Steamship (presumably because they’re worth the most points!). Next in importance for our young engineers is to endow their robots with the capability of lifting themselves aboard the steamships. Natty. Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted The sheer workload of those two tasks means that they have had to stop work on developing robots with a ‘shooting’ ability (part of the challenge is to shoot ‘fuel’ into a boiler with a basketball-like action.) However, very intelligently they have delegated that work to supporting colleagues! We wish them all the luck in the world. Here’s one we made earlier… Encouraging an interest in Engineering, Electronics, and Technology is the very best thing we can do for our young people. At Victron Energy we see that we have a responsibility, and to play a small part are proud to sponsor Impossible Robotics . Here’s the challenge.. Watch the FIRST Robotics challenge the students have accepted:
John Rushworth • 07 February 2017
India: Victron Sponsored Solar Ferry in Operation
Recently India’s very first solar ferry was launched. The event was inaugurated by Sri. Pinarayi Vijayan Hon’ Chief Minister of Kerala . The chief guest was Sri. Piyush Goyal Hon’ Minister for New & Renewable Energy. Sponsored in part by Victron Energy, the solar ferry went into service on January 13th 2017 for the Kerala State Water Transport Department sailing between Vaikom and Thavanakadav. The ferry is named ADITYA and besides being the first solar ferry in India, she is also India’s largest and fastest solar boat. During full load trials for classification she achieved 7.4 Knots @ 90% power. Here’s a short video to give you a flavour of the ‘sunshine ferry’. Design & construction The original vision to make their local water transport more efficient dates back to 2010 when the original NavAlt team (part of Navgathi Marine Design & Constructions Pvt Ltd ) started experimenting by retrofitting a small passenger boat with photovoltaic panels. Some lessons learned and a number of iterations later ADITYA came into being. Here is her basic specification: Catamaran hull 20kWp photovoltaic array (140 square metres) 50 kWh Lithium ion battery energy storage (700 Kg) 2 x 20 kW electric motors 20m length x 7m beam 6 hours runtime at cruise speed (cruise speed requires 15kW power) Carries 75 passengers Max speed 7.5 knots Optional plug & charge No fossil fuels onboard ADITYA’s solar array seen from the air. Victron Sponsorship As Arjun Bhaskar of Navgathi Marine Design & Constructions Pvt Ltd has said: “India’s first solar ferry wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our sponsors who believed in our vision. We thank you for that great support and are delighted ADITYA is now in operation, sailing through the back waters of the Southern state of Kerala and providing a valuable service.” Sponsored equipment includes: 2 x BlueSolar MPPT 150/35 (12/24/48V-35A) 2 x Battery Monitor BMV-702 2 x Temperature sensors for BMV-702 1 x Color Control GX 4 x VE.Direct to USB interfaces Conclusion It’s always good to see sponsored projects resulting in tangible benefits for people – and it seems the planet. My thanks to Victron Energy’s support engineer Carsten Michelsen, who is based in India and made me aware of this project. You can keep up to date with ADITYA’s progress through the NavAlt Solar & Electric Boats Facebook page . John Rushworth 
Matthijs Vader • 07 January 2017
Comeback kid Yvonne Nauta
Yvonne Nauta is a Dutch Olympic speed skater who celebrated some big successes early in her career culminating in a silver medal at the 2014 European Championships and a bronze medal at the World Championships in that same year. After 2 challenging seasons in 2015 and 2016 she decided to re-join the speed skating team that she was part of being a talented junior, the Frisian District Team ‘Gewest Fryslân’. This team is focused on grooming talented speed skaters in the province of Friesland; Victron is the proud main sponsor of this team. Joining this successful team again turned out to be a wise decision as Yvonne won a bronze medal at the Dutch National Championships last weekend. Qualified for the European and World Championships Based on these results she qualified for the 2017 European and World Championships after having missed these tournaments in 2015 and 2016. Want to see the next race? The 1500m ladies, part of the EK Allround Championships, starts at 11:00 Dutch local time today. We are obviously very proud of Yvonne’s achievements so far this season and hope there is more to come! – Guest post by Daniel van D. –
John Rushworth • 19 September 2016
Solar Challenge Chihuahua: Mexico solar car race
I recently heard from Victron Energy’s Sales Manager for Central & South America. Gerrit Jacobs is based in Panama and with his help Victron have sponsored (along with others) and donated equipment to the Mechatronic faculty of the Technological University of Tijuana, Mexico. The equipment has been used to power and monitor their solar and human-powered car, in preparation for the Solar Challenge Chihuahua. This solar car race is supported by the Chihuahua AC Solar Challenge, a non-profit organisation founded in the city of Chihuahua in 2013. Its aims are to promote the work between universities and business, through research and innovation in solar energy. Donated equipment 1 x BlueSolar MPPT 150/35 1 x Color Control GX 2 x VE.Direct Cables 0.9m (one with right angle side connection) 1 x BMV-702 Battery Monitor 1 x BMV-702 temperature sensor cable 2 x VE.Direct Bluetooth Smart dongle Solar and human-powered car (video in Spanish) Vehicle specifications: Speed: 27 to 70 km/h Weight: 580 kg Dimensions: 3 m long x 1.5 m width and height Solar panels: Generating 15 to 17 Amp at 36V Battery bank: 36V with 4.89 kWh stored energy Color Control GX and BMV-702 fitted: Live and learn Here is what Cesar Ochoa (one of the team members) had to say about the race: “The race was excellent fun and for our part we even had a half page report in a local paper. In the race itself, there were a number of varied designs with each team doing an excellent job with their individual design type. Besides our own vehicle, there were others (as you can see in the photos) that could be pedalled with human power similar to that of a bicycle. In the race, we achieved 5th place and our car performed perfectly. Our race time was 4:08 hours with a distance travelled of 58 km from the city of Chihuahua. We have learned a lot from our experience and our next goal will be to make our car faster and more powerful, in part by using lighter weight materials such as aluminium. All in all, it was a wonderful experience and we thank Victron Energy very much for their support”. Conclusion All budding engineers have to start somewhere. A little support from companies like those shown can go a long way to encouraging and enhancing the student learning experience. These students are the engineers of tomorrow after all. Victron Energy are delighted if we’ve helped in that process. Thanks to Gerrit Jacobs for making me aware of this project and Cesar Ochoa from the Mechatronic faculty of the Technological University of Tijuana for the information and images used in this blog. John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 08 August 2016
LOVE FOR LIFE®: IMAGINE LIGHT in Ecuador’s Amazon
Maybe like me you are constantly surprised by the extent and diversity of sponsorship projects that Victron Energy are involved with. Some projects are simply charitable and for good causes, others are all about investing in the technicians of the future. This project seems to contain all these factors. IMAGINE LIGHT, in Ecuador’s Amazon, is a project which has been instigated and implemented by LOVE FOR LIFE® with the help of a variety of sponsors, which includes Victron Energy. In principal this project is all about empowering a total of 44 families (from five rainforest communities) by supplying them with solar powered lighting systems. Victron Energy are delighted to have had their part to play in this and we’d like to thank the LOVE FOR LIFE® team for this guest blog and their wonderful photographs. Thanks also to Bob Hopman of Victron Energy for making me aware of this project. The blog text is by Julia Bär and Cristina Arau. Photographs are by Hanna Witte. I hope you enjoy their blog as much as I have. It is verbatim and a German version is available upon request, as are some additional photographs. It’s been so hard to choose which ones to include – they are all excellent! John Rushworth IMAGINE LIGHT in Ecuador’s Amazon Home to one of the most important and bio-diverse ecosystems on our planet, Ecuador’s northern Amazon rainforest faces grave threats to its survival due to widespeard resource exploitation. Driven by the reserves of crude oil, timber and African palm, and agricultural settlement, large-scale industry’ presence in the area threatens the survival of both the region’s unique ecosystems as well as the cultural survival of the indigenous nationalities, including the Cofán, Secoya, Siona and Waorani, who have inhabited these forests for thousands of years. Four Peoples, one Mission These four ancestral indigenous nationalities have recently united in a unique alliance, the mission of which it is to build an indigenous-led movement for the cultural survival and rainforest protection in Ecuador’s northern Amazon. They named their alliance Ceibo and thus named it after the biggest tree in the Amazon rainforest, a giant that is holy to the indigenous peoples. The German non-profit organization LOVE FOR LIFE (www.loveforlifeproject.org) is supporting the mission of the four indigenous nationalities and, together with them, is realising the solar energy project IMAGINE LIGHT: the humanitarian project enables the indigenous nationalities to have access to clean and independent solar energy and thus to a sustainable and self-determined development and supports them in their role as guardians of one of our planet’s last natural treasures. Supported by Victron Energy, in the pilot project of IMAGINE LIGHT a total of 44 families from five rainforest communities were supplied with solar systems in spring 2016. Thereby sustainable possibilities for development in the areas of education, health, food security, the right to self-determination, climate and environmental protection as well as the empowerment of women were created. For all these areas sustainable access to clean energy is an important catalyst. Transport and Training of the Technicians The technical components for IMAGINE LIGHT were shipped from Germany to Ecuador and transported in canoes and small airplanes from the oil city of Lago Agrio in Ecuador’s northeast to partly very remote communities in the rainforest by means of an enormous effort of the target group. One part of the material remained in LOVE FOR LIFE’s headquarter until the installation in the villages in order to charge the batteries after the long storage and transport period. Additionally, all electronic components (like the BlueSolar MPPT charge controller 100/30, Phoenix inverter 350 W, Battery Protect, monitoring systems/BMV 700, switch cabinets, cables, and installation materials, etc.) were stored in the headquarters as they were used for an intensive training of the future indigenous solar technicians prior to the installation period. Part of the training was the installation and the cabling of the components in the switch cabinets, so that these were completely pre-installed when they went on their journey to the communities to be only plugged in and connected to panels, batteries and LED lights. The nine-day training of the indigenous solar technicians was led by the organization’s solar engineer. It presented a didactic challenge for the international team as a huge amount of knowledge and complex connections wanted to be taught and processed in an ideal way in order to give the technicians sound training and to guarantee secure and; in future, independent handling of the solar systems. Already in the preparations to the implementation training measures for the custom-developed solar systems were designed so that a maximum of practical content, hands-on elements and “learning by doing“ sequences were contained. In the Communities After the joint training and the pre-installation of the switch cabinets the remaining materials were collectively transported to the following rainforest communities: Bavoroe, Cofán Community, 11 families Ukavati, Cofán Community, 8 families San Pablo, Secoya Community 10 families Nemonpare, Waorani Community, 7 families Kiwaru, Waorani Community, 8 families Energy System Configuration The off-grid solar home system consists of two high quality 250Wp photovoltaic modules, two 330 Ah / 6 V Sonnenschein batteries, one BlueSolar 100/30 MPPT Victron Energy solar charge controller and one 350 W Phoenix Inverter, Victron Energy, including a Battery Protect 50 A and a battery monitor BMV-700 to protect the batteries from deep discharge by both AC and DC loads. After all the systems of one community were installed and ready to use, LOVE FOR LIFE and the team of technicians invited the whole community to a workshop that taught the correct handling of the systems and the running and maintenance of the systems. The workshop was developed and prepared already during the training of the solar technicians and was held by these on their own. In advance, LOVE FOR LIFE had designed and produced special manuals which were explained in the workshops and then put up next to the switch cabinets in the families’ houses. The laminates bilingual colored manuals are protected from humidity and explain all important aspects (personal security, usage, maintenance, trouble-shooting) in easy-to-understand pictograms. The “technical“ part of the workshop was followed by an additional sequence on the topic of a collective development of a monthly tariff system held by the respective project coordinator in all communities. Here the families agreed on a fixed tariff that is paid into a common fund by all families on a monthly basis. In future solar technicians will be paid from this fund for their maintenance work, repairs and check-ups, a denounced treasurer manages the finances in each community. Everything done by the solar technicians will be documented and digitalized in order to obtain an exact picture of consumers and user behaviour. Follow-up projects can thus be optimised if necessary. Self-determination, Sustainability and Cooperation – for a Green and Just World The situation of the indigenous nationalities in Ecuador is very complex, their history and present coined by exploitation, violence und oppression. The contamination of soil and (drinking) water by oil production over decades causes diseases and the extinction of species, deforestation of the rainforest and the massive increase in oil plantations deprive the peoples of their home and the basis of their lives. Both force them into poverty and dependence on those who violate their human rights and especially their rights as indigenous peoples. The Cofán today only number around 2100 people, the Secoya around 600 people in Ecuador and 900 in Peru, the Waorani around 2000 and the Siona around 400 people. The aim of LOVE FOR LIFE is to reach around 6000 people with IMAGINE LIGHT and thus provide them with the sustainable access to clean energy. By forming a relationship based on trust and a successful cooperation in the pilot project, LOVE FOR LIFE has ensured that the project is run by the indigenous peoples in self-determination, has sustainable success, and can be expanded to other communities. IMAGINE LIGHT leads to a sustainable strengthening and empowerment of the indigenous people, it allows them urgently needed opportunities for development, supports them in their role as guardians of the natural world and thus also protects one of the most biodiverse regions of our planet, a central regulator of the world’s climate. The future of the Amazon rainforest is concerning the future of us all. More on LOVE FOR LIFE’s work: http://www.loveforlifeproject.org/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Love-for-Life/1447553555517560 Project components Solar Panels: 2 x 250 Wp PV-modules Solar chargers: Victron Energy MPPT 100/30 Batteries: 2 x 330 Ah/6V battery Inverters: Victron Energy 350 W Phoenix Inverter Battery Protect: Victron Energy Battery Protect Monitoring: Victron Energy BMV-700 battery monitor LOVE FOR LIFE e.V. Fehrbelliner Straße 45 D-10119 Berlin info@loveforlifeproject.org www.loveforlifeproject.org Copyright © 2016 LOVE FOR LIFE® e.V.
John Rushworth • 26 July 2016
Victron sponsored Furia solar boat wins again
As you may recall in a recent blog the CLAFIS Victron Energy solar boat team clinched the Dutch solar boat challenge , just before they dashed off abroad for the Monaco Solar Boat Challenge – which is billed as ‘A sport for the new generation, inspired by nature and powered by innovation.’ Inspirational it was; the CLAFIS Victron Energy team with their Furia solar boat proved their supremacy once again – ranking first in each and every challenge and winning the overall championship title for the third year running. The icing on the cake was adding a YCM International Speed Record to their list of achievements. Here’s a short 12 second video of that record: Conclusion As the Yacht Club de Monaco’s website says: ‘Dutch unbeatable’. It seems like Victron picked the right team to sponsor! And it’s all the more heart warming to hear back from them too: “We would like to thank our sponsors, especially CLAFIS and Victron Energy, for enabling us to join these spectacular races and also cheering us on along the way, with unwavering faith and support.” Victron Energy are delighted to have sponsored the team and congratulate them on their successes. Happy sponsors, happy team – what more can you ask for. Links For full reports, photos and videos on the Dutch and Monaco events please see the Furia blog and the Yacht Club de Monaco’s website.
John Rushworth • 13 July 2016
CLAFIS Victron Energy solar boat team: World champions!
As you may recall from the blog ‘ Winning ways ‘ at the weekend, the CLAFIS Victron Energy solar boat team were doing well in the provisional results, but it was uncertain if they would actually retain the championship. However as you can see from the headline image they did it – world solar boat champions! Here’s a round up of the week’s events direct from the team, after a week of solar racing from Amsterdam to Leeuwarden. John Rushworth From the CLAFIS Victron Energy solar boat team “It was an exciting week with setbacks and bad luck which threatened our chance of successfully defending the championship – making that possibility seem quite remote. Halfway through the week we were in 2nd place in the standings. Our biggest competitor at that point was the TU Delft Solar Boat Team, who had developed a very competitive boat with speeds very close to ours. The last stage from Grou to Leeuwarden was the most exciting stage, which we really wanted to win. The strategy for the day proved decisive, because the sun was forecast to disappear and the last 30 km would likely be covered in the rain. Accurate estimates of the weather and the best strategy is ultimately decided by the solar harvested and battery capacity. We got it right – flying across the finish line in Leeuwarden at 40 kilometres per hour and grabbing the world title in the process! In addition to this we also won the sprint championship by being fastest in the stages. We want to thank all the sponsors for the opportunity to participate in this race. The team and our boat are currently on the way to Monaco to defend the championship title at the Monte-Carlo Cup 2016, based at the Monaco Yacht Club. You can follow us on Facebook for updates from Monaco . Thanks, CLAFIS Victron Energy solar boat team”
John Rushworth • 09 July 2016
CLAFIS Victron Energy solar boat team: Winning ways
Furia is the name of the co-sponsored CLAFIS Victron Energy solar racing boat shown above, resplendent in her new 2016 racing colours. You may recall in an earlier blog Sun, Speed & Sponsorship, in 2014, the effort that has gone into these boats and their development – not to mention their winning ways. Provisional results just in Today (9 July) marks the last day of this year’s Dutch Solar Challenge which started on July 2 in Amsterdam. Yesterday the team were in Grou – with the Victron flags flying high. Today sees the Dutch Solar Challenge complete in Leeuwarden. Checking in on team T62 earlier this morning – it seems that (provisionally) in the Sprint Competition T-Class – CLAFIS Victron Energy are 1st! If this continues in the Monte-Carlo Cup 2016, which the team head off to from 14 to July 16, then there may be even more success to add to the winning ways of the previous results shown below, for the CLAFIS Victron Energy team. Conclusion These solar boats are no slouches, just look at a clip from their top speed yesterday! In the meantime we look forward to hearing of the final results from today and wish the CLAFIS Victron Energy solar boat team every success for the coming Solar Grand Prix of Monaco. Further information CLAFIS Victron Energy solar boat team: http://www.furiaone.nl/ https://www.facebook.com/furiaonesolar/ John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 01 July 2016
ProWatt & Victron Energy: Proactive Romanian poverty relief
Rustic getaway? It might look like it but in fact this is one of many homes in Romania that have no grid electricity. One company had an idea to start to make a difference to that situation. This is their story. Earlier this year Ruurd ten Brink (Victron Energy Sales Manager covering Romania and other countries) received an email from one of his distributors. That company is ProWatt who are based in Bucharest , the capital of Romania. Lucian Popescu of ProWatt takes up the story with that email to Ruurd. Email contact From Lucian Popescu of ProWatt: “Romania is a country of sharp contrasts – very rich and on the other hand very poor people who barely have enough to eat from one day to another, who have no electricity, no water or toilet facilities and so on. This is a reality our country faces (and is struggling to overcome) as integration into the EU progresses. As our company expertise is with customised solar energy solutions, we at ProWatt decided we wanted to help such families and their children, who live and learn without electricity by using candles or other primitive lighting devices. In the Summer of 2015, we contacted World Vision Romania and explained to them what we wanted to achieve. They were very happy to help and found us a family with kids living in very poor conditions with no electricity. We prepared a project kit comprising of 2 x 150W Photovoltaic Panels, a Phoenix 350W/24V Inverter , a BlueSolar PWM charge controller and 2 x 220Ah AGM Batteries . We then arranged the installation and travelling details with World Vision which included a donation contract between ProWatt and World Vision Romania; date of installation, etc. World Vision kindly took it upon themselves to find a TV for the installation. The moment of installation arrived! On July 29th 2015, a very sunny and warm day, our team together with a World Vision Romania representative went to Dumesti village in Vaslui county . There we found a family with 3 children living in a house made of clay, with some missing and broken windows, situated in the middle of a field with no direct access from a road. The children and parents were very curious about what we were going to do, having never seen such technical equipment in their lives. We started to install the solar panels on the roof, being careful not to break them; we made the cable connections through the fragile clay walls with a great deal of care. After 2 hours work we finally got to the point where the TV was switched on by one of the kids – the happiness and curiosity we saw delighted us all. Since then we have kept in contact with World Vision and they said they have a long list of similar families which they oversee and which could be helped with similar donations. Following the discussion we had during the Victron Energy training in December 2015, we contacted World Vision to locate some similar families as described above. We would like these next campaigns to be organised together with Victron and depending on your answer we will be happy to arrange the next steps with World Vision Romania. Thank you and Happy holidays! ProWatt team Lucian Popescu.” Sponsorship In response to Lucian’s email, Victron Energy were subsequently delighted to help the ProWatt team and World Vision Romania by supplying the following sponsored equipment: 16 x 12V/165Ah AGM Deep Cycle Batteries (16 on one pallet) 8 x 350 VA Phoenix inverters 8 x 150/35 BlueSolar MPPT charge controllers Ready for the off In the images below Lucian and the ProWatt team take to the road in 2016 with their trucks and a loaded trailer full of Victron Energy equipment; as they travel to site to install off grid electricity for 8 deserving Romanian families. Power for the people The images below paint a better picture than words can. Conclusion As World Vision’s trademark says “Solving the Puzzle of Poverty™”. What more can be said other than that, and the emotions the photographs convey? John Rushworth Credits & links Thanks to ProWatt and Ruurd of Victron for supplying the images and information used in this blog. To learn more about World Vision please see the following links: http://www.worldvision.org/ http://www.worldvision.ro/ https://www.facebook.com/WorldVisionRomania/posts/10154239589512867
John Rushworth • 08 June 2016
Extreme Solar: Higher power
It’s time for an adventure and a short break from blogging. I’m privileged to be sailing from Southampton to Gibraltar on a Victron equipped Discovery 58 called Karibu, which was recently launched after a year in build. As I make last minute preparations for my mini sailing adventure; I’m listening to the Isle of Man TT (motorcycling is another of my passions) and I’m reminded of an equally extreme death defying challenge and not so different in many ways from riding at the TT – climbing very high mountains. Nanga Parbat Marek Klonowski is a Victron installer for Energy Freedom in Ireland and Mikrogeneracja in Poland . He is one of the brave – and as you may recall attempted a winter climb on Nanga Parbat hoping to be one of the first to summit in winter; the start of that climb being documented in the blog – December Solstice 2015: What are you doing? Having to return to the climb at a later date Marek and team were unfortunately beaten to the summit by four other climbers from a well funded team who reached the summit of Nanga Parbat in winter , having started preparations from the Diamar (west) side on the December solstice of 2015. This now leaves only K2 to be climbed in winter; the last of the eight-thousanders . Marek and his team in their attempt approached the mountain and climb preparation from the Rupal (east) side. February finances and snow meant a return to their respective countries for this team, even though ropes had been rigged up to 6,300m and 4 of the en route camps supplied, up to a height of 7,100 m. The tantalising peak of 8,126 m must have seemed so close – but this year it was not to be. Still there was some consolation for Marek having previously climbed with the Italian Simone Moro, 4 years ago on the same route on the Diamir side. Moro is one of the four that were in this year’s successful summit from the Diamir side. Bed & Breakfast All was not in vain though for Marek and from a Victron Energy viewpoint; the equipment used and listed below (which performed better than specification) has been brought down from the mountain and is now in Tarashing powering a small 8 room hotel. In fact if you are connected with Victron Energy you never know you might get free B&B there for life apparently! Tarashing is a place where the road ends on the Rupal side of Nanga Parbat. Here is that Victron equipment: 2 x Phoenix Inverter 12/180 IEC outlet – 230 V 1 x Blue Power IP65 Charger 12/7 + DC connector 1 x Clamp connector (with 30A ATO fuse) 1 x MIDI-fuse 100A/32V (package of 5pcs) 1 x Fuse holder for MIDI-fuse 1 x VE.Direct to USB interface 1 x Battery Monitor BMV-700 1 x Victron LiFePO4 Battery 12,8V/60Ah – CB 4 x BlueSolar MPPT 75/10 (12/24V-10A) 1 x BlueSolar MPPT 75/15 (12/24V-15A) 1 x Inverting remote on-off cable 1 x VE.Direct Bluetooth LE dongle 1 x Cyrix-ct 12/24V-230A intelligent battery combiner 1 x Automotive IP65 Charger 12V/4A-12V/1A with DC conn 4 x SPM030301200 30W-12V Mono 430×545×25mm series 3a 6 x 50W-12V Mono 630×545×25mm series 3a Further adventures As I set off on my own modest adventure I’ll leave you with the ‘route’ that Marek (in his own words) has taken to get to the point of the Nanga Parbat climb. “As a child I always dreamt about the high mountains, but I never expected that I’d be able to organize an expedition like the Nanga one. My early travels started with long bicycle trips around the Black Sea and Baltic Sea – www.klonu.pl . After my school days I hitch-hiked from New York to Alaska and did my first Denali solo traverse – that was quite something! I realised then that my adventures were to be primarily mountaineering and still looking for adventure I did the Mount Logan traverse in Canada with some motorcycle trips to add to the mix to the Tien Shan mountains – www.motoleopard.blogspot.com . And then for some unknown reason Nanga Parbat came to mind one day whilst ‘travelling on Google Earth’. That’s how the Nanga dream started. Now after 4 prior attempts and even though we weren’t the first to summit in winter – I have to say particular thanks to Victron Energy for this year as we got the best ‘toys’ ever for our own Nanga Parbat climb”. Conclusion If you have an adventure using Victron Energy equipment we’d love to hear from you. I very much doubt many will have installed such extreme solar as Marek, but in this world remarkable feats and records remain to be broken. Congratulations to Marek and team for their fantastic efforts and thanks for the information, images and video used in this blog. Here’s a flavour of the Nanga expedition: In the meantime I’m humbly sneaking off on my own modest sailing adventure as IOM TT records are smashed and Ian Hutchinson equals Mike Hailwood’s TT achievements … John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 01 June 2016
Blue Power meets Orange Power
Today marks the start of the Skoda Tour de Luxembourg for the Roompot–Oranje Peloton , who are a Dutch UCI Professional Continental men’s cycling team. In fact you could say this is a case of Blue Power meets Orange Power – as Victron Energy are delighted to have partnered with the team. What though you may ask does Victron and professional cycling have in common? Off-grid power is the answer – providing energy systems which make living and working ‘on the road’ that much easier. Orange To date the team have had some notable successes with hopefully more to follow. Whether that results in an Oranjegekte (Orange craze) remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain – these riders are purely Dutch as you can tell by the colour. Not being Dutch myself I’ve always wondered why the colour orange is so prevalent, especially when the flag of the Netherlands is red, white and blue. The answer it seems is simple: Orange is the colour of the Dutch Royal Family , which hails from the House of Orange or more specifically the House of Orange-Nassau . It is no wonder then that the Roompot–Oranje Peloton team’s motto is 100% passie, 100% betrokken ( 100% passion , 100% involved). Of course orange is one of Victron Energy’s company colours too, as is blue – so let’s see how Orange Power meets Blue. Blue The team have various vehicles in their fleet. Some of these, such as the support trucks, are fitted with solar panels connected to Victron Energy lithium batteries via an MPPT BlueSolar Charge Controller , along with a MultiPlus inverter/charger. This ensures off-grid mains electricity day or night, providing lighting and power for bicycle servicing tools and equipment, such as air compressors to inflate tyres. The team also have mobile changing rooms and workshops, which even include a washing machine and drier as you can see in the photo below, taken at night through the rear door of one of the ‘Smartbox campers’. Conclusion With Blue Power meeting Orange via these innovative Victron systems – 24/7 off-grid support is ensured for the Roompot–Oranje Peloton riders and team. We wish the team every success for the 2016 season and hope an Orange craze ( Oranjegekte ) ensues! John Rushworth Credits Thanks to Peter Vos of Victron Energy and the Roompot–Oranje Peloton team for the images and information used in this blog. Links Website – http://www.teamroompot.nl Google Plus – https://plus.google.com/102152269555342894644 YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ6CwhSiZ5Z_nFepYklec4A
John Rushworth • 17 May 2016
Victron Energy boost for Western High Solar Cats
There’s only one thing worse than enthusiasm, I was told when younger – and that is a lack of it! There’s no risk of that with the Western High Solar Cats team. They are passionate about their work and it seems Victron Energy’s products too. A recent email from team member Stephen Thomas said : “We owe a big thanks to Victron for all the support they have given us, which will help our 2016 solar car challenge program go even further.” Once again it gives Victron Energy great pleasure to support the young engineers of tomorrow. Here’s an insight into these budding engineers and the Western High Solar Cats team. Western High is a high school located in Davie, Florida and some of their students are members of a critical core team that take charge of the construction of a solar car. This core team consists of a special group of students who possess the qualities to perform and successfully accomplish that. The task Stephen Thomas from the team explains this year’s task: “The 2016 solar car challenge is a 1,000 mile cross country race from Dallas, Texas to Twin Cities, Minnesota . Our division is the classic, where students build a metal framed vehicle from materials like aluminium and steel. We power the cars with lead acid batteries that are charged by a solar array (no more than 19% efficient). The goal of the competition is to drive the solar car as far as possible, while maintaining at least 15mph.” Boosting the task To help the team with their challenge Victron Energy have supplied the following: 2 x MPPT 150/35 solar charge controllers 1 x BMV-700 battery monitor 1 x Color Control GX 2 x VE.Direct to USB interface , 9m & 5m 1 x Color Control GX Wi-fi Module. Victron part number: BPP900200100 Time to figure out what does what! Conclusion We look forward to hearing more from the Western High Solar Cats and how they get on with this year’s challenge. Thanks to Justin Larrabee of Victron Energy in the USA, and Solar Cat Stephen Thomas (in the red shirt above) for the photos and information received. To learn more please see the following links: http://westernhigh.org/ http://www.solarcarchallenge.org/challenge/ John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 29 April 2016
Victron Energy supports Croatian Solar Cinema
Recently a team from Via Solis in Croatia visited the Netherlands to collect their Victron Energy sponsored equipment for the Solar Cinema Adria project. The Via Solis team are new partners in Solar World Cinema, which is an international network of solar-powered mobile cinemas. Victron Energy have provided the team with a Multiplus and AGM batteries to assist this innovative project. Solar World Cinema Here is what Maureen Prins of Solar World Cinema had to say: “Our slogan is ‘Brings unseen films to unusual places’ and our organisation, together with its partners, aims to screen movies in some of the most beautiful places on earth. Being 100% solar-powered, these mobile cinemas are totally self-sufficient and sustainable! This innovative project originated in the Netherlands. In February, the most recent partners from Croatia paid a visit to the Netherlands to follow a training programme, to exchange know-how and to take back technical equipment with them. Victron Energy and Victron specialists Buitendijk Energy are supporting this project with advice and equipment – our special thanks go out to these partners.” Via Solis Below are the team from Via Solis collecting their Multiplus for the Solar Cinema Adria project. Conclusion We wish the Via Solis team every success with their Solar Cinema Adria project, which is being launched at this year’s Screen on the Green festival. This festival of film and music is now in its sixth year. Held in Zagreb’s city parks it is an event which has become an indispensable part of Zagreb’s Summer cultural scene. If you are in Croatia this Summer it sounds well worth a visit. Links Screen on the Green Solar World Cinema Solar Cinema on Facebook John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 19 April 2016
BME Solar Boat Team: Origami to reality
Many good ideas often start with just a handful of people and a few bits of paper. And so it is with the BME Solar Boat Team, who hail from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (officially abbreviated as BME) in Hungary. Whilst BME was originally founded in 1782, the BME Solar Boat Team started life in 2014 – with just an origami boat and 3 people. Now there is a team of 28, made up of students from: Transportation Engineering and Vehicle Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Architecture, Mechanical Engineering plus Economic and Social Sciences. For operational ease and clarity the BME Solar Boat Team is divided into three distinct areas of operation: Design, Electronics and Marketing. The team’s goal is to participate in the Dutch Solar Challenge World Cup and the Solar 1 Monte Carlo Cup . Rendering to reality From the original CAD renderings the carbon composite hull progresses toward reality – as the image sequence below shows. Speaking to the BME Solar Boat Team about their progress to date, they said: “It has been a delightful experience for us to handcraft the hull which is the culmination of more than a year of engineering work. We have also received some of the electric drive components plus other equipment which always gives us motivation to progress. One of the brightest moments recently has been the start of our cooperation with Victron Energy who have supplied and sponsored us with their highly efficient MPPTs plus control and monitoring systems – these being important core components for our electronic systems. We were also delighted to have the opportunity to meet Victron Energy, when our team leaders visited the Victron stand at Boot Düsseldorf.” Conclusion It might have started as an origami boat team logo yet it always good to see ideas come to fruition – especially when they come from the graduates of tomorrow. Who knows what innovations this professional and well organised BME Solar Boat Team will come up with as they progress towards their goals. Victron Energy wish the BME Solar Boat Team every success in achieving their goals and look forward to further progress reports. Thanks to Leo Yntema for the heads up on this project. Leo is the Victron Energy Sales Manager for Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Luxembourg . John Rushworth Links Website – http://solarboatteam.hu/ Blog – http://solarboatteam.blog.hu/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/BMEsolar/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/bme_solar_team/ Dutch Solar Challenge (now Solar Sport One) – http://www.solarsportone.org/news/article_1.html Solar 1 Monte Carlo Cup – http://www.solar1races.com/
John Rushworth • 17 March 2016
Arise Sir Launch-A-Lot!
Great news, the good knight Sir Launch-A-Lot (5412 pictured above) and the Impossible Robotics team have won an award at this year’s FIRST ® Robotics Competition in Orlando. The award ceremony Whilst the team didn’t make the final play-offs, they did show remarkable spirit and a well recognised maturing in their engineering skills. After the finals had been run you can imagine Impossible Robotics delight when the announcer said: “This team exudes gracious professionalism, showing heart and spirit for the competition and all participants. This team finds no challenge impossible, and brings the principles of FIRST ® to their city and far beyond.” Conclusion Congratulations to the team from all of us at Victron Energy, especially for winning the Gracious Professionalism award . Further information about them, the competition and how this all helps the engineers of tomorrow is available via the links below.
John Rushworth • 26 February 2016
Sir Launch-A-Lot visits Victron Energy
On Monday morning at Victron Energy the Knights of the Round Table gathered; Sir Launch-A-Lot star of the show. Yes, Arthurian legend has been updated in the 21st century, Sir Lancelot is now a robot and to the delight of all he visited Victron Energy. Well maybe that is stretching things too far but the round table in this case were parents, some Victron employees, the Impossible Robotics knights and their ‘greatest fighter and swordsman of all’ – the fabulous new robot Sir Launch-A-Lot. And goodness can he catapult boulders and assault castle walls! Sir who? At this stage an explanation is in order. As you may recall Victron Energy are once again sponsoring the young engineers of the future – the Impossible Robotics team. Recently we revealed this year’s FIRST ® Robotics Competition 2016 theme ‘Stronghold’, which involves breaching their opponents defences. Here’s a short video explaining the game to be held at the CFE Arena at the University of Central Florida in Orlando from March 9 to March 12, 2016. The Round Table This photograph of the ‘round table’ is taken from the castle walls; or Victron’s workshop in Groningen as it is usually known. In this shot all were in rapt attention as the knights readied Sir Launch-A-Lot for his first public demonstration, prior to the competition in America. The Knights Here you can see some of the knights at the controls of Sir Launch-A-Lot with team coach Henk van der Wal on the right. Sir Launch-A-Lot in action Be amazed at the dexterity, manoeuvrability, speed and power as Sir Launch-A-Lot flings a boulder at the gathered crowd. Sir Launch-A-Lot from Mark Nijboer on Vimeo . Conclusion Be afraid, be very afraid, the Impossible Robotics team and their secret weapon (codenamed 5412) are coming! John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 15 February 2016
Impossible Robotics: 2016 game revealed
As some of you may know Victron Energy were delighted to sponsor the young Dutch students of the Impossible Robotics team in 2015 – and that is set to continue this year too. So why do this? As Matthijs Vader, MD of Victron Energy has previously stated: “This has little, if anything at all, to do with sponsorship money or profile for the company. For me this is about getting young people involved with electronics and related software. These young people are the engineers of tomorrow and the future for companies like Victron. We are delighted to support them.” FIRST ® Robotics Competition To learn more about the roots of this competition see the FIRST ® vision and mission page. For more about last year’s events for the Impossible Robotics team see: https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/?s=impossible+robotics 2016 competition The theme for this year’s competition is ‘Stronghold’ and in the video below you can get an idea of what that is all about. As ever this year’s game looks challenging. We wish Impossible Robotics every success for this year. Why not give them a like and wish them well too? Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impossible.robotics Twitter: https://twitter.com/team5412 E-Mail: info@impossible-robotics.com John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 30 January 2016
More ocean rowing success
Hot on the heels of the successful Pacific Ocean row by the Coxless Crew there is now another rowing success using Victron Energy products. This time it was the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Congratulations to Joe Barnett, Gus Barton, Jack Mayhew and Angus Collins of the Ocean Reunion team, who were the first out of 26 teams from across the world to step on to Antiguan soil, winning their class in the world’s toughest row. They have broken the record by completing the gruelling 3,000-mile race in 37 days 9 hours and 12 minutes. (The previous best time was 41 days, achieved by Team Locura in 2014). Skipper Angus Collins commented on their win: “We’re ecstatic to have won the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge and this huge welcome in Antigua has blown us away. It was incredibly tough and we’re so glad it’s over but it was such a fantastic experience. I wouldn’t do it again in a hurry but if any of these guys asked, I’d absolutely do it again.” Equipment onboard Ocean Reunion, kindly sponsored by Victron Energy distributor Energy Solutions, included Victron Energy solar charge regulators, gel batteries and battery monitors. Links http://www.oceanreunion.co.uk https://twitter.com/oceanreunion https://www.taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 25 January 2016
Success: Coxless Crew arrive in Cairns
Conceiving to row the Pacific Ocean is remarkable enough but to actually do it is simply stunning. And the Coxless Crew have! They and their boat called Doris arrived in Cairns, Australia late last night (UTC) after having travelled 8,446 miles. Here’s what the Coxless Crew had to say on arrival: “More than 9 months after Doris set off from San Francisco, we have made land in Cairns, Australia. 257 days at sea, nearly 6,200 hours of rowing, 1,020+ dehydrated meals consumed, 7,700+ litres of water drunk, 12 giant tubs of sudocrem, sea creatures, passing ships, sunsets, sunrises, torrential rain, black nights, starry nights, huge swells, flat calm, sea sickness, salt sores, storms, swimming, “showering”, “bucketing”, birthdays, Christmas, New Years, tear s, hugs, laughter and unbreakable bonds formed between the 6 of us. We crossed our Pacific! Thank you all so much for supporting us and sharing our journey. We are hugely proud to have rowed in support of Breast Cancer Care and Walking With The Wounded. Help us reach our fundraising target and donate here .” Conclusion An incredible achievement and naturally Victron Energy and Victron distributors Barden UK Limited congratulate all concerned and are proud to have been associated with The Coxless Crew. The sponsored and supplied equipment consisted of two of everything below, to ensure system redundancy: Lithium battery 12.8V 90 Ah BlueSolar MPPT 75/15 (Solar charge controller) Battery Monitor BMV-700 series VE.Bus BMS (Battery Management System) John Rushworth Links To learn more and keep up with the latest information and media events surrounding this achievement see: http://coxlesscrew.com/ https://www.facebook.com/crew.coxless/ https://twitter.com/coxlesscrew
John Rushworth • 22 January 2016
Ocean rowing with Victron Energy
It seems ocean rowing and Victron Energy are meant for each other. Presently there are two Victron Energy equipped boats that we know of rowing the oceans of the world. There might be more – but these are exciting times as these two in particular are set to achieve their separate and incredibly challenging goals in the coming days. The Coxless Crew Victron Energy and Victron distributors Barden UK Limited are proud sponsors of the The Coxless Crew team and now after spending 10 months at sea this all female British rowing team are set to break records with their arrival into Cairns, Australia, as the first ever female team and the first ever team in a four-person boat to row the Pacific. This gruelling 8,446 miles journey from San Francisco to Cairns in Australia has not been an easy task, with their adventure seeing the women battle heavy storms, ginormous waves and food rationing, as well as encountering flying fish, humpback whales and shark – all in a 29ft, bright pink rowing boat called Doris. The Coxless Crew are expected to arrive in Cairns on Friday 22 nd January, (weather dependent). Last time we looked there were only 113 nm to go: http://coxlesscrew.com/where-is-doris/ The images above are courtesy of Losing Sight of Shore . In fact Emmy Award Winning documentary filmmaker and TV Producer Sarah Moshman will release a documentary with just that title in 2016. In the meantime we all wait with baited breath for the arrival of Doris and The Coxless Crew in Cairns. Rest assured we’ll post a blog as soon as we know more. To read previous blogs and learn more of The Coxless Crew’s journey see: https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/?s=coxless+crew Ocean Reunion Victron Energy distributor Energy Solutions are proud sponsors of the Ocean Reunion team who continue to lead the race in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge . The race started on December 15th 2015, with 26 teams taking part. Supported charities are Teenage Cancer Trust and Cystic Fybrosis. The competitors are rowing 3,000 nautical miles from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua, with the leaders anticipated to arrive this weekend or early next week. This race is considered the world’s toughest rowing race. Participants typically row two hours on, two hours off, 24 hours per day. The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge is renowned for its treacherous conditions and more people have been into space than have rowed across the Atlantic! Competitors burn around 8,000 calories per day and lose around 20% of their body weight over the duration of the race. They have been enduring 40ft waves, tropical storms, sleep deprivation, sweltering heat and the psychological stresses of living and working in such a dangerous and unpredictable environment. Victron Energy equipment onboard Ocean Reunion includes solar charge regulators, gel batteries and battery monitors. Conclusion Whilst Victron Energy cannot claim to have been instrumental in the success of these two incredible teams and their challenges to date, we are naturally delighted to be associated with all concerned and wish them every success in these final miles. As the Coxless Crew say: “Our vision is to inspire others to reach their potential, push through their boundaries and meet and overcome the challenges that life throws at them.” We hope this short blog inspires you to do the same… John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 22 December 2015
December Solstice 2015: What are you doing?
Victron people using Victron Energy products do extraordinary things, be that traversing deserts , rowing or sailing oceans – and on this solstice day that remains the case, but this time it is the start of climbing a mountain. This is no ordinary mountain. Today, December 22 at 04:48 UT (that’s Universal Time not Coordinated Universal Time ) is the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere you may well be on a beach celebrating the beginning of summer, but today in our half of the world it is the beginning of the astronomical winter – and for Victron installer Marek Klonowski (pictured above) that means the start of his fourth attempt at climbing Nanga Parbat . Nanga Parbat Nanga Parbat, along with K2, has never been climbed in winter. It is one of the eight-thousanders , with a summit elevation of 8,126 metres (26,660 ft). Literally it means Naked Mountain, an immense, dramatic peak rising far above its surrounding terrain. It is also a notoriously difficult climb with numerous mountaineering deaths in the mid and early 20th century, which lent it the nickname “killer mountain”. The climb Back in September I received an email from Leo Yntema who is the Victron Energy Sales Manager for Eastern Europe. In that email was a forwarded email requesting ‘climb sponsorship’ from Victron installer Marek Klonowski of Energy Freedom in Ireland and Mikrogeneracja in Poland . We’ve featured Marek’s installations in a previous Victron blog , but this time the installation was to be on Nanga Parbet, to ensure an electricity supply to charge radios, satellite phones, send video and other media to the world via a satellite modem . Here’s a short 4 minute video, from the winter of 2012/13, to give you a flavour of the challenge. The team have over 10,000 followers on Facebook, where you can keep an eye on the climb’s progress. Use the translation tool in the page if you don’t speak Polish: https://www.facebook.com/nangadream/ The blog, in English, is here: http://nangadream.blogspot.ie/ Victron equipment Below you can see a list of the Victron Energy equipment being used. The first image is one taken during the team’s two week acclimatisation on Rakaposhi mountain. Victron equipment list with quantities and item codes: 2 x PIN012181100 Phoenix Inverter 12/180 IEC outlet – 230 V 1 x BPC120730064R Blue Power IP65 Charger 12/7 + DC connector 1 x BPC900400004 Clamp connector (with 30A ATO fuse) 1 x CIP132100000 MIDI-fuse 100A/32V (package of 5pcs) 1 x CIP000050001 Fuse holder for MIDI-fuse 1 x ASS030530000 VE.Direct to USB interface 1 x BAM010700000 Battery Monitor BMV-700 1 x BAT512600500 Victron LiFePO4 Battery 12,8V/60Ah – CB 4 x SCC010010050R BlueSolar MPPT 75/10 (12/24V-10A) 1 x SCC010015050R BlueSolar MPPT 75/15 (12/24V-15A) 1 x ASS030550100 Inverting remote on-off cable 1 x ASS030536000 VE.Direct Bluetooth LE dongle 1 x CYR010230010 Cyrix-ct 12/24V-230A intelligent battery combiner 1 x BPC120480034R Automotive IP65 Charger 12V/4A-12V/1A with DC conn 4 x SPM030301200 30W-12V Mono 430×545×25mm series 3a 6 x SPM030501200 50W-12V Mono 630×545×25mm series 3a The second and third images below were sent in an email to us via satellite phone and modem on the 10th December, showing the inside of the base camp hut. As Marek said to me in that email, “the satellite modem costs four dollars a megabyte and even if the photo quality is not great because of that, we wanted to show you some of the Victron toys at base camp, gracing this magical part of the universe as we ready for the winter climb.” Conclusion Well I don’t know what you are doing on this solstice celebration day, but this attempt to be the first to summit Nanga Parbat in winter has to rank as one of the most exciting. We wish Marek and the rest of the team all the very best, and in a future blog we’ll let you know how they got on. In the meantime why not support them by giving them a ‘Like’: https://www.facebook.com/nangadream/ Or post your words of encouragement in the Disqus comments below. Keep calm and climb Nanga dream team! John Rushworth.
John Rushworth • 05 November 2015
Kylie encouragement for the Coxless Crew
As the Coxless crew approached Samoa they had to dig even deeper than usual to reach this next ocean rowing goal, due to the prevailing conditions. Samoa is the second of their milestone stopovers, since leaving San Francisco in mid April this year. How nice then that their patron Kylie Minogue sent them a message of encouragement during those tough conditions. Arrival in Samoa Kylie’s message must have worked though – as the team arrived safely in Apia, Samoa at 8.40pm UK time on Sunday 1st November. After 96 days at sea since departing Hawaii, Laura, Emma, Natalia and Lizanne stepped ashore as you can see in the image below. Apologies for the image quality of this important moment, but in this instance it is the quality of the moment that counts. Congratulations to the Coxless Crew and team from all at Victron Energy! Celebrations Now the girls are celebrating the end of this long and arduous but highly successful second leg of their Pacific row journey, whilst the team resupply their boat Doris. Shortly Meg will join the Coxless Crew, replacing the lovely Lizanne for the final leg to Cairns, Australia. You can read about the fun, food and frolics in Samoa at: http://coxlesscrew.com/blog/ – which includes Laura doing the Samoan Haka! Learn about and support the Coxless Crew Image courtesy of: http://losingsightofshore.com Charities The charities being supported are Walking With The Wounded and Breast Cancer Care . The Coxless Crew The rowing crew at any one time consists of 4 ladies, from a team of 6 plus of course all the support team, behind the scenes. These women are rowing 8,446 miles unsupported across the Pacific Ocean. Read more about the crew: http://coxlesscrew.com/crew/ The boat Doris is 29 ft long and 7 ft wide, made mainly of Carbon Fibre. Read more about Doris: http://coxlesscrew.com/the-boat/ Sponsorship Victron Energy and Victron distributors Barden UK Limited are pleased to be sponsoring the Coxless Crew team in this challenging endeavor. To keep Doris energized she is equipped with 2 of everything below, to ensure system redundancy: Lithium battery 12.8V 90 Ah BlueSolar MPPT 75/15 (Solar charge controller) Battery Monitor BMV-700 series VE.Bus BMS (Battery Management System) Coxless Crew sponsors page: http://coxlesscrew.com/sponsors/ Links Website: http://coxlesscrew.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crew.coxless Twitter: https://twitter.com/coxlesscrew Blog: http://coxlesscrew.com/blog Donate: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/coxlesscrew YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVDZK7L34_bPesQAIiE-5FQ/ John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 23 October 2015
Victron Energy: Power in the Pacific
In mid April this year four courageous young women left San Francisco to row across the Pacific Ocean for charity, backed by their patron Kylie Minougue and a dedicated support team. Since then they have made their first land stopover in Hawaii and are now within 400 miles of their next replenishment in Samoa. The track of their boat (called Doris) is shown in the headline image above. To gain some more insight into this amazing challenge and their fundraising for the women of Walking With The Wounded and Breast Cancer Care, here are the initial and follow-up blogs about the Coxless Crew and Doris. For those with less time on their hands there’s a précis of the endeavour below, but right now we just want to remind everyone of what they have achieved to date, where Doris and crew are – and of course to ask you all to give them a shout out . In fact why not make a donation too: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/coxlesscrew Learn about and support the Coxless Crew Image courtesy of: http://losingsightofshore.com The Coxless Crew The rowing crew at any one time consists of 4 ladies, from a team of 6 plus of course all the support team, behind the scenes. These women are rowing 8,446 miles unsupported across the Pacific Ocean. Read more about the crew: http://coxlesscrew.com/crew/ The boat Doris is 29 ft long and 7 ft wide, made mainly of Carbon Fibre. Read more about Doris: http://coxlesscrew.com/the-boat/ Sponsorship Victron Energy and Victron distributors Barden UK Limited are pleased to be sponsoring the Coxless Crew team in this challenging endeavor. To keep Doris energized she is equipped with 2 of everything below, to ensure system redundancy: Lithium battery 12.8V 90 Ah BlueSolar MPPT 75/15 (Solar charge controller) Battery Monitor BMV-700 series VE.Bus BMS (Battery Management System) Coxless Crew sponsors page: http://coxlesscrew.com/sponsors/ Links Website: http://coxlesscrew.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crew.coxless Twitter: https://twitter.com/coxlesscrew Blog: http://coxlesscrew.com/blog Donate: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/coxlesscrew YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVDZK7L34_bPesQAIiE-5FQ/ John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 20 July 2015
‘Drunken Sailors’ reach Hawaii
You may recall that Victron Energy and Victron distributors Barden UK Limited are sponsoring the Coxless Crew in their epic challenge to row across the Pacific Ocean , raising awareness and funds for Walking With The Wounded and Breast Cancer Care. 68 days have now elapsed since the Coxless Crew ladies left San Francisco bound for Hawaii. And that is only the first leg. Only around another 4 1/2 thousand miles and about 105 days to go! But hours ago and to the delight of all, the girls arrived safely in Hawaii in good spirits. Although you can be forgiven for thinking they had been drinking the other kind of spirits prior to their arrival, as this six second video shows. What 68 days at sea can do to your legs! https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/legs.mp4 Learn more about the Coxless Crew Website: http://coxlesscrew.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crew.coxless Twitter: https://twitter.com/coxlesscrew Sponsor them: http://coxlesscrew.com/sponsor-us Blog: http://coxlesscrew.com/blog We wish the Coxless Crew bountiful showers and rest on their Hawaiian stop-over. I’m sure it’ll be nice to sleep somewhere where the bed doesn’t move… John Rushworth.
John Rushworth • 15 April 2015
Sponsored Pacific Ocean rowing challenge
In a few days time a team of 4 women known as the Coxless Crew and a boat called Doris, will start rowing 8,446 miles unsupported across the Pacific Ocean, from America to Australia. They will be aiming to achieve a world first in the process, plus reaching for their goal of raising a quarter of a million UK pounds for their two charities: Walking With the Wounded and Breast Cancer Care. Victron Energy and Victron distributors Barden UK Limited are pleased to be sponsoring the Coxless Crew team in this challenging endeavor. It won’t be just human energy that is required to keep the team going! The route You can read more about the route here: http://coxlesscrew.com/the-route/ The boat Doris is 29 ft long and 7 ft wide, made mainly of Carbon Fibre. Read more about Doris: http://coxlesscrew.com/the-boat/ Sponsorship To keep Doris energized she is equipped with 2 of everything below, to ensure system redundancy: Lithium battery 12.8V 90 Ah BlueSolar MPPT 75/15 (Solar charge controller) Battery Monitor BMV-700 series VE.Bus BMS (Battery Management System) Coxless Crew sponsors page: http://coxlesscrew.com/sponsors/ The Coxless Crew The rowing crew at any one time will consist of 4 ladies, from a team of 6 plus of course all the support team, behind the scenes. Read more about the crew: http://coxlesscrew.com/crew/ Support the ladies Why not get involved in supporting this good cause and #BUYAMILE Kylie Minogue is backing the Coxless Crew as their Patron . Personally I can’t think of a better ambassador for the cause. Just perfect. Here is Kylie’s message: “I am delighted to have become a Patron for the Coxless Crew and to be supporting their incredible expedition that is raising awareness for the women who benefit from the charities they are rowing for. From my own personal experience of having fought and overcome Breast Cancer, I know how difficult it is sometimes to find that necessary inner strength. These four women are going to face unexpected challenges I cannot even begin to imagine out there on the ocean and will have to learn how to overcome them. The passion and dedication that Natalia, Laura, Emma and Isabel have already shown is remarkable and I hope their journey will be as joyous as it will be tough. I wish them all luck and success and I will be following their progress closely. ” In closing this blog we urge you to support the team and wish the Coxless Crew and all those involved every success from all of us at Victron Energy. You can keep up to date with the latest news and social media via the Coxless Crew blog . John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 23 March 2015
Impossible Robotics: Competition update
In the last blog about the Victron sponsored Impossible Robotics team, we told you how these young Dutch engineers had landed (along with their robot Victor) in Richmond, Virginia, USA. That was last week as they prepared for the qualification Recycle Rush matches in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) regionals. The qualification matches took place on Friday and Saturday. The team have kept their own blog about these matches and their passion and enthusiasm is self evident – and to be fair they convey that better than we can do here. We’re delighted to see that the team have received a Rookie Inspiration Award. Well done to the Impossible Robotics team, from all at Victron Energy – and do enjoy your rest day today (Monday) before you fly home to Holland. We look forward to hearing the tales of your travels on your return. In the meantime here are a few photos from the matches. FRC Match arena Victor the robot and some of the team Team photo (with Henk van der Wal, the team coach, relaxing in the foreground!) Thanks to you all for keeping us updated. Victron Energy
John Rushworth • 20 March 2015
Impossible Robotics: Victor has landed!
Who is Victor? Victor is the robot built by the team ‘ Impossible Robotics , who Victron Energy sponsor. Victor and the team have now safely landed in Richmond, Virginia, USA. After some successful practice yesterday, today is the big day for the team as the qualifications beckon. Now we’re delighted to announce that Victor has passed inspection and is all ready to go for qualifications starting today, as the team’s happy faces in the photo above show. Qualification schedule for Team 5412 – Impossible Robotics Live Stream There will be a live stream at the appropriate time, which can be accessed via the link below. http://www.thebluealliance.com/team/5412/2015 You can also see live data ‘At The Control’ as indicated in the image below. Support Impossible Robotics Why not give the team a shout out on Twitter too: https://twitter.com/Team5412 Victron Energy wish Victor and the Impossible Robotics team all the very best for their qualification events. Matthijs Vader
John Rushworth • 19 February 2015
Impossible Robotics: REcYcLE rush robot demonstration
In the blog post ‘ Engineering the future: Impossible Robotics ‘, we introduced you to the young Dutch team that Victron Energy are delighted to sponsor. On Monday Victron Energy R&D staff along with some of the team member’s families and team coach Henk van der Wal, were first given a presentation and then a demonstration of the Impossible Robotics REcYcLE rush robot in action. Sticking with competition rules, the team had until midnight on Monday to finalise their design. Here are some photos and a video from their demonstration day. Presentation Video: REcYcLE rush robot in action The team’s challenge is to move objects and containers about a game area, stacking them and filling them with items. Here’s a short 1 minute video proof of concept – and a nice tune! What’s next? On the 16th of March the team travel to America for the REcYcLE rush challenge to be held in Richmond, Virginia , USA from Mar 18th – Mar 21st, 2015. Stay in touch with the team We’ll continue to report regularly here on the Victron blog, as the team continue to progress. Do show your support for them in the DISQUS comments section below and/or like and follow them using these links: Website – Impossible Robotics Twitter – Team5412 Facebook – impossible.robotics Credits From all at Victron Energy, we thank the Impossible Robotics team and coach Henk van der Wal for an excellent day, presentation and demonstration – and naturally we wish you all the very best for the next phase of the competition. John Rushworth.
John Rushworth • 17 January 2015
Engineering the future: Impossible Robotics
What a wonderful logo and name these young Dutch students have come up with for their robotics team. If you are familiar with the famous Dutch artist M. C. Escher, the subtlety of their logo won’t be missed. Victron Energy are delighted to announce they are to be one of the main sponsors of the Impossible Robotics team, where we hope the seemingly impossible will become possible, just as their logo intimates. Why is Victron doing this? It’s quite straightforward really and I can do no better than to quote Matthijs Vader, MD of Victron Energy: “This has little, if anything at all, to do with sponsorship money or profile for the company. For me this is about getting young people involved with electronics and related software. These young people are the engineers of tomorrow and the future for companies like Victron. We are delighted to support them.” Visiting Victron Here is a photo of Henk van der Wal (the team coach) and a young team member visiting Victron premises. Taken just the other day , it looks to me like a young person has just been let loose in candy store full of electronic sweets. I think that goes for the team coach too! Impossible Robotics team members Shown below are some of the team members, with their initial sketches and plans in the background as they plan for their first robot games challenge of 2015, called REcYcLE rush. This particular game that the team have registered for is being held in Richmond, Virginia , USA from Mar 18th – Mar 21st, 2015. It is one of many events across the globe. All the FIRST Robotics Competition Events (which currently total 109) are listed here: http://www.thebluealliance.com/events REcYcLE rush To explain what this is, the best way is to see the ‘ 2015 FRC Game Reveal video ‘, when the game REcYcLE rush was first revealed in early January, to participating teams around the world. In principal this involves moving objects and containers about the game area, stacking them and filling them with items. I hope that is not an over simplification, as to my mind as an aging engineer, there is an incredible amount of planning, building and logistics that goes into this challenge. Not to mention looming deadlines. My hat goes off then to these young people, as even for us adults it would be a challenge indeed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTyCIYZQ_1s Founder & Coach Henk van der Wal, is the founder and coach of the Impossible Robotics team. I spoke to him recently to learn more about the team background. Here is what he had to say: “I’m very proud and indeed grateful for the fact that over the last three years, the core of our robotics team has grown from a middle school FIRST Lego League (FLL) team, via FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), to an official FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team. During this time we have also had some notable successes. First Place Award for Inspiration at the FLL Invitational World championship in Florida 17th place in a field of 48 FTC teams in the FTC Dutch Open, as a Rookie team Engineering Inspiration Award with FRC Team Rembrandts, at the North Carolina Regional as guest team members Imagery Award with FRC Team Rembrandts at the World Championship in St. Louis as guest team members Whilst we are naturally thrilled with our achievements to date we have also gained a vast amount of experience and skills, not to mention the fun we’ve had and the friendships we’ve made. Now we are ready to add to all this, with our very own FRC team: Impossible Robotics. I’m most grateful to Victron Energy who has supported us through our development years and in 2015 continues to do so. Without this support none of this would have been possible. Together with our sponsors we look forward to the future, the robotics challenges to come and the hands-on technical education this will bring. I say that with confidence and thanks to all.” Stay in touch We’ll be reporting regularly, as the team progresses, here on the Victron blog. Please also show your support in the DISQUS comments section below and/or like and follow the team: Website – Impossible Robotics Twitter – Team5412 Facebook – impossible.robotics Conclusion What can we say other than Victron Energy and all their staff wish the Impossible Robotics team every success this year and beyond. Make the impossible possible and enjoy every minute. You are the engineers of the future. John Rushworth on behalf of Victron Energy.
Matthijs Vader • 30 December 2014
Victron Energy sponsors Gewest Friesland and ice racing team Corendon
Saturday the 27th of December 2014 was a special day for Victron Energy, as we signed a sponsorship agreement with Gewest Friesland and ice racing team Corendon. Gewest Friesland is a Dutch ice skating association that facilitates young talent. Victron sponsorship will help in training such young talent to turn professional, in what is a very popular sport in the Netherlands. Team Corendon is a team of professional racers with members such as Koen Verweij . In the 2014 Sochi winter Olympics, Verweij finished 2nd in the 1500m event, after finishing only 0,003 seconds behind the winner. He was also a member of the Dutch Gold medal winners team, in the team pursuit race at Sochi. Immediately after signing the agreement on Saturday we were able to follow the first ice racing competition at the Dutch Championships NK Allround, in the Thialf ice arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands. And team Gewest Friesland were wearing a brand new racing suit, with our logo on it! Team Gewest Friesland and Team Corendon both participated in the NK Allround. We wish the teams further success and a prosperous new year. Matthijs Vader
John Rushworth • 10 June 2014
Sun, Speed & Sponsorship
Since I started blogging for Victron, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the diverse and interesting global projects (sponsored and otherwise), that Victron Energy are involved with. They range from an innovative power pack for a walking marathon in the Sahara to an o ff-grid solar and wind energy system in the Antarctic. To my mind though, you can’t beat a bit of sun and speed! Thanks to Quin Bisset for the sunny Monaco image above. The other weekend saw the Victron co-sponsored CLAFIS Private Energy Solar Boat Team achieve 1st & 2nd places at the NK Zonnebootrace . These Solar Grand Prix hydrofoil boats also set a new race record maximum speed, but a hair’s breadth away from 25 Knots. Whilst that is certainly not F1 territory, they are going to Monaco in July for the Solar1 world championship event , competing for the Monte Carlo Cup. Prior to that it is the DONG Energy Solar Challenge . Image courtesy of Quin Bisset. They say that racing improves the breed. It is in this light that Victron are happy to sponsor these CLAFIS Private Energy built boats and through their association and work with MG Electronics improve that breed. In fact all their A Class and V20 boats use Victron MPPT Solar Charge Controllers . Sponsorship to my mind is not a one way selfish street, it is more one of symbiosis and mutual benefit for all concerned. Speaking to Gerard van der Schaar of MG Electronics, who runs the CLAFIS Private Energy Solar Boat Team, and Matthijs Vader of Victron Energy, it is quite clear that such racing has resulted in improved products for all. That is what sponsorship is all about. In 2008 this was just a hobby for Gerard. To date this has resulted in MG Electronics success using and selling Victron products, helping improve and enhance them too; not to mention helping boats win races. Congratulations to all involved. Product improvements aside; as I said you can’t beat a bit of sun and speed. To get an idea of what 25 Knots feels like, when piloting a Solar Grand Prix boat, duck your head in this cockpit eye view video below. The first 30 seconds of footage should do the trick! If you have a little more time on your hands, here are the best parts of the NK Akkrum endurance race below, kindly compiled by Danny Bokma, from the solar boat team. The Quadcopter footage is terrific. John Rushworth
John Rushworth • 28 April 2014
Team Rembrandts win the ‘Imagery Award’
The Dutch built robots have left the building, as the team and equipment now prepare for their flight home from the world robotics championship in St. Louis. Full coverage of the event, with newsletters and blogs direct from the members of Team Rembrandts are given, in the comments section, of the earlier blog post: The Robots are coming… Whilst the team didn’t quite make it through the final qualification stages to the world finals, they have had a great time, learned lots and are committed to continuing and building on their successes to date. We’re pleased to announce however that they did not leave empty handed and have won the ‘Imagery Award’, as you can see in the photo above. Victron are proud to have sponsored Team Rembrandts and we wish them every success for the future. John Rushworth .
John Rushworth • 23 April 2014
The Robots are coming…
Don’t worry, Victron aren’t about to replace their distribution & dealer network with robots. What they are doing though is sponsoring the next generation of thinkers and engineers. Team Rembrandts are a group of Dutch high school students who, along with support from their University peers, are building on their success in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) of 2013. In their inaugural year they won the 2013 North Carolina Regional – Rookie All-Star Award. To date, in the 2014 season, they have won the Engineering Inspiration Award in the North Carolina Regionals. As a second year FRC team, this Engineering Inspiration Award is the most prestigious award anyone could win. And now (with less than 24 hours to the start) they are competing for a place in the World Finals in St.Louis from 21-26 April. Victron are delighted, as a bronze sponsor, to have helped in getting this group of successful young men and women to St. Louis, by supporting their travel to the world finals. Whilst Aerial Assist and Ultimate Ascent are robotic games terms we aren’t familiar with, we are however impressed by the success to date and we wish Team Rembrandts the very best for the world finals. Practice matches start on Wednesday the 23th. From Thursday the 24th through to Saturday the 26th they will compete in the qualification matches. Status update: This morning I received an email from Henk van der Wal, the senior mentor of the team. Right now I’m told the team members are fast asleep after a long day of traveling to St. Louis, however the team are going to send us a blog update on their progress, just as soon as they are acclimatised to their new surroundings. As Henk said “It will be a real challenge to reach the finals because there are a lot of very good teams competing, but we will give it our best”. We look forward to hearing more and in the meantime why not give them a like on Facebook or follow them on Twitter – and show Team Rembrandts your support! John Rushworth
