Solar-electric yacht "100%" crosses the Atlantic

A crew led by Jay Dollries is crossing the Atlantic with the solar-electric yacht "100%", a Silent 62 3-Deck from Silent Yachts. The five-person team has now covered nearly half of the approximately 3200 nautical miles (about 5926 km) route. Live position, all information about the boat, life on board, and technical issues are publicly documented by the crew. Those who wish can also ask the team questions.

The crew started in Gibraltar on November 14th. The journey has since been across the Atlantic, with stopovers in Lanzarote and São Vicente (Cape Verde). The destination is the Caribbean island of Antigua. Arrival there is planned for December 11th or 12th.

The crew consists of experienced sailors. Jay Dollries, who owns the boat with his wife Jane, who is also on board, has an experienced companion with Randy Lane. Both have already completed Atlantic crossings in a boat. Also on board are the Vice Chairman of Silent Yachts, Steve Bell, who is also the captain of the yacht, as well as the two technicians, Will Mitchell and Michael Scherdel.

The "100%" is a leisure yacht in the style of a catamaran with three decks. It has a length of 18.86 m and is about 9 m wide. The Silent 62 is the latest version of the Silent 64, a two-deck yacht that has won several international awards and already completed an Atlantic crossing with solar-electric propulsion in January 2018.

However, the technology of the Silent 62 is state-of-the-art: the yacht is powered by two 164 kW electric motors, which are fueled by a 354 kWh battery and solar cells distributed on the roofs of the second and third decks of the yacht. Four cabins, one master, one VIP, and two smaller twin cabins are housed in the two catamaran hulls. In addition, there is the open main deck with the main helm, a lounge area, and a galley. The third deck features another helm station as well as a lounge and entertainment area.

Jay and Jane Dollries had actually bought the boat for leisure but wanted to transfer it to their home port in North America across the Atlantic after its handover in Italy in spring 2025 and cruises in the Mediterranean. Steve Bell, with whom Jay and Jane Dollries had become friends during the construction of the yacht, was enthusiastic about the idea of the unusual transfer voyage, as it also offered the opportunity to thoroughly test the boat's technology on a longer journey. The main focus was to be on energy generation and battery consumption to check the boat's efficiency.

The biggest challenge is to repeatedly recharge the boat's batteries during the Atlantic crossing without being able to dock at ports for charging. The solar cells deliver a peak output of 17 KW, with a maximum of 56 kWh of energy generated within 24 hours. The motor drive has an output of around 30 KW to achieve a speed of 6 knots, with a maximum speed of 7 knots. In addition, there is the power consumption for maintaining the onboard systems, the galley, lighting, etc. In total, the required power is 20 KW above what the solar cells can supply.

Support from a kite and diesel generator

The crew compensates for the deficit by using a kite that pulls the boat in appropriate wind conditions, reducing power consumption. But even that is not enough. The "100%" therefore draws additional power from a 134 kW diesel generator, which repeatedly recharges the battery. Although the ship runs on purely electric propulsion, part of the energy is thus supplied by burning fossil fuels. The boat is therefore not running 100% CO₂-free, which has already drawn some criticism on social media.

However, an Atlantic crossing was not planned during the development of the boat. As a leisure boat, the solar cells are sufficient for autonomous operation with certain limitations, such as a reduction in speed to 4 knots, as the boat's owners discovered during island hopping in the Mediterranean. However, they have to anchor in sunny spots occasionally to recharge the battery.

During the Atlantic crossing, however, a considerable amount of fuel is consumed: a total of about 3000 liters of fuel are burned by the diesel generator, which has to run for four to five hours daily. However, this is still significantly less than what a comparably sized yacht would require in pure diesel operation. For such a boat, consumption would be between 8000 and 10,000 liters.

The crew documents their entire journey in a blog and via video. Questions for the crew are welcome. The team aims to create a certain transparency regarding the operation of solar-electric boats.

(olb)