Schools
Lake Elsinore Students To Test Their Skills At Annual Solar-Powered Boat Races
The annual race will again come to Lake Skinner next week.
WINCHESTER, CA - Students from 43 Southern California high schools will be low-speed racing around Lake Skinner near Winchester next week, in a contest requiring competitors to power their boats using nothing but energy from the sun.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's 15th annual Solar Cup Competition will feature teams from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. More than 700 students are involved in this year's event.
Practice runs will be held May 19, when a technical advisory team will be inspecting contestants' 16-foot plywood skiffs to ensure maneuverability and safety. Each rig is outfitted with solar-collection panels that supply the electricity needed to power it, according to the MWD.
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Riverside County schools whose students are entered in the competition are:
- Chaparral High School, Temecula
- Elsinore High School, Wildomar
- Great Oak High School, Temecula
- Lakeside High School, Lake Elsinore
- Murrieta Mesa High School, Murrieta
- Norte Vista High School, Riverside
- Nuview Bridge Academy, Nuevo
- Polytechnic High School, Riverside
- Temecula Valley High School, Temecula
Students have spent the last seven months readying their hand-built crafts, which are constructed from kits consisting of batteries, drive trains, electrical systems, propellers, rudders and the solar panels.
Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On Saturday, May 20, the single-person skiffs will hit the water, motoring through 1-mile endurance races. The following day, 200-meter sprint races are planned.
Access to the lakeshore is free.
An awards ceremony is scheduled after the last race on May 21, with trophies going to teams that racks up the highest points for performance, meeting technical standards and producing a public service announcement emphasizing the need for water conservation.
Awards will be bestowed on standouts in the "veteran" and "rookie" divisions, as well as for teamwork, sportsmanship and the "hottest-looking boat," according to the MWD.
Since 2002, more than 10,000 students have taken part in the solar boat races.
More information is available here: http://www.mwdh2o.com/inthecom... .
– By City News Service / Patch file photo
