The Copacabana finishes 4rth

The first Brazilian team to take part in the Frisian Solar Challenge can go home proud. Their boat, the Copacabana, came 4rth in the solar boat race, reaching the Frisian capital of Leeuwarden only 3min after the 3rd.

The last stage of the race, between Dokkum and Leeuwarden, was only 25km long, and the Copacabana arrived 3rd at the end of the first leg of the race. During the last 5km, however, it lost its place to HHSolarteam, a Dutch boat with more engine power.

"Our aim, was to finish the race," said Professor Fernando Amorim, from the Naval engineering Department of UFRJ and director of the Polo Nautico, "that's why we opted for a strong boat that, unlike other participants, didn't break in any of the seven stages of the race, recovered from an accident and did very well during the longest stages of the race; but wasn't that fast."

The team, the only non-European team to have taken part in the race, said to have gained a lot from their participation in the race, in terms of learning and experience. "We had the oportunity to exchange knowledge about the construction of the boats, but also about new engines and electric circuits" said Prof. Amorim, who wants to apply this knowledge to develop solar boats moved by electric engines in Brazil, for use for the transport of passengers or rubbish collection in the Guanabara bay, for example.