It is essential for navigation – instruments, electronics, regulation lights – but also for life on board: lighting, 220V, refrigerators, freezer, pumps, watermaker...

The energy on board a charter sailing yacht with five cabins (up to 12 people) is a central topic, in Greece as elsewhere at sea.

On board, we are not at home.
In the wild Greek anchorages, there are obviously no electrical outlets, and the available power is never infinite. Therefore, one must be even more mindful of how it is consumed.

However, paying attention is not enough.
However, this energy still needs to be produced, stored efficiently in batteries, and then used intelligently, without compromising on safety or comfort.

On the majority of charter sailboats and catamarans, in Greece as elsewhere, the batteries are almost always lead-acid batteries.

They are inexpensive to buy, but highly polluting during manufacture and recycling. Their capacity remains limited: with four or five 100-amp 12-volt batteries, the autonomy rarely exceeds one or two nights.

The sailing boat Najida is not equipped in this way.

The entire electrical network has been redesigned and increased from 12 to 24 volts, which significantly reduces losses and consumption on the most energy-intensive equipment.

On a cruise, comfort must not come at the expense of range.

Najida is equipped with lithium batteries, which are lighter, more compact, and offer a much higher capacity for equivalent weight and volume. These batteries are also more easily recyclable, following a principle similar to that used for telephone or laptop batteries.

Few charter.

In areas that are very popular with tourists, even with major rental companies, generator sets are often preferred, which are noisy and highly diesel-consuming.

On board the Najida, to be careful does not mean to restrain yourself.

A cruise doesn't have to mean compromising on comfort. To this end, the sailing yacht is equipped with nearly ten square metres of 24-volt solar panels, representing a power output of approximately 2,000 watts.

This setup allows batteries to be recharged autonomously, thanks to renewable, silent, and constantly available energy, whilst maintaining genuine comfort of living on board.

On board the Najida, three refrigerators ensure food comfort without over-consuming energy.

Two of them work on a common compressor: the larger one drives the smaller one, which optimises operating cycles and limits power consumption.

The compressor is cooled by seawater, which avoids the use of a fan, which is always energy-hungry.
As a latest-generation model, it uses around 30 % less electricity than older models.

The third refrigerator, mainly used for drinks, functions differently.

It is powered by 220 volts and only operates for two hours a day, exclusively thanks to the energy produced by solar panels. It uses a positive cold eutectic plate system: the plate cools down during the operating phase, then releases cold for a period of up to 24 hours, with minimal consumption.

Aside from large vessels, yachts, or catamarans equipped with generators, it is very rare to find a freezer on board a charter sailboat. The reasons are simple: lack of space and energy consumption.

The Najida's galley, particularly spacious for a cruising monohull, allowed me to incorporate a freezer without compromising on space.
As with refrigerators, the cooling unit is of the latest generation and cooled by seawater.

A welcome comfort on board... and sometimes for our neighbouring boats too, when it comes to ’borrowing« a few ice cubes.

Freshwater is a vast topic when cruising.

On the majority of charter sailboats, during a week of sailing, stops in ports are rare – and for good reason: people don't come sailing in Greece to visit the quays. However, these boats most often have limited tanks, rarely more than 500 to 600 litres of fresh water.

On board the Najida, the capacity reaches 1,750 litres of fresh water, which radically changes life on board.

This reserve enables genuine autonomy to be maintained, even with several people on board, without turning the cruise into a permanent exercise in restriction.

On many charter boats, as soon as two families are sharing the vessel, compromises quickly arise: shorter showers, avoiding rinsing after a swim, constant vigilance over every litre consumed.

The classic solution then is to opt for large units, yachts or catamarans equipped with a generator and a continuously operating watermaker.

The first axis consisted of improving the entire 220-volt electrical system.

The Najida converter, which transforms 24-volt direct current into 220-volt alternating current, has been reinforced to absorb the consumption of the desalination units.

The cables connecting the production sources to the equipment have also been replaced, in order to limit losses and to allow for a higher current flow.

Concretely, when the engine is running — usually one to two hours per day for travel — the engine's alternator, combined with the solar panel production, powers the watermaker.

Over 200 litres of fresh water can thus be produced daily, in addition to the 1,750 litres taken on board at the start.

Result: end of limited showers, sea water rinses and uncomfortable compromises.

The water from the reservoirs is first filtered progressively, through several increasingly fine filtration stages.
It is then put under pressure and passes through a reverse osmosis membrane, on a principle similar to that of a desalination unit.
The water obtained is potable, free from micro-organisms, bacteria and impurities.

A dedicated tap, installed directly at the sink, makes it easy to fill glass bottles or reusable water bottles.

This system significantly reduces the use of plastic bottles on board, while guaranteeing quality drinking water, available at any time during the cruise.

Organic waste

The first bin is for organic waste.

These are never discharged into the sea when moored. In accordance with regulations, they are only disposed of offshore, more than three miles from the coast, after being reduced to small pieces when necessary.

Non-recyclable waste

The second bin is for waste that cannot be disposed of at sea or recycled during the cruise.

This mainly concerns metal or similar packaging, kept on board until disposal ashore.