Planet Solar II left Neuchâtel for Lake Titicaca

Raphaël Domjan could have done this in July. The postcard would have had other reflections. But not everyone is adventurous and it is in adversity that the people of Neuchâtel express themselves best. It is therefore in a picture of dark shades, between overwhelming gray stratus, black water at 6 degrees and a baleful breeze that he left this week for a final tour aboard his Planet Solar II departing from Hauterive, on the Lake Neuchâtel.

But the eco-explorer has an excuse: his boat is leaving Switzerland for the Southern Hemisphere. Not sure that this is enough to warm the knuckles of a freshwater sailor, and we have to pinch ourselves hard to believe it, but over there, at the moment, it’s summer. The illusion is unmasked and the bright colors of the Peruvian and Bolivian flags attached to the railing complete the contrast of the scene. The destination is guessed: the binational Lake Titicaca. It remains to imagine the laughter of a child who is always amused by this name and the heart is in it.

The boat dances with the waves without any sound other than a lapping on the 8 meter bow. Its engine is running though. “We use less of the power of a vacuum cleaner,” smiles Raphaël Domjean at the helm. In front of him, the four square meters of photovoltaic cells provide the necessary energy.

Modest, the boat has neither the dimensions nor the futuristic look of the solar catamaran with which the adventurer made a world tour, in 2012. Built in Yvonand’s workshops in 2007, its destiny would make other more dashing ships blush with envy. He first left for Venice where he served as a taxi between gondolas for the services of a luxury hotel, before returning to Lake Biel, where he was pampered by retirees. The Planet Solar team then bought it and renovated its equipment.

A dying lake

A new page is about to be written; it is highly symbolic. Raphaël Domjan has been preparing this for more than ten years. “Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world at 3,800 meters above sea level, suffers from oil pollution because of the numerous gasoline-powered boats. We want to show that something else is possible.” Solar energy is ideal for this: more efficient at altitude, photovoltaic cells should allow the boat to have more energy.

This is the first goal of this expedition to this lake that the 52-year-old from Neuchâtel knows well having sailed there more than thirty years ago: to collect scientific data on the power of the boat and to make comparisons with the measurements taken on the Three Lakes. A “data logger”, installed in the boat for the occasion, will record all this information collected by the weather stations and various sensors. “We know that a thermal engine loses its capacity with altitude, it should be the opposite here.”

All the data in the world won’t be enough for the real imagined goal, however. “The theory doesn’t have much effect there. To prove that something works, you have to show its potential on site,” smiles the navigator. He should therefore undertake a complete tour of the lake, a circumnavigation as they say in the jargon.

Offered to local authorities

Useful reminder of the proportions to imagine the challenge: the surface area of ​​Lake Neuchâtel is 220 km2, that of Lake Titicaca… 8300 km2². “We will also have to deal with significant temperature variations: it can be 20° during the day and up to -30 at night,” he adds. Added to this is an archaeological scouting mission using sonar on board the skiff.

At the end of these first stages, the boat will change ownership. “We are going to offer it to the Binational Lake Authority (ALT) which has not had a boat for several months, the signal sent is important.” Its representatives also came to Hauterive this fall for a first meeting with their future boat. The operation also benefits from the support of Prince Albert II of Monaco.

When it’s time to take the boat out of the water, Raphaël Domjan has a little emotional smile. “There, he will never see the waters of Neuchâtel again.” One last look inside where he reveals his secret to us: a piece of furniture designed to accommodate the raclette oven, itself hidden in a hold. “You have to combine business with pleasure,” he laughs.

Closing the loop

Then his eyes stop on the only decoration still in place: a portrait of Albert Falco and his wife Maryvonne, godmother of the boat. Albert Falco, diver and tireless protector of the oceans, was captain of Commander Cousteau’s Calypso. He too had sailed on Lake Titicaca 50 years ago. Passionate about innovation, he followed the Planet Solar adventure with interest and died two weeks before the world tour was completed. “There, we will think of him,” says Raphaël Domjan, tapping the window of the photo.

For Planet Solar II, the rest of the trip takes place by cargo ship, passing through Basel and Amsterdam, with an arrival on site planned for next spring. And as if his boat was already nostalgic, he didn’t want to line up with the trailer that had to take him out of the freezing water. An employee even had to jump into the water to resolve the situation.

It will take more than the evocation of the southern summer to forget the cold snap. Let’s try the legend: for the Incas, Lake Titicaca gave birth to the sun. This is a great way for a solar boat to write the rest of the story.

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