The competition, held in Maryland June 27-July 1, 2005, gave the Archimède team the opportunity to represent Canada -- and sprint along at an impressive 5.225 knots. "This extremely fast race allowed us to take third place in our category," said project director Timothée Lauzon.

 
L to R: Félix Chénier (electrical work/support diver),
Michaël Nault (mechanics/submarine operator),
Timothée Lauzon (project director/support diver),
Marc-Antoine Brissette (head mechanic/submarine operator),
and Hugo Molinari (mechanics/land crew)

Minor incident
However, Archimède sustained damage during a too-sudden surfacing. "It happened during a race when we surfaced too abruptly," said Timothée. "We collided with the marine-safety diving platform. The impact damaged the rear hatch and the keel. We had to readjust the nacelles. Unfortunately, we weren't able to attain the same high-speed performance in the races that followed. The submarine was unstable and difficult to steer."

At the end of the races, the Archimède team placed fifth overall out of 18 teams. A remarkable result, in spite of a crash-landing!

Congratulations, team!