Sailing yachts - not by the wind alone!

Most of us mean by yacht a state-of-the-art ship, which in terms of comfort is somewhat reminiscent of a cruise liner, only in miniature. However, initially these were sailing ships, which still exist today (but with different types of “auxiliary” motors). Moreover, in terms of comfort and equipment, they are in no way inferior to their “brothers”, moving exclusively with the help of internal combustion engines or gradually conquering the market of electric power plants. Vessels with hybrid units are especially popular. And what yachts under sails and with universal power plants today impress both specialists in this business and ordinary travel enthusiasts?

Aquarius

A classic vessel with elegant lines is a 56 m long ketch built by the Royal Huisman shipyard (Netherlands). Dykstra Naval Architects took part in the development of the exterior, and Mark Whiteley merited the interior design. The ship, ordered by a married couple from the United States, was launched into the water in 2017.




The yacht has a number of features, among which stand out a reinforced bottom and a sail system that can make the most of the wind power.


The hull and superstructure of Aquarius are made of durable alloy - alustar. This material appeared on the market in the late 90s and, due to its high performance properties, practically brought yacht building to a qualitatively new level. Alustar is considered by many to be an ideal alloy for building ships, and there is some truth in this. The material has:

✅ highly resistant to corrosion
✅ increased impact strength and yield strength of welded body elements
✅ ease

The use of the alloy was reflected in the characteristics of Aquarius: with its 56,18 m in length and 9,51 m in width, the draft of the vessel is 4,8 m. The yacht has an impressive “wardrobe” of sails, the total area of ​​​​which is 3 thousand square meters. m.


However, a conventional motor is also available: it will help you move in calm or in other adverse conditions. Specifications:

✅ maximum speed with ICE - 14 knots (under sail 16)
✅ autonomous navigation - up to 4 thousand miles (at a cruising speed of 10 knots)

The yacht is equipped with the latest navigational instruments, allowing you to confidently navigate in any weather, day or night.

Interior

The vessel is designed to comfortably accommodate eight guests. The deck flooring is made according to the classical scheme - teak. The yacht has four separate cabins, three guest. There is a gym, water bikes and everything you need for windsurfing.


The uniqueness and perfection of the design of the vessel is evidenced by the fact that the first customers, after some time, make another one of the same yacht, but a little longer and with improved technical characteristics. Aquarius II will be equipped with a retractable keel, an innovative sailing system with carbon spars.

Black Pearl

The Black Pearl was ordered by Russian billionaire Oleg Burlakov, who ranks 150th in Forbes magazine. It was the businessman who came up with the idea of ​​building an unusual yacht. Its uniqueness lies in the use of flexible solar panels installed instead of sails. True, they are still made of fabric into which energy elements are integrated.


But even this was not enough for the businessman: additional kilowatts are “removed” from the propellers of the yacht, which rotate due to the oncoming water flow. All together allowed to get up to 1 MW/h “free of charge”. Batteries charged with energy for 10 hours will be able to supply electricity to life support systems, air conditioning, and navigation. However, batteries are not used to move the ship, because they are quickly discharged during heavy traffic.

About construction

The vessel was built in Holland at the Oceanco shipyard in 2018. The yacht is recognized as one of the largest in the world and is registered in the Cayman Islands. On the ship - three masts capable of turning to the desired (up to 180 °) angle. The total area of ​​"solar" sails is 2,9 thousand square meters. m. The time of their setting takes no more than seven minutes and is carried out by pressing a button.


A feature of sailing equipment is the absence of rigging. The fabric is twisted directly inside the mast onto special drums and, during installation, is lowered along the guides located on the rails. Other technical details:

✅ length, width - 105 and 15 m
✅ height of masts - 75 m
✅ power plant - a hybrid unit, which includes a pair of MTU 12V2000M72 diesel engines of 1080 kW each, electric motors and batteries with solar panels
✅ maximum speed - 17, with a tailwind with sails - 30 knots

Обстановка

As befits ships of this class, the level of comfort here is more than worthy. The three-deck yacht has 6 apartments for 12 passengers, a beach club and a couple of pools for spa treatments.


The owner of the yacht claims that this property is not a "fun boat". In fact, the Black Pearl is a pilot project: in the future, the businessman plans to build a cargo ship with a length of at least 200 m and also with a hybrid power plant, partially powered by the sun. Its estimated cost is in the range of 150-200 million dollars. However, with serial production, the price can be reduced to 50-60 million "green".

Sunreef 78.7-foot 80 Eco

Another interesting fiberglass catamaran yacht produced since 2020 by the Sunreef shipyard (Poland) and powered by hybrid energy. The sails here are ordinary: solar cells with a thickness of up to 1 mm are mounted everywhere - in the superstructure, sides, masts. The panels are so strong that you can safely walk on them. The entire system, based on photovoltaic cells, has an area of ​​180 square meters. m and generates up to 36 kW, which is comparable to the power of some yacht diesel generators.


The sails also set the yacht in motion: a grotto with an area of ​​200 sq. m and "genoa" in 155 sq. m. When calm, the ship moves with the help of a pair of electric motors that develop 160 kW each and rotate the propellers. To power the motors, batteries of the latest developments are used, which have a third less mass compared to classic batteries. The battery pack has a capacity of 300 kW. However, it was not without the “classics”: the manufacturer supplied a pair of Volvo Penta D3 diesel generators with 150 “horses” each.


It is curious: on the yacht they try to use the slightest opportunity to obtain energy. Propellers "can" work in autorotation mode (like generators) when reaching a speed of 7 knots. There is enough energy to power on-board systems and household appliances. There are also wind generators that provide battery charge: they work with the slightest wind, in a storm, day and night, while driving and in parking lots.


In total, there are 10 cabins on the ship, designed for 16 people, including the crew. However, the layout can be changed at the request of the customer - and this is one of the features of the vessel. The buyer also chooses finishing materials: teak, natural or recycled linen, even furniture is offered, partially made of basalt. On the deck there are two, and not one, as usual, recreation areas.

Summary

If earlier 1 out of 10 buyers were interested in yachts using renewable energy sources, today every second one is interested. There is a trend! And how do yachts with conventional internal combustion engines “survive” and do they have any innovative technical solutions related to energy generation? We will talk about this in future reviews.