Hummba and the Tûranor's solar voyage

Twenty-nine minutes short of 585 days.

This is the exact amount of time it took for the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar to sail around the world. Using only solar power, the double-hull catamaran officially gained a place in the Guinness Book of World Records when it became the first solar electric vessel to circumnavigate the globe on the 4th of May, 2012.

Designed by Craig Loomes, of New Zealand, the Tûranor’s name is taken from The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien, and it means “Power of the sun”. Built at a cost of €12.5 million, the boat looks like something from outer space. It’s topped with 500 square metres of solar-panels, and comes in at 31-metres in length. You can find out more about the dimension of the boat here.

Hummba was fortunate enough to be chosen as one of the official media partners for the boat’s nearly 60,000-kilometre journey. The Tûranor’s crew posted hundreds of picture postcards as they literally took Hummba around the world. Using mobile GPS technology, members of the Hummba travellers’ community could follow the Tûranor’s route and even interact with the crew along the way.

Hummba followed the Tûranor as it crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Monaco to Miami, and then as it passed through the famous Panama Canal on the way to the mysterious Galapagos Islands. From there the boat made its way across the Pacific Ocean to the Australian east coast, where it stopped in Brisbane before heading up, over the equator, to Hong Kong. Heading back south, the Tûranor stopped over in Singapore before making its way to Sri Lanka and Mumbai. A security detail then joined the crew after a quick stop-over in Abu Dhabi and communications were cut with the outside world as they travelled through the dangerous, pirate-infested waters of East Africa. The Tûranor came back on the radar as they passed through the Suez Canal and into the safer waters of the Mediterranean before finally arriving back in Monaco. You can see a map of the voyage here.

Upon the boat’s arrival back home, Hummba CEO Mark Allewell said, “We never imagined the wealth of information that our partnership with PlanetSolar would produce. Looking at the postcards as the crew uploaded them onto Hummba was a truly humbling experience. We now have an incredible archive of the Tûranor’s voyage, which can be easily accessed by anyone.”

But what’s next for the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar? According to the PlanetSolar website, the voyage was part of a plan to further advance and develop solar energy technologies. On top of that, talks with potential partners are also underway to ensure that the Tûranor itself is put to good use. The vessel has already proved itself as an incredible educational tool that can be used to help introduce people of all ages to the value of renewable energies.

From all of us here at Hummba, we’d like to once again congratulate all those involved in the voyage of the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar. We also look forward to following the boat on its next great solar adventure.

If you’d like to view the Tûranor’s postcards, you can view their Hummba profile here or you can visit hummba.com to upload postcards of your own.

Happy (solar) travels!

Crossing the Pacific

As the short month of February comes to a close, the crew aboard the Turanor are making their way across the crystal blue Pacific Ocean.

Since we last checked in on the Turanor here on the Hummba blog, the worlds largest solar powered catamaran has made history. Just over a week ago, the vessel officially covered a greater distance then any solar powered vessel before it. The record was previously held by the Midnight Solar Team, who covered a distance of 9364 miles. If things keep going as well as they are now for the crew on board, Team Turanor will set an incredible record. This is considering that they are currently sailing all the way back to the south of France. Other news from the Turanor, is that the vessel is headed for the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia as they cross the magnificent Pacific Ocean. Any vessel making it's way across the worlds largest oceanic division is going to encounter a few hiccups, especially if they're relying on nothing more then the power of the sun.Wind has been a slight issue for the crew but the large catamaran is still going strong.

So the crew await the suns rays to take them all the way back to where their journey began. They are currently in the middle of the Pacific and are miles away from land and civilization and you can track their amazing voyage on Hummba.com. All you have to do is sign up to Hummba.com and join the Planet Solar Group. This way you can also be a part of this ground breaking event in the world of solar power at sea.

Check out the Planetsolar group on Hummba for constant updates from the crew on board right - here http://www.hummba.com/turanor.

Anchors Away

The world's largest solar powered Catamaran is heading for the history books, as the Turanor is about to set off for the worlds first solar voyage expedition across the Pacific Ocean.

Of course this is very exciting news for all of us at Hummba.com and all our users, who have been following the solar powered vessel for the past 5 months! Considering that this is the Turanor's maiden voyage,it's safe to say that things have been going swimmingly well for the catamaran and the crew on board. Looking at some of the recent updates from the crew on Hummba.com,"Team Turanor" are set to leave the Galapagos Archipelago. This means that once again they will be relying solely on the power of the sun, for 6000 kilometers, until they reach Polynesia. Like so many explorers before them, the team will be heading for the Pacific crossing but they don't have sails or high powered engines. Out in the middle of the Pacific, it will be just the crew, the Turanor a vast blue ocean and the sun.

Sign up or keep checking the Planet Solar Group on Hummba.com, for more as this piece of history unfolds.

Chasing the Sun in 2011

It's been an eventful start to 2011 for the crew aboard the Turanor. The unique solar powered catamaran, has been on a round the world expedition, since the impressive boat set off from the scenic shores of Monte Carlo, in late September 2010.

Since that momentous occasion, the boat relying solely on the power of the sun and the crew on board have crossed the Atlantic, encountered playful dolphins and are now chasing the sun, in the vicinity of the Galapogos Islands. In case you can't quite put your finger on where exactly these islands are, Galapogos is made up of a collection of Volcanic islands,spread around the equator in the Pacific Ocean. In other words, the worlds most innovative example of solar powered transport on water, is just west of Ecuador. Six days ago the Turanor crossed into the Pacific Ocean and luckily the weather has been hot and humid of late. With reports of whales and dolphins welcoming the crew and their solar powered pioneer on water, it's safe to say that things are looking very promising on this voyage.

Just two days ago, team Turanor came across an area,covered in trash. With in these polluted waters, the crew managed to rescue a turtle which was trapped by the rope of a boy. The turtle was in danger as a mackerel had been circling it. However they managed to free their newly found friend, who seemed to acknowledge them for a minute before he headed out into the glistening waters of the Pacific.

This incredible encounter, is just one of the many memorable moments that the crew have had on their journey aboard the Turanor so far. Follow this exciting event in the field of solar power on Hummba.com. We receive constant updates from the crew on board. So sign up to Hummba.com and join the Planet Solar Group, if you wish to follow this exiting voyage around the globe as the Turanor continues to chase the sun.

Check out the Planet Solar Group right here - http://www.hummba.com/turanor

So Long Atlantic

The news is in! The world's largest solar powered ship has made it to the American's, on it's maiden voyage around the globe.

In just 26 days the Turanor has managed to sail across the Atlantic Ocean as the crew have spotted their first islands in the Caribbean. With the power of the sun's rays pushing the vessel and her crew on, team Turanor have come along way. Live updates from the crew have told us that they've all switched on their mobiles in order to pick up the local network. They are also extremely happy to feel like they're part of civilisation once again, considering that they've been floating in the Atlantic and praying for sunshine for weeks now. Another interesting fact that the reports have told us is that the crew hadn't seen land for over three weeks. This was a first for some of the team, so you can imagine how delighted they were when they spotted the Anguilla Island, the first sign that they had officially made it across the Atlantic.

Their journey is not over yet though, as this is a round the world expedition. So for more updates and pictures from this voyage, all you have to do is log onto Hummba.com.

We are extremely proud of the Turanor and her crew here at Hummba.com, so much so that we'd like you to check them out for yourselves right here

- http://www.hummba.com/Map.aspx#gid=1963

Bring on the Atlantic

Since the world's largest solar power catamaran set off on it's ground breaking voyage around the globe, the vessel has continued to chase the sun all the way to the Atlantic.

Here at Hummba.com we've been watching the Turanor and her six crew members make their way from Monaco, through the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean and past north west Africa. Now the team continue to savor all they can from the sun as they make their way across the Atlantic Ocean. The most recent updates we've received directly from the crew, live on Hummba.com tell us that all is going smoothly. As per usual the crew have posted regular updates of their expedition, two days ago they were closer to the African Continent then the America's and yesterday the Turanor crossed the Tropic of Cancer. Last we heard from them, the crew had been snorkeling in the calm Atlantic and had spotted some interesting underwater creatures.

See for yourselves what the outcome of this exciting adventure will hold for the two crew members and the powerful catamaran, they're on route with on Hummba.com. Sign up to the PlanetSolar Group and the entire globe will literally unfold before your eyes, on your computer screen. Check out the Planet Solar Group right here - www.hummba.com/turanor

More from the Turanor

As I write this weeks blog, the Turanor, also known as the worlds most advanced solar catamaran, is already making it's way past the north west coast of Africa and hasn't shown any signs of stopping.

In case you've been out of the loop for the past few weeks, the Turanor is a large and impressive boat, on a round the world expedition relying solely on the power of the sun. The boat is a fresh and unique new entry to the field of technology on water, equipped with cutting edge technology. The Turanor and it's crew began their ground breaking voyage, setting off from Monaco on September 27th and here at Hummba we've been following the vessel and her crew as they've braved the seas of the Mediterranean so far. Hummba Users, followers of this blog and fans of our travel mascot, Jack Hummba have been receiving frequent updates on the Turnor's voyage. If you really want to go the extra mile, why not sign up to the Planet Solar group on Hummba.com? Group members have been commenting on pictures of the Turanor in action and even been receiving reports and coordinates from the catamaran's skipper.

Reports of good weather and dolphins following the impressive ship popped up on the Planet Solar group just over a week ago. The crew did experience bad weather on their way out of Tangiers but the last update Hummba received from the crew was four hours ago and all was fine.

Racing the Sun

Last week the Hummba blog featured the start of a round the globe expedition, undertaken by the worlds largest solar powered ship. The Turanor is not just an eye catching ship with an interesting name. Let's put it this way, the vessel and it's small crew are attempting to sail around the world, while relying solely on the power of the sun. If there's no light, then the journey could very easily come to an end.

Now that we're on the same page, I think it would be a good time for an update. The Turanor set off from Monaco last week and is doing fine. The last update we received here at Hummba,told us that they've moved closer to the European continent in order to catch more of the suns rays. How do we know this? It's simple we're following this solar powered icon and the crew through out their voyage, right here on Hummba.com. Just in case your unfamiliar with what Hummba is, log onto www.Hummba.com, once you're on there have a look around. If you're fond of traveling you should feel right at home, then go the extra mile by signing up to the PlanetSolar Group. Once you've joined, you too can watch this important event in the world of mobility unfold on your very own PC screen.

For anyone out there who hasn't signed up yet, here's a sneak peak at what you can expect to see, as you follow the Turanor's progress. I already mentioned, direct updates from the crew, other Hummba users commenting on the group and pictures of the large vessel making it's way around the world. Lastly what I enjoy doing the most as a member, is following the group live on Hummba.

So race the sun your selves on www.Hummba.com

Set Sail with Hummba

Ever since I was a young child, I've heard stories on the news and read in novels about men and woman who have sailed around the world. These days when the public are informed of another planned attempt or completed journey undertaken by residents of this planet across this globe we live on, not everyone is all that impressed. Back in the days of daring explorers like Captain Cook he must have been the talk of the town for decades after he arrived home. Now days humans aren't too easily impressed but if you think that once you've followed one ship around the world you've followed them all, then you're horribly mistaken. The ship in question is called the Turanor and she's not your average vessel. Oh no, this powerful piece of machinery is a new and unique addition to the world of boating. The Turanor, is a high performance catamaran, powered by the sun and on the brink of making history during it's time at sea. It's quite fitting that the worlds largest

This was to good an opportunity for the team at Hummba.com and our resident travel nut, Jack Hummba to miss. We will be tracking this fascinating vessel as the crew navigate their way through harsh seas and past island paradise, back to where they started. So here's your chance, sign up to travel and lifestyle and social network Hummba.com, join the PlanetSolar Group and you too can follow this solar powered boats ground breaking voyage from port to port.

The Turanor's movements will become a regular fixture right here on this Hummba blog, so if you are interested it would be best to keep up, as we see the world with the help of solar power.