$16m solar boat sails into record books

Stina Backer, for CNN
Updated 9:47 AM EDT, Wed May 23, 2012
The "MS Turanor" is the first solar-powered vessel to complete a full circumnavigation of the globe.
Sun-powered ship circles the globe —
The "MS Turanor" is the first solar-powered vessel to complete a full circumnavigation of the globe.
PlanetSolar
It took the crew 585 days to sail around the world. The "Turanor" already held the Guinness World Record for the world's largest solar-powered boat and managed to set four more records in the course of its voyage.
Record breakers —
It took the crew 585 days to sail around the world. The "Turanor" already held the Guinness World Record for the world's largest solar-powered boat and managed to set four more records in the course of its voyage.
PlanetSolar
"Turanor" is a word that means "power of the sun" in JRR Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Power of the sun —
"Turanor" is a word that means "power of the sun" in JRR Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
PlanetSolar
Around three quarters of the solar energy is used to propel the boat. The remainder is used for everything else from flushing toilets to operating the boat's navigational systems.
Power of the sun —
Around three quarters of the solar energy is used to propel the boat. The remainder is used for everything else from flushing toilets to operating the boat's navigational systems.
Dean Irvine/CNN
Skipper Raphael Domjan (third from the right) with his crew aboard the "Turanor," which is dotted with 536 square-meters of photovoltaic panels - enough to cover over two tennis courts.
The crew —
Skipper Raphael Domjan (third from the right) with his crew aboard the "Turanor," which is dotted with 536 square-meters of photovoltaic panels - enough to cover over two tennis courts.
PlanetSolar
Although the unusual looking boat is more reminiscent of the "Starship Enterprise" than an average yacht, skipper Domjan is keen to demonstrate that its solar technology has practical applications for the present day.
Science not fiction —
Although the unusual looking boat is more reminiscent of the "Starship Enterprise" than an average yacht, skipper Domjan is keen to demonstrate that its solar technology has practical applications for the present day.
PlanetSolar
It took eight years to fundraise and 64,000 hours of construction to complete the "Turanor".
Hours of hard work —
It took eight years to fundraise and 64,000 hours of construction to complete the "Turanor".
PlanetSolar
The $16 million catamaran weighs 60 tons and is over 30 meters long.
Big and beautiful —
The $16 million catamaran weighs 60 tons and is over 30 meters long.
PlanetSolar
On May 4 the "Turanor" made history by gliding into Port Hercules, Monaco, amid cheering crowds, to complete the first ever around the world journey by a solar-powered vessel.
Homecoming —
On May 4 the "Turanor" made history by gliding into Port Hercules, Monaco, amid cheering crowds, to complete the first ever around the world journey by a solar-powered vessel.
PlanetSolar
Sun-powered ship completes round-the-world voyage

Editor’s Note: MainSail is CNN’s monthly sailing show, exploring the sport of sailing, luxury travel and the latest in design and technology.

Story highlights

The "MS Turanor" is the first solar powered boat to sail around the world

The circumnavigation took 585 days to complete

The boat's top speed is 7.5 knots - about that of an oil tanker

The "Turanor" set five Guinness World Records during its voyage

CNN  — 

For 585 days, Swiss adventurer Raphael Domjan braved storms, pirates and cloudy skies in an attempt to circumnavigate the globe on a boat propelled by nothing but sun beams.

The boat, christened “Turanor” after a word meaning “power of the sun” in JRR Tolkein’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, is Domjan’s brainchild. As heavy as a whale and 30 meters long, it’s adorned with enough photovoltaic panels to cover two tennis courts.

After eight years of fundraising, 64,000 hours of construction, and 19 months at sea, the “Turanor” made history on May 6, when it cruised into Port Hercules, Monaco, completing the first ever round-the-world journey by a solar-powered vessel.

From the coast of Miami to the shores of Mumbai, Domjan and his four-man crew visited 28 countries on a voyage designed to showcase the practical applications of solar energy.

“The aim of this journey was to show the world that this technology is not science fiction, it is very real and it can help us change how we do things now rather than in the future,” said Domjan.

“Everywhere we went people would flock around the boat. They had never seen such a strange design before,” he added.

But for the 40-year-old skipper, whose youth was spent wading through pages of adventure books, the voyage was also a fruition of boyhood aspirations.

“I remember sitting on my grandfather’s knee listening to him reading ‘Around the world in 80 days’ by Jules Verne. It made me want to go out and explore just like Phileas Fogg,” recalled Domjan.

Read related: When superyacht chic meets hybrid technology

As a young man growing up in Switzerland, Domjan developed his penchant for the unknown by exploring nearby caves. He then trained t