Engineering Club Responsible for Best Solar Boats in the State
CCSF‘s Engineering club secured their win in this year’s Solar Regatta, solidifying their winning streak.
By Sam Palma
City College’s Engineering Club continued its dominance by winning the 8th annual Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s California Solar Regatta cup.
Held on May 3, 2025, at the Rancho Seco Recreational Area, this marks the sixth time in the past seven years the club has won, making City College one of the most decorated schools in the event’s history.
Engineering Department chair and club advisor Keith Muller credits the program’s hands-on approach. “In CCSF's Engineering Department, our classes are very hands-on. Students build many different kinds of projects, and this helps when you have to construct a solar-powered boat,” he said.
“Other schools consider the Solar Regatta as a part of a class or a Capstone project, whereas we only wish to do better than our previous boat,” he added.
In a City College press release, Former Interim Chancellor Mitchell Bailey applauded the club’s continued success. "Congratulations to our incredible Engineering Club – winning against such a competitive field is truly remarkable.”
The Solar Regatta, first held in 2017, is a two-day event open to all high schools and colleges throughout California. Organizers provide solar panels, and teams design, build and race their own boats powered by the sun. Boats are judged on several categories, but primarily in three: Slalom, Speed, and Endurance.
This year, City College won half of the 12 competition categories, defeating teams from Sacramento State, Cal Poly Pomona and UC Riverside. Their closest rival, San Joaquin Delta College, bested CCSF at last year’s cup and briefly ended the club’s winning streak.
The event wasn’t without challenges. Overcast weather forced teams to use batteries rather than solar panels. “During our Endurance race, the batteries we first used were quite old. That combined with the direct sun and heat led to the battery swelling up and nearly catching fire during the race,” said Aidan Kastner, former president of City College’s Engineering Club.
In Latin, the club’s motto translates to, “We drink coffee and build things.” Mueller said the phrase captures their day-to-day spirit. “We are a fairly laid-back club otherwise, while events like the California Solar Regatta and Robogames are fairly intensive, we mostly tinker on the tools we have or come up with self-motivated projects.”
In addition to competition, the group puts its skills to use on campus. Club members have repaired broken electric scooters for City College’s Disability Services, applying what they learn in class to help their community.
Looking ahead, the club plans to showcase its work at engineering events like Maker Faire and Open Sauce as well as a group trip to the Bay Area Science Festival in October.
