Murrieta Mesa Places 13th in Solar Cup

Out of 40 competing high schools, took 13th place in a solar-powered boat race at Lake Skinner.

The race, called the “,” started Friday and ended Sunday and included two phases: a 1-mile endurance race when students raced at slow speeds using the sun to power their crafts, and a 200-meter sprint during which students used solar energy they stored in a battery the day before.

Anticipation for the race built up in the preceding months. Schools were picked from a random drawing to ensure no one got a head start on making their boat. They were then given a stipend of money, and seven months to make their solar-powered watercraft.

On Friday the boats had to qualify. Officials placed them in the water to make sure they were made under the correct stipulations and would not sink. Schools that had qualified earlier in the day would help schools that were having trouble. Teamwork was just another lesson learned at the event.

Saturday and Sunday the boats were put to test during the races. The designated skippers steered their crafts, while the teammates rooted on the creations.

Murrieta Mesa's team, made up of 22 environmental engineering students, earned 756 points: 63 for its technical reports, 232 for its visual display, 33 during qualifications, 268 during the endurance race and 162 during the sprint.

"Our boat performance was excellent, however there were several other boats that were faster," said Peter Matus, teacher and adviser for the Murrieta Mesa team.

Matus said Monday that the team "worked together to keep a problem-free weekend."

Savanna High School of Anaheim took first place, Long Beach Poly High took second and Anaheim’s Canyon High won third.

Local high schools taking part were Nuview Bridge Early College High of Nuevo, which took fourth, Temecula, which took eighth and included students from both Great Oak and Chaparral, San Jacinto High School, which took 14th and Elsinore High School, which took 33rd.

Temecula's team--which included students from Chaparral and Great Oak high schools--won 835 points: 65 for its technical reports, 211 for its visual display, 34 during qualifications, 314 during the endurance race and 211 during the sprint.

Elsinore High School's team earned 521 points: 39 for its technical reports, 152 for its visual display, 18 during qualifications, 190 during the endurance race and 122 during the sprint.

The games challenged students to build single-person skiffs powered only by solar energy, said Bob Muir, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Water District, which sponsored the event.

Since 2002, 7,500 students participated in the solar boat races, a water district official said.

"There is so much more to the program than building the solar boat. Over the last several months the team completed three technological reports, created a 30-second public service announcement on water conversation and built the boat," Matus said.

Lindsay DeLong contributed to this report.