The adventures of John Storm and the Elizabeth Swann. John Storm is an ocean adventurer and conservationist. The Elizabeth Swann is a fast solar powered boat. During a race around the world, news of the sinking of a pirate whaling ship reaches John Storm and his mate Dan Hook. They decide to abandon the race and try and save the whale.

(Original Book Chapter 13) – Solar Race - 20⁰ N, 160⁰ W

PIRATES <<<

“This is the Captain. Will all passengers please fasten your seat belts. We are beginning our decent….and remain seated until the seat belt warning signs go out. Thank you.”

The familiar white lights came on immediately. Steve Green and Charley Temple were already buckled up, and looked at each others belt, then nodded to each other and smiled. They had been looking forward to this assignment for at least two years; a pollution free event of epic proportions – the first ever international World Solar Challenge for boats. The ‘Green Team’ as they were now known, had invested considerably in this world first. Steve had chartered a long-range Sea-King helicopter for a week from Pacific Wings, in the hope of getting superior aerial photographs of the boats and the Hawaiian Islands archipelago. Single engine aircraft, including helicopters were forbidden from flying below 500 feet near Hawaii due to a spate of accidents years back. If it’s not possible to get close, then reporters could at least improve the odds of a decent shot, by being able to hover; fuel intensive, though that would be.

The Qantas United, Boeing Ecobird, banked right while losing altitude fast into a perfect ten degree approach to Honolulu International Airport. There was some buffeting from turbulence as the aircraft cleaved through layers of air at different temperatures and densities. The Ecobird was a highly advanced plane in it’s time, a fuel efficient marvel, but was showing her age. It was introduced in the years after 2022, when dozens of airlines were bankrupted as cleaner burning fuel-oil prices rocketed and banks and the stock markets worldwide suffered near collapsed from a mix of lack of borrowing and wild speculation, causing a serious economic depression.

Flaps were deployed to slow the aircraft and undercarriage whine could be heard as electric motors pumped hydraulic fluid at 2000 pounds per square inch to powerful piston actuators to lower the wheel assembly’s. They then thudded onto the runway suddenly screeching followed by a soft rumble as the wheels burned rubber accelerating from a standstill to well over 3000 revolutions per minute and the engines screamed back to full revolutions to provide reverse thrust for additional braking.

The Green Team had arrived three days earlier than the official start of activities, planning to interview contestants and island officials. Steve and Charley disembarked from the Ecobird at terminal two, to the west of Sand Island, after an uneventful passage. From there it was just three miles to Sand Island. For many years a group of like minded conservationists and sailors had dreamed of organising something spectacular, and what better than a race around the world, first proposed in 1995 by an English inventor as the ultimate test for any sailor. Steve had agreed they’d camp with a group of enthusiastic supporters, rather than hotel it – as a nice gesture in the spirit of environmentalism.

Being prepared like this was quite an event in itself. Reporters didn’t have such luxuries as time to prepare, so it felt almost like a holiday.

“Okay then, let’s get cracking,” said Steve.

He grabbed their distinctive bags from the carousel and heading off to customs with a trolley, where their reporter’s tags saw them outside hailing a minicab in minutes.

Casting his mind back, Steve remembered when solar sports consisted of cars that were little more than a row of off-the-shelf solar panels, stretched between bicycle wheels by hippies on pocket money budgets. Soon, these became low gleaming streamlined carbon fibre teardrops on finely machined alloy rims, driven by university undergraduates, financed by big business.

Racing solar vehicles competitively began in the 1980’s with an astonishing 3000 miles course across the Stuart Highway and miles of unmade desert roads from Darwin in the North to Adelaide on the southern coast of Australia. Contestants battled sand storms and road trains (Australian trucks pulling several trailers) and each other, for the World Solar Cup – a somewhat misleading title, that many purists thought should be renamed the Australian Solar Cup.

In subsequent years solar car racing became popular with engineering students the world over, attracting generous sponsorship deals from high street names like Panasonic, Fuji, Hitachi, General Motors and Honda. With such an enthusiastic take up on this continent, other countries introduced their own version of the race, including Canada and the United States.

Boating enthusiasts soon decided to get in on the act, applying solar energy to water craft by literally strapping rigid panels to canoes. Competition events were local affairs to begin with, the most famous being in Amsterdam. Soon there were leisurely solar river cruises in Switzerland then Scotland, and island cruises in the South Seas, Indonesia and the Caribbean. Then in May of 2012 the first pure solar powered circumnavigation was completed by a boat converted from a sea going ferry design called PlanetSolar. The boat was heavy and slow, but it managed to navigate the world without missing a beat..........

“Daydreaming again Steve,” said Charley.

“You got me; it’s just that I can’t believe it’s finally come true.” 

DARWIN TO ADELAIDE >>>

GRAPHIC NOVEL

The graphic novel translation omits many of the above chapters (in grey) entirely, and condenses others, aiming for a lively visual read.

This story is a modern Moby Dick, the twist being that there is a happy ending for everyone involved with the $Billion Dollar Whale, even the whalers. Herman Melville would have approved.

Please use our A-Z INDEX to navigate this site