SPECIAL REPORT
RUPERT HOLMES ON SAILING ELECTRIC YACHTS
Electric propulsion is rapidly becoming established in the mainstream yacht market. This is increasingly driven by customer demand, often by people who own electric or plug-in hybrid cars and are more than happy with the balance between their advantages and shortcomings.
In my role testing new yachts I’ve sailed an increasing number of boats with electric and hybrid propulsion over the past six years, ranging from lightweight daysailers through smaller cruising yachts to heavy aluminium bluewater cruisers and large cruising catamarans. I quickly discovered that electric propulsion opens doors to completely different ways of thinking to the diesel engines we’re accustomed to using, especially when motor sailing.
THROTTLING BACK
Many diesel powered yachts carry enough fuel for the rate of
