Waypoint, the first electric catamaran to cross the Atlantic, hit higher speeds than the delivery captain had ever seen in a Lagoon and didn't burn a drop of fuel during the main ocean-crossing leg. Once the wind picked up off the Azores, Waypoint's onboard systems and drive motors – which ran non-stop during the entire trip – were powered entirely by electricity regenerated under sail.

"That's a brilliant thing, that regeneration," said Royal Yacht Association Captain Jorge Ventura of Alcobaça, Portugal. On most of his yacht deliveries, he said, "We have to charge the domestic (house power) batteries after a few days. But this time regeneration kept them up."

First mate Tommy Lee of Liverpool was equally enthusiastic. "It's like magic," he said.

There was no shortage of wind for regeneration. Waypoint ran into three gales along the way, with wind speeds topping out at 57 knots. "We had gale seas crashing over the boat," Jorge said. "Not just spray, but solid water." But the sturdy Lagoon took it all in stride. The crew sailed her hard the whole way, leaving to only once for an emergency repair.

The main gooseneck sheared a clevis pin with winds blowing over 30 knots. The two men doused the main and replaced the pin, then had to wait for the wind to drop before they could rehoist it. But they were soon on their way again.

"Lagoons are known for their roominess and comfort," said STI CEO Dave Tether. "This voyage showed they can sail too. It was about as tough a shakedown cruise as any production boat is going to get."

Amazing power
In calmer waters, Jorge said, the twin ST 74's made the 41 x 23 ft cat easy to handle. "The power is amazing from only 12 horsepower. For maneuvering at close quarters, it's beautiful. Just push the lever back and forth." He said STI drive is a big contrast to the diesel auxiliaries he's used to working with - which must first be started up, then worked through neutral from forward to reverse gear and back. With the STI system, he said, "you have immediate power and torque. Whenever you want it, it's there."

The same thing is true under full sail, he added. "It's always on, so if you miss a tack you have the power right there. Just push the lever."

Jorge also discovered that STI hybrid-electric drive is more fuel-efficient than a diesel auxiliary. "I actually expected a bit less efficiency with the generator. But on a gallon per knot of speed basis, it's far better. All the power goes straight to the prop. There are fewer moving parts, less waste than in a diesel."

And even though a delivery captain doesn't have to worry about maintenance, Jorge said, the minimal upkeep on the Solomon Technologies system is obviously a big plus for owners. "You don't have to change belts, pump out oil, change filters - just turn on the switch, and she's good to go."

Too much electricity
At times, regeneration worked too well for the captain's liking, to the point where he feared he was overcharging the batteries. To reduce the charge, he said, they turned on the air conditioning and hot water heater and often motor-sailed at full throttle.

"It put a few knots on her, didn't it?" chimed in Tommy. Jorge agreed but said he said he didn't always want to go as fast as they were traveling. Tommy, however, had a different opinion: "I thought it was great."

Over dinner with the crew in Annapolis, Dave explained that regeneration can be stopped by setting the motors' throttle control to reverse so it counters the rotational torque from water rushing by the prop. "It's the same thing wind turbines do to prevent overspeed," he said. "Unfortunately we were all in such a hurry to get the boat ready for the Annapolis Sailboat Show there wasn't an opportunity to brief the crew fully on the STI system."

Generator delays
There also wasn't enough attention paid to the installation of the generator. "It was a new experience for everyone," Dave said, "and it disrupted normal operating parameters. Something's always going to be overlooked on the first one."

The main problem the crew had was with the generator fuel system and ventilation air supply. After their departure from Les Sables d'Olonne in France, Jorge and Tommy encountered overheating problems and put in to La Coruña in Spain to try to sort them out by long-distance telephone.

Jorge said he spoke to Dave over the phone with some trepidation at first, knowing he would have to tell him that it didn't look like they were going to make the boat show. He knew that having the boat available to show to potential customers would make a big difference in the number of orders STI and Lagoon could expect to receive. But he needn't have worried.

"Dave told me, 'Forget about the show. Take your time. Just make sure you get here safe and sound.' I knew how high their expectations were," Jorge said, "and I really appreciated Dave telling me that."

They put out to sea again, but the problems continued. Finally they put into the Azores and called for an engineer from HFL, the generator manufacturer, to fly down to meet them. It turned out that there was nothing wrong with the generator, Jorge said. "He had it running fine in four hours."

It was simply a matter of installing another fuel pump to get fuel up from the tank in the floor to the generator in the front crossbeam and improving the air flow into the generator compartment.

Following the repairs, they gave the system a rigorous workout with the engineer taking his own instrument readings and verifying his results against those on the boat. "We ran it up and down for hours and took measurements at different speeds," Jorge said. "We checked it out thoroughly." When they had finished, he said, "We knew what it should be reading and how far we could push her.

"That's why we wanted to give this first electric Lagoon a blue-water workout with a professional crew," Dave said, "to sort out any problems that might arise before turning her over to her owners." The initial leg south along the French and Spanish coasts to the Azores kept the boat close to port where any malfunctions could be fixed. When Jorge and Tommy finally headed west, they could be confident that everything was working right.

Committed owners
Throughout the whole experience, Waypoint's owners, Denise and Dennis English of Pittsburgh, handled the delays with gracious good humor. In fact, said Denise, far from being discouraged about their decision to buy the first STI-powered Lagoon, they were reassured by the news they heard. "We knew the issues weren't with the motors. We were very confident."

When Waypoint finally set out from the Azores, winds were light at first, and they motored for several hours on the generator, which continued to run perfectly. When the wind finally picked up, they shut off the generator, and didn't turn it on again until they passed Norfolk.

"We hadn't heard a thing from them once they left the Azores," Dave said. "But when they finally radioed in to Norfolk, the news was as good as we could have hoped for."

Once Waypoint rounded Cape Henry, she encountered the fickle winds that the Chesapeake is famous for and motored north with the generator running to Horn Point. There the crew anchored for a hot-water shower and a good night's sleep.

The next day they motored across the Bay on battery electricity alone to Back Creek in Annapolis and Bert Jabin's Boat Yard.

Waypoint will spend another week or so in Annapolis getting fitted out for an extended cruise that the English family has been dreaming of for a long time. They're going to head back down the Bay and take the outside route to Tortola in the Virgin Islands. Their long-term plans are to sail the boat themselves for half the year and charter it in the Caribbean the other half.

Their experience with STI, Lagoon and The Catamaran Company has been, "charming, wonderful," said Denise. "We've had the opportunity to meet and work with many innovative, entertaining and interesting people." Denise noted that she, her husband Dennis and their two daughters are staunch environmentalists and advocates of alternative energy sources. "This wasn't just about buying a boat," she said, "we were making a commitment." The whole experience so far, she added, "has just reinforced to us what this system is capable of."