aventura zero catamaran

• 0 No item in your cart
• SUBSCRIPTION
• Classified Ads
• Technical Specifications
• Destinations
• Address book

• All the magazines

OUTREMER 4.ZERO - Electric propulsion put to the test on a round-the-world voyage

Practical info.

• Builder : OUTREMER YACHTING
• Technical specifications
• Finance your Outremer 4.Zero
• Articles about the Outremer 4.Zero
• Available in issue # 175

Boat Test price $5.00 Inc. tax

Add several tests to your cart

and get an extra discount!

By the time you’re reading this, the Outremer 4.Zero and her crew will most likely be mid-Atlantic, in the wake of Magellan and his faithful second mate Elcano. Though Jimmy Cornell has presented in person, and in detail, his technical and historical challenge, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to test ELCANO 500, this Outremer of the future also known as Aventura Zero. As soon as the catamaran was launched, we took advantage of a short weather window in early October to test this prototype for you. We were able to take part in one of the very first sea trials, before the boat cast off for Seville, Magellan’s port of departure some 500 years ago.

Test location: La Grande Motte, France Wind: 8 to 12 knots southeasterly Sea state: smooth to slight

For any multihull and cruising enthusiast, this 100% electric 4.Zero Outremer is a double surprise. The first is to find Jimmy Cornell at the helm of a composite multihull that’s fairly performance-oriented. Trailblazer of four round-theworld voyages aboard monohulls and champion of the aluminum centerboarder, Jimmy was back from the Northwest Passage on his Exploration 45 - twice as heavy as his new two-hulled vessel, yet of the same length. The promise had been made to Gwenda, his stainless-steel crew/ spouse, that this time he would retire from the sea. We imagined him pruning his roses in the beautiful house in the South of France that he uses as his base camp. Yes, but then Jimmy had a new idea. And Gwenda gave in, aware that the happiness of her sailor husband cannot be satiated without cruising plans to implement (see MW173).

Test pilot for an all-electric boat The second surprise in all of this is to find Outremer Yachting as part of the project. Above all, the...

To read in full, Buy the boat test

What readers think.

Post a comment

No comments to show.

Share this article

Follow us on, vous avez ajouté " " à vos favoris., vous avez supprimé " " de vos favoris., in order to add this article to your favorites, please sign in..

Did You Know That We Offer Contract to Closing Services? Click Here to Find Out More.

Need Marine Financing? Apply Here With Our Partner, First Approval Source

• Catamaran Interviews
• Catamaran Reviews
• Buying Advice
• Selling Advice
• Woods Design Advice
• Americat 3014
• Aquila 44 Yacht
• Balance 526
• Bali 40 Catspace
• Beneteau Blue II
• Broadblue 346
• Broadblue 38 Prestige
• Broadblue 385
• Broadblue 435
• Broadblue 46
• Catalac 10M
• Catalac 11M
• Catalac 12M
• Catalac 900
• Catana 42 S
• Chris White 48 Voyager
• Chris White 55
• Corsair F28 R
• De Villiers
• Dolphin 460
• Endeavour 30
• Endeavour 35 Victory
• Endeavour 36
• Endeavour 44
• Endeavour 44 TrawlerCat
• Fortuna 36 Island Spirit
• Fortuna 401 Island Spirit
• FP 32 Maldives
• FP 35 Tobago
• FP 37 Antigua
• FP 38 Athena
• FP 39 Fidji
• FP 40 Lavezzi
• FP 40 Lucia
• FP 40 Summerland MY
• FP 41 Lipari
• FP 42 Astrea
• FP 42 Venezia
• FP 43 Belize
• FP 44 Helia
• FP 44 Orana
• FP 46 Bahia
• FP 46 Casamance
• FP 48 Salina
• FP 56 Marquises
• FP 57 Sanya
• FP 60 Eleuthera
• FP Saona 47
• Gemini 3000
• Gemini 3200
• Gemini 3400
• Grainger 420 Mystery Cove
• Hirondelle 7M
• Lagoon 37 TPI
• Lagoon 42 TPI
• Lagoon 43 PC
• Leopard 39 PowerCat
• Leopard 45 Classic
• Leopard 47 PowerCat
• Leopard 51 PowerCat
• Leopard 53 PowerCat
• Maine Cat 30
• Maine Cat 41
• Matrix 450 Vision
• Matrix 760 Silhouette
• Maverick 400
• Maverick 420
• Maverick 440
• Nautitech 40
• Nautitech 442
• Nautitech 46 Open
• Nautitech 47
• Outremer 40
• Outremer 45
• Outremer 50 Standard
• Outremer 55
• Privilege 37
• Privilege 39
• Privilege 42
• Privilege 43
• Privilege 435
• Privilege 45
• Privilege 465
• Privilege 48 Transcat
• Privilege 482
• Privilege Serie 5
• Prout 31 Quest
• Prout 33 Quest
• Prout 34 Event
• Prout 35 Snowgoose
• Prout 37 Snowgoose
• Prout 37 Snowgoose Elite
• Prout 38 Manta
• Prout 39 Escale
• Royal Cape 45
• Royal Cape 530 Majestic
• Royal Cape Majestic 500
• Sailcraft 30 Iroquois
• Sailcraft 32 Comanche
• Sailcraft 35 Cherokee
• Sailcraft 41 Apache
• Sailcraft 44 Apache
• Wildcat 350
• Seawind 1000
• Seawind 1160
• Seawind 1200
• Seawind 1260
• Seawind 1600
• Solaris 36 Sunrise
• Solaris 36 Sunstar
• St Francis 44
• St Francis 48
• St Francis 50
• Stealth 11.8
• Heavenly Twins 26
• Ocean Twins 38
• Voyage 380 Maxim
• Voyage 400 Norseman
• Voyage 430 Norseman
• Voyage 450 Cabriolet
• Voyage 47 Mayotte
• Wharram 38 Tiki
• AMI 320 Renaissance
• Woods 22 Wizard
• Woods 35 Banshee
• Woods 35 Flica
• Woods 36 Scylla
• Woods 36 Vardo
• Woods 38 Transit
• Woods 40 Meander
• Xquisite X5
• Xquisite X5+

Jimmy Cornell Interview: The Elcano Challenge / Outremer 4X Custom “Aventura Zero”

• Post author By Richard
• Post date March 20, 2021
• 4 Comments on Jimmy Cornell Interview: The Elcano Challenge / Outremer 4X Custom “Aventura Zero”

We are very excited to publish our interview with legendary sailor Jimmy Cornell. Jimmy is in London currently while some modifications are being made his Outremer 4X to restart the Elcano Challenge. Listen here for an update about the Elcano Challenge as well as hear more about details of his choices and customizations as well as why this is such an important journey. Jimmy is an inspiration to us all and talking to him was a huge pleasure.

For more on the Elcano voyage see Jimmy’s website: www.CornellSailing.com

Today, I’m honored to introduce Jimmy Cornell. Jimmy, as you know, is a legend to so many of us in the sailing world, really excited to have you today. How you doing Jimmy?

Very well, thank you. I’m in London. Still cold, but the winter is going, and spring has come, so I’m very happy about that.

Good, good. Thank you for joining us on catamaransite.com today. For those viewers that haven’t heard of it, what is the Elcano challenge?

Very briefly, we’re celebrating in next year, 500 years since the completion of the first round-the-world voyage, started by Magellan in 1519 and completed by Juan Sebastian Elcano in 1522. My plan was to have a new boat built, the fifth Aventura, and sail around the world along the historic route. But this time in a fully electric boat, reflecting my concern for the environment, and trying to do something that would be relevant for these days and these times. This is how the idea was born and this is how I decided to have Aventura Zero built.

Why did you decide on the Outremer 4X catamaran for the trip?

It started as an idea. I looked around and I found out that there are indeed, now in production, electric motors built by a Finnish company, Oceanvolt. They have produced, for the very first time, a system where the motors do not provide only propulsion, but also regeneration. Meaning that when you are sailing, the propellers continue turning and produce electricity, this is put very simply. Because it’s linked not just to the electric propulsion aspect, but also to sailing, you need to have an efficient boat that can sail fast. That’s why I ended up with Outremer.

The Outremer is regarded as probably the best performance catamaran. There are other more comfortable, maybe bigger, smaller, and somewhat. Outremer has focused from the beginning on producing performance cruising catamarans.

Why a catamaran?

All my previous boats were monohulls, but in this case you do not need just speed to produce electricity by regeneration, but also you need to have enough surface to to display solar panels, so that’s another advantage of a catamaran. Bringing these two together, a fast performance catamaran and also one that can display a large amount of solar panels.

What are the most important customizations that you made to the Outremer 4X?

In fact, we started with the basics. Then they were very quickly changed, because there were things that I wanted to have, and Outremer were very understanding that I like certain things. Also, I must stress that I came with the monohull sailor mentality, so I didn’t like certain things. I wanted them changed, so eventually we ended up with a prototype. It is neither the ordinary standard 45, nor the ultimate 4X. I believe it will be either Zero or E for electricity or electric.

You mentioned this a little bit earlier, but in your opinion, is a catamaran designed better than a monohull for reducing consumption and proving regeneration?

Certainly. If you want a fully electric, and I mean a fully electric sailing boat, you are better off at this moment with the catamaran over a reasonable size. Of course, if you have a much larger monohull which has the speed potential, you may achieve your aim. But you must never forget that the larger the boat, the more electricity you end up consuming. This is why a 48, it’s only the model is 45, is about large enough to arrive at the compromise between size and consumption.

How about the construction material? Is fiberglass a better construction material than aluminum?

Well, yes. My previous two boats were aluminum, and in fact it’s a very good material. I like very much aluminum or aluminium, but the problem is that even aluminium 45, in fact 48-foot catamaran, would weigh a lot more than eight-and-a-half tons. The Outremer 45 in my configuration, the weight of the boat is just under nine tons, and that would be very very difficult to achieve with the 45 or 48-foot aluminium or aluminum boat.

So you decided to abandon your first attempt, can you tell us what was the most significant issue? Why that led you to make that decision?

The most important is also the essential aspect of this project, is regeneration. I want to take only part of the blame, that I was not more careful when I agreed with the boat. Yet, what kind of equipment should go on board? But at the same time, I was, it’s a strong word to use but I would use it, slightly misled by the company producing the motors that in fact, the regeneration wasn’t as efficient as I had expected. I was optimistic and maybe naive, so we ended up having quite a high consumption from the electric cooker, from the inverters, and so on.

When we started sailing, I realized that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to sail without stopping to recharge. I must stress, I did not have, and I refused to have, a diesel generator on board, so what we depended on regeneration by the electric motors. Also, I had a backup hydro generator, a sail gen, and of course the solar panels. Even the solar panels, I found that although I have 1300 Watts, it’s not sufficient.

So all these things combined made me decide when we arrived in the Canary Islands, in Tenerife, that I should really not continue, because we’re sailing into challenging areas like the Magellan Strait, and so on. I didn’t want to put the life of my crew, and my own, in danger. So I said, “Okay, let’s go back to the boat yard,” and do the corrections and improvements that I know should be done.

What I stress, which is very interesting, is we left Tenerife beginning of December, and we sailed non-stop to the boatyard in the south of France, 1540 miles, and we did not have to stop. We managed to keep going, and in fact, although it was initially very disappointing, by the time we got after 10 days to the south of France, to La Grande Motte, I had realized what I wanted all along.

But of course, it was still not good enough, so that’s why I decided, and we are now doing some changes and improvements.

For that sail back, did you really have to minimize your consumption? What changes did you have to make for that journey back?

We were very frugal. We didn’t use hot water, or making coffee, or whatever, any time we wanted. Also, I had a solar cooker which was very very efficient. It takes long, but it can cook food, and we’re really very very careful. We were much more attentive at the way we sail the boat. In fact, the boat performed extremely well, I was really really impressed.

Also, as a monohull sailor, I was very impressed at how the boat behaved. We were caught out on the way back towards France, by two storms of up to 15 knots of wind, and the boat behaved impeccably. I found the boat very very stable and really really, very very fast.

What are you currently working on at the Outremer yard to reduce consumption and improve regeneration?

That is the big challenge. When we set up the boat initially, the concept, with the advice of the boatyard, Outremer, we decided, rather than have the more efficient servo prop propeller developed by Oceanvolt, we should play safe, and have on the port side a Gori folding propeller, which is more robust, and have the servo prop on the starboard side. Now, the advantage of the servo prop propeller, is that it’s a variable pitch propeller, meaning that it would always choose its program to choose the optimum pitch. In view of the sea state, and especially the the wind strength, and this potential speed of the boat. The Gori propeller is a folding propeller. It works very well but it’s not so efficient in regenerating energy. We were very concerned because the servo prop is quite vulnerable having a variable pitch propeller setup. This is why we went with that on my return to the boatyard. We had already decided that I should now go for two servo prop propellers.

Now, in fact, that has been done. It has been changed, it’s been installed already, and it is a new generation, which has a different configuration, works in a slightly different way. It is, so they tell me, more efficient.

Any idea how far out you are from making the modifications and feeling comfortable to launch again?

I’m going back. The problem is because of the coronavirus. Because of COVID, I’m blocked. I cannot move from London, we cannot travel, I cannot drive to France. I had the vaccination already, but I have to wait. As soon as I manage to get out of here, I hope in early April, I will be driving to France to test the boat.

I will not, as before, decide when I’m going to go. In fact, this time I’ll be much more realistic and skeptical, and I want to see how this new system works.

For me, the most important thing is no longer the around-the-world voyage, which I may not be able to complete, because time is running out. The most important thing is to show that the boat can cruise, it can be used, you can sell it without any concerns that you have only electricity available.

Still, I have this discussion and disagreement with the boatyard. I still insist that I want the boat to indeed have only zero emissions, that I don’t want to have a diesel generator on board. This is why we have to to find the solution, probably not now, but maybe in the next year or two. We might have a solution because a company in France is working now, on hydrogen generation, to having hydrogen-producing electricity by hydrogen.

So you’ve inspired a movement of sailors to also go emissions-free. In your opinion, how far away do you think we are from the average cruising catamaran being able to go fully electric?

Between four and six weeks.

Quicker than I thought!

I have done it! I have done it. I have sailed 1540 miles, precisely, from Tenerife. It’s about 750 miles to the Strait of Gibraltar, and we continued past Spain, past the Balearics, to the south of France, to La Grande Motte. We had two proper storms on the way, and we managed to do it.

So in the current configuration, rather I should say this, in the number one version, it can be done, we can do it. However, what can be done now, and this is something, the good news is that if we continue on the concept of not having a diesel generation aboard, you can go into marinas and charge the batteries. You have a very large bank, 56 kilowatts. You charge them and you hope. Certainly in some parts of Europe, certainly in France, the electricity you get in the marina is green. Much of the electricity in France, for example, is produced by renewable sources. Even in England, it’s already 50 percent produced from wind energy. Things are happening.

The compromise solution would be to actually accept the fact that you can’t go long distance, exactly like an electric car. You go into marina, you charge up the battery, and continue, but you still have to have a boat that is easily sailed or also handled. You also have to be prepared to sail. You don’t just, as it were, turn the key as soon as the the wind drops. You have to change your mentality. Then of course, to be also much more economical with the usage of your electricity on board, how you cook, how you live.

What is the biggest pain point for consumption when going electric?

I think the worst part of it is that everything is electric on board. You cook with electricity. You can compromise and continue to have gas, for example propane or butane, but then even that is a pollutant. I looked into fuel cells and to use ethanol, but even that produces a very small amount of carbon dioxide.

I want to be honest, this is the whole point. I don’t want to be accused that I’m attempting to cheat. This is what I told the boatyard. This one I keep saying that they’re not very happy with it, that I don’t want a diesel generator on board. So this is why one has to be very disciplined. What it is in everything else we do now. I mean, if you have an electric car, you have to be very careful. You drive it in one way in winter, when you know that if it’s very cold, you can’t heat the car or the batteries will discharge quicker. You just become very disciplined with everything else.

So I don’t think it’s a major problem, but you have to change your mentality. You have to change, basically like we have to change now, our way of life.

What is the key innovation that you feel will help make electric viable for everyone?

It’s a very difficult question, but basically batteries are getting better and more efficient and lighter. Electric motors are becoming more efficient. I hope that this new generation, which I haven’t tested yet, of Oceanvolt servo prop will be more efficient in producing and regenerating energy.

But basically, I want to stress, and this is something that we have to accept, we have to change our way of life. Not whether just by using an electric sailing boat, or an electric car, and so on. We have to change our mentality entirely every time we do something. We have to think, “can I even save a little bit of energy?” To really keep an eye on our carbon footprint, I think it’s very very important.

I don’t want to say fortunately, but because of the current pandemic, people are changing. These two things have to come together, we have to accept that there is climate change, and of course we have to deal with this virus. Because of this, people have woken up that Mother Nature is telling us something. Better take a notice of it, not just because of climate change and global warming, but also because we have really treated this planet badly. We might have to accept that we have to pay a price for it.

All right Jimmy, thank you so much for joining us today. To wrap up, people want to follow the latest on the Elcano Challenge. Where would you direct them to go?

It’s easiest to go to my website www.CornellSailing.com . All my reports over the last, more than a year, since I started working on this project are there. So please, just go to www.Cornellsailing.com .

Thank you all for watching today’s episode on catamaransite, featuring the one and only Jimmy Cornell. We wish you the best in your endeavors, and we’ll stay tuned to see how your journey goes. Thank you again, for joining us.

Great pleasure, thank you.

• Tags Catamaran Interviews

4 replies on “Jimmy Cornell Interview: The Elcano Challenge / Outremer 4X Custom “Aventura Zero””

I love the idea but I think going all electric is a mistake. Diesel-electric hybrids have been around for a long time and the concept works well. The energy density of diesel is just so much better than lithium and it vastly extends your range. You don’t have to turn on the diesel generator, but I think it’s smart for sailors slightly less experienced than Jimmy to have it as an option. Also it’s a mistake to think that there aren’t pollutants involved in the creation of lithium batteries and the rest of the boat too. CO2 is not the only pollutant.

Most want Electric propulsion to work, myself included. The sad fact is it just isn’t ready for primetime, but is getting closer. Current battery technology is too expensive and just doesn’t have enough capacity. Solar panels need to get a lot more efficient. If you need the Genset, why bother at all? When batteries have 10x current capacity, able to charge in 1 hour, and cost $100, they will have arrived and we won’t need sails.

Hi Bob, Thanks for commenting. Jimmy is certainly ahead of the times, and has succeeding I think already in getting people thinking and talking about zero carbon cruising. I wonder when battery prices go down such that installing electric motors is cheaper than diesels if catamarans will come standard with electric motors. Price is powerful motivator.

I really like propane as a cooking fuel. I had an experience one time on a delivery with an electric stove dependent on a diesel generator. Of course the generator broke some part in the middle of a two week passage. Avocado sandwiches for two weeks. No way to boil pasta even. All electric can be challenging, and propane is pretty simple, inexpensive, and reliable. It is a bit dangerous.

co2 is not a pollutant. Learn some biology.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Zero-carbon cruiser: Jimmy Cornell explains his electric multihull project

• Jimmy Cornell
• April 9, 2020

The future is electric, says cruising guru Jimmy Cornell. He’s building an electric catamaran for a circumnavigation without fossil fuels

In 2010 I sold my [Ovni 43] Aventura III and, as I was 70, I felt the time had come to call it quits. That didn’t last long though and, by 2013, with accelerating climate change increasingly making the news for those who were prepared to listen, I decided to get another boat, Aventura IV and attempt to transit the North West Passage.

Described by scientists as the ‘canary in the coalmine’ of global climate, whatever happens there eventually spreads to the rest of the world. I did manage to transit this once impenetrable waterway, now opening up due to the consequences of climate change. I also saw the effects of global warming on the local population.

With that mission accomplished, in 2017 I sold Aventura IV and that was it… But not for long, as three years later, with climate change surpassing the worst predictions, I decided to put retirement on hold for a bit longer and try something completely different. Such as sailing around the world on a fully electric boat along the route of the first circumnavigation 500 years previously.

Jimmy Cornell’s Garcia Exploration 45 Aventura IV in the North West Passage

Once again, the main reason for this decision was my profound concern for the state of the environment and especially that of the oceans. During my first world voyage between 1975 and 1981 I was fortunate to visit many places whose nature was still in the pristine state it had been since they were settled.

I’ve returned to many of those places in the intervening years and almost everywhere, from Tuvalu to Alaska, have been shocked to witness the destructive processes caused by the change in climatic conditions.

My concern for the state of the oceans has been strongly influenced by my own observations during 45 years of roaming the oceans of the world, as well as being regularly reconfirmed by my research into global weather conditions when updating my various books.

Article continues below…

How hybrid sailing yachts finally became a feasible option

Every sailor is familiar with the wet cough of the diesel engine, and the acrid smell of its exhaust. For…

Cruising guru Jimmy Cornell transits the North West Passage in Aventura IV

The North West Passage has been described as the Everest of sailing. Since Roald Amundsen’s successful transit in 1903-1906, a…

For anyone planning a longer voyage now, the worst changes that have occurred are the increase in the frequency of extra-seasonal cyclones, the tropical storm seasons themselves being less clearly defined, and areas of the world being affected by such storms where they’d never occurred before.

Changing patterns

In the South Pacific the cyclone season now lasts longer than in the past, in the Caribbean Sea a hurricane occurred in late November, and in the Coral Sea extra-seasonal cyclones have been recorded as late as June, July and even September. In the north-west Pacific both the frequency and the force of typhoons are on the increase, with some super-typhoons having gusts of 200 knots.

In recent years, typhoons have been recorded in that area in every month of the year, making attempts to define a safe season no longer reliable. The 500th anniversary of the first round-the-world voyage seemed the perfect opportunity to sail that same route in tune with current concerns to go green wherever possible. Here was a unique opportunity to do it in an electric boat with a zero carbon footprint.

Photo: Robin Christol

As I started my search for a suitable vessel, I found that there were several projects involved in the development of electric boats. In all cases they were based either on a hybrid solution (diesel engine or generator) or had at least a genset as a backup.

As to a boat capable of undertaking a longer voyage , even those described as an electric boat appeared to have had some kind of a backup. What follows is how I decided to conceive a sailing boat based exclusively on renewable sources of energy and with no fossil fuel for propulsion or electricity generation.

Choice of boat

The main reason for my choice of a catamaran is the fact that I want to be able to do the entire voyage under sail (and not by way of a circumnavigation in the Southern Ocean where wind is guaranteed) and in this case the regeneration of energy is essential.

There are four essential factors in an electric sailing boat, and they are all dictated by the need to be able to generate electricity not just by passive means (solar panels, wind and hydrogenerator) but also active sources: the movement of the boat under sail:

• A potentially fast boat under sail. This means a light displacement boat, whether monohull or multihull.
• A boat that has sufficient surface available to display solar panels, hence my choice of an Outremer performance cruising catamaran .
• A crew with the right attitude and mindset: capable and prepared to sail whenever there is wind and be patient to wait when there isn’
• Following from that – and this is perhaps the most important factor – to accept that we now live in a world and a time when we must be ready to change our ways, from what we eat, how we live, how we travel; and that certainly includes how we sail.

Selecting equipment

Oceanvolt’s ServoProp saildrive works as a method of both propulsion and hydrogeneration

Finnish company Oceanvolt has been working on electricity regeneration for the last 20 years and has produced an ingenious system based on its ServoProp variable pitch propeller. The ServoProp’s unique feature is the possibility to turn the propeller blades more than 180°. The software-controlled variable pitch saildrive adjusts the pitch of the propeller blades automatically so the power generation and power output are optimal.

Combined with uniquely designed blades this delivers optimal efficiency in forward, reverse and hydrogeneration. With the blades set to the neutral sailing position, the propeller creates extremely low drag similar to the drag of a feathering propeller. The ServoProp is capable of generating an estimated 1 kW at 6 to 8 knots. My catamaran EL.CA.NO. will also have a large amount of solar panels (1,500W).

With this potential level of electricity generation there is no need for a separate generator. Although the boatyard insists that I have a backup diesel generator, I have absolutely refused – not even a sealed unit to be used in a serious emergency as I am determined to prove that cruising with a zero carbon footprint is achievable, as is the possibility of a totally self-sufficient cruising boat. I shall even attempt to avoid using shore power at the stopovers en route.

I didn’t carry a generator on any of my previous boats and relied on the main engine, supplemented later by solar panels, wind and hydrogenerator; I tested such a system on my return from the North West Passage when the engine failed shortly after leaving Greenland .

We managed to sail some 2,500 miles to the UK relying primarily on a Sail-Gen hydrogenerator that covered all our requirements: autopilot, instruments, communications, electric winches and toilets, and arrived at Falmouth Marina with fully charged batteries.

As on my previous three boats B&G will supply all onboard electronics, including its well-tested Zeus system. Besides the standard offshore cruising configuration, B&G has agreed to my suggestion to use EL.CA.NO. as the test bed for possible solutions in such common emergencies as lightning strike , autopilot failure or power blackout.

Onboard electronics for Cornell’s boat will consist of B&G’s well tried Zeus products

These were the main concerns expressed by cruising sailors who took part in a recent survey among short-handed crews. We’ll be looking into protecting all electronics during an electric storm by making it possible to isolate the entire network, or producing a basic temporary navigation system powered by a separate battery bank to use in an emergency or if the main system has to be turned off.

The basic sail plan and rig of EL.CA.NO. are based on the Outremer 45, with some performance features borrowed from the Outremer 4X. Sailing such a complex route crossing several ocean regions from temperate to tropical, high to low latitudes, I have put much thought into the sail wardrobe. Besides the standard mainsail and a self-tacking Solent jib, I’ll have a code 0 and my favourite Parasailor spinnaker.

As we ended up with many modifications to those two models besides the electric propulsion system, this prototype will be marketed as a new model, the Outremer 4E. A later hybrid version, Outremer 4H, will incorporate a diesel generator.

Cornell is happy to fly a Parasailor spinnaker

In the short term I expect the latter may prove to be the more attractive version, so I have been also doing some research into the feasibility of making diesel gensets greener than they are at the moment.

This led me to Krone, a major industrial filter manufacturer in Bremen, Germany, which has perfected an exhaust filtering system for one of the German Customs’ patrol vessels. Krone’s chief engineer assured me that a more compact system based on a catalytic converter could be adapted to diesel generators used on pleasure craft.

However, this only solves half the environmental pollution caused by diesel fuel by neutralising the noxious particles, with carbon dioxide still being released into the water or atmosphere.

While this could be a start, soon it may not be enough as it won’t be long before fossil fuel powered vessels will be barred from marinas, marine parks, nature reserves, some rivers and lakes. Outremer is already preparing for this eventuality.

As to the historic dimension of my project, its aim is not only to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the first round-the-world voyage but also to put right a persistent wrong. The first circumnavigation continues to be attributed to the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan.

In fact, the Basque sailor Juan Sebastian Elcano should be credited with this achievement, as he sailed with Magellan from the start in 1519, took over the leadership of the expedition when Magellan was killed in the Philippines, and completed the voyage in 1522. Hence my Elcano Challenge and its aim to complete a circumnavigation by a fully electric boat called Elcano but spelt EL.CA.NO – ELectricity. CArbon. NO.

Cornell intends to circumnavigate following the same route as the Magellan expedition of 1519

Ambitious plan

This is an ambitious undertaking, but I’m prepared to take on the challenge and do my best to complete such a long voyage to show that the concept is viable for a cruising boat, and will certainly become the norm in the long term. This is a challenge not only for me but also for Grand Large Yachting, whose Outremer team are fully behind this project.

There are three critical areas along the 30,000-mile route and tackling them in the right way and at the right time is a challenging task. The most difficult is the 350-mile long Magellan Strait, where contrary westerly winds boosted by the narrow high-flanked gorge will put Outremer’s narrow hulls and daggerboards configuration to a tough test of her windward going capabilities.

Potentially even more dangerous are the violent unpredictable williwaws, katabatic winds that roll off the high-sided cliffs at 40 or more knots and drive the boat relentlessly onto the opposite lee shore. We survived such dire straits on Aventura III in that area and barely managed to keep off the beach with engine screaming at full power.

The Barreau/Neuman-designed Outremer 45 catamarans are built at La Grande Motte in the south of France. Photo: Morris Adnant

With 56kW of combined battery capacity, EL.CA.NO. will be able to motor for at least two hours at full power, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that we won’t be in such a situation. However, to be prepared for just such an eventuality, we’ll have two ready-to-be-deployed 25kg anchors (Rocna and Vulcan) with 25m of chain and 100m of line each to be thrown overboard and hopefully arrest any deathly drift.

Just as challenging will be dodging the simultaneous cyclone seasons on the two sides of the equator as we cross from the South to the North Pacific on the leg between Puka Puka, in the Tuamotus, to Guam.

With cyclones never crossing the equator or rarely coming close it, should we be threatened by such a cyclone or typhoon, we’ll do just that: keep as close to the Line and take whatever avoiding action that may be necessary.

Jimmy Cornell’s EL.CA.NO. will be the prototype on which the all-electric Outremer 4E will be based

Even 500 years since Magellan lost his life in the Philippines, the safety situation in that part of the world is still uncertain, especially around Mindanao in the southern part of the archipelago. So while I refused to have a backup diesel generator, I was less inclined to turn down the kind offer of the Spanish Navy to ask their naval contacts in the Philippines or Brunei to provide us with an escort vessel to see us through that ill-famed area.

As an official event of the quincentenary celebrations, the Elcano Project will thus be granted VIP treatment when it really matters. Much better than crossed fingers!

Crossing some rarely travelled ocean areas, I’ll be taking part in various scientific research projects. As I did from the North West Passage, I’ll be launching weather buoys and sending regular data to the World Meteorological Organisation.

Meanwhile an Ocean Pack device plumbed into the seawater inlet will be testing samples of water for temperature, acidity, presence of plastic particles, and then transmitting them via the boat’s satellite system to Geomar, an ocean research institute based in Kiel, Germany.

For many years I’ve been ending my long-distance cruising seminars telling the audience that the most beautiful moments in life are still to come. I am the living proof of that. EL.CA.NO. here we come. The future is indeed electric!

First published in the April 2020 edition of Yachting World.

• Nautic Shows
• America’s Cup
• Classic Yachts
• Motor Yachts
• Sailing Yachts
• Superyachts
• Yachts News
• Destinations
• Yacht Clubs
• Boat Racing
• Meta Yachts

After  the decision to postpone my round the world voyage and turn around in Tenerife , we sailed back to the Outremer boatyard in France to carry out some improvements primarily on the regeneration system. I considered this to be essential for the continuation of the voyage.

In early December I returned home to London where I was faced with a prolonged confinement in our apartment due to the coronavirus pandemic. I put this long period of inactivity to good use by updating and revising some of my books and holding online webinars. One day, while walking to an appointment, I suddenly felt dizzy, lost my balance and fell. My head hit the ground, but with my rugby past I didn’t think much of it, and returned home. Later that day, I didn’t feel well and was referred by our family doctor to the nearby Neurosurgery Hospital. I was diagnosed with having suffered a subdural brain haemorrhage. The procedure to drain the blood was successful and I am now fully recovered. But what would have happened if I had continued the voyage and this had occurred in some remote location or more likely on the high seas? Once again, as on many other occasions in my long and eventful life, good fortune had been on my side.

At a follow-up consultation, the neurosurgeon told me that I could return to a normal life and advised me to avoid any stress, whether mental or physical. I mentioned the fact that I had a yacht and was planning to leave on a round the world voyage. He expressed his concern that such an undertaking might be too ambitious and possibly risky. My family expressed the same feeling and asked me to reconsider my plans. In my entire life I have never given up on any of my projects, but I felt that the moment had come to be realistic and follow the consultant’s advice and my family’s wish. Reluctantly I decided to abandon my plans.

I never lose: either I win, or I learn.

Nelson Mandela’s words have been haunting me ever since I took the decision to put my plans on hold. One of the most important things I have learned in my many years of sailing is to resist the temptation to jump to a conclusion before examining all the existing facts. Aventura’s 3600 miles maiden voyage had put  Aventura Zero  and its concept to a rigorous test, and I am very pleased that we completed each of the offshore passages with zero carbon emissions. On the last leg from Tenerife to France I carefully monitored the systems, keeping a record of both the rate of regeneration and overall electricity consumption. On that ten-day nonstop passage all our electricity needs were covered by onboard regeneration. We left Tenerife with the battery bank at 95% capacity and arrived with 20%, with enough left in the batteries for an emergency. The 1540-mile passage was far from ideal, as we encountered the full range of weather conditions, from calms to two gales with sustained winds of over 40 knots. I can therefore state unequivocally that, based on that experience, the aim of zero carbon footprint on a sailing boat is certainly achievable.

During my absence, some essential improvements have already been implemented by Outremer. The most important was replacing the portside Gori folding propeller with an Oceanvolt ServoProp. There was already such a propeller on the starboard side, but the new one is the latest version and supposed to be more efficient in regeneration mode. Having two of those propellers has doubled the regeneration capacity. This was proved during a three-day offshore test sail carried out in May that showed that  Aventura Zero  should now be capable of covering all its electricity needs by regeneration.

Thanks to the Parasailor Aventura Zero is sailing at 6 knots in 7.8 knots of true wind.

But what earned the admiration of a committed monohull sailor such as myself was her performance in strong winds.

On  Aventura Zero’s  maiden voyage we had three instances of winds over 40 knots with gusts in the high forties, and on every occasion  Aventura Zero  behaved impeccably. I must admit that until then I had my concerns about a catamaran’s ability to cope with that kind of wind and sea conditions.

Having witnessed her impressive seaworthiness and stability, I felt absolutely secure and, I must admit, also relieved. This is, I know, a bold statement from a dyed-in-the-wool monohull sailor but I feel that I must say it, as I never imagined that a catamaran would be so stable and easily handled under the conditions we encountered. This is quite clear from this shot of our wake at 12 knots.

All that is now in the past because last week I was contacted by Outremer to inform me that they have a buyer who is interested in using  Aventura Zero  for his own environmental projects. Malcolm Wood is a passionate environmental film-maker who has been involved in a number of successful film projects such as  A Plastic Ocean , described by Sir David Attenborough as “the most important film of our time”. His latest film is  The Last Glaciers , which looks at the drastic changes taking place in the mountains due to a warming climate. Malcolm and his team have used paragliders to get previously unseen camera angles to deliver evidence of the climate crisis. Malcolm recently joined the UN Environment Programme, focusing on the effects of climate change, waste and biodiversity loss.

Malcolm and Jimmy

As to Nelson Mandela’s words of wisdom, I have learned a lot from this experience. The future is indeed electric!

• Aventura Zero
• Cornell Sailing
• Jimmy Cornell

RELATED ARTICLES

Maxi class to join the fun at 2024 orc world championship.

Subscribe to our newsletter

To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.

LATEST ARTICLES

Riccardo tosetto fourth in the global solo challenge, palmavela reaches 150 entries, unleashing potential: emirates team new zealand’s two-boat training session, nyyc american magic’s intensive training session amidst barcelona’s spring blues, editor picks, canadian beau lake introduces the tahoe ’14 and lugano ’14 electric runabouts, underwater adventure and exploration with deepflight’s super falcon 3s, driving performance on land and on water: 41′ amg carbon edition, popular posts, young designer of the year 2022: ioana valentina corcodel reveals 65m ophelia concept, mirabaud sailing video of the century: celebrating 2 decades of passion, superyacht the flying fox seized in the dominican republic, popular category.

• Regatta 811
• America's Cup 386
• Motor Yachts 263
• Boating 215
• Superyachts 183
• Sailing 178
• Yachts News 174
• Sailing Yachts 162

Jimmy Cornell’s Outremer 4 Zero

"My recent voyage on Aventura Zero has shown that having zero carbon emissions on offshore passages with the Oceanvolt regeneration system is possible. A fully autonomous electrical sailing yacht based on the Oceanvolt system will soon become reality, and I am very happy that my experience will have contributed to fulfilling that challenging objective." – Jimmy Cornell, 17.12.2020

Jimmy’s fifth boat,  Aventura Zero , is the prototype of the new Outremer 4Zero catamaran with zero carbon dioxide footprint at the heart of the concept. The new Outremer 4Zero prototype is based on a mixture of features taken from the Outremer 45 and 4X, but with several modifications. Many of the building features ensure that the result is a light boat, around 9 tons. The propulsion and regeneration is be provided by two electric saildrives rated at 15 kW each. To learn more about Aventura Zero go to the website or follow Jimmy on Facebook  & Instagram

Technology used in the electric Outremer 4Zero prototype catamaran:

• Boatbuilder: Outremer
• Installation year: 2020
• Electric motor system: 1 x Oceanvolt ServoProp 15 &  1 x Oceanvolt SD15
• Electric motor system nominal power: 2 x 15kW
• Electric motor system voltage: 48 V
• Batteries: 2 x 28kWh lithium-ion battery pack

Written by Anna

View all posts by: Anna

Related Posts

Comments are closed.

• Sponsorships
• Hydrogenerator

• Outremer 45
• Outremer 4X
• Outremer 4.zero
• Outremer 52
• Outremer 55
• Outremer 51
• Outremer 5X
• All the Outremer Fleet
• Personalized support
• Blue Water Sailing Seminars
• Our concept
• The Outremer team
• Our commitments
• Construction principles
• Our catamaran services
• After-sales customer service & Quality control
• Offshore Connected Catamaran Maintenance
• Concierge Services
• Our owners’ stories
• FAQ – Outremer catamarans

• Brokerage: used catamarans for sale
• Privacy Policy
• Legal Notice
• Grand Large Yatching

Prototype Outremer 4.zero in the hands of a new adventurer

Historically known as Jimmy Cornell’s Aventura Zero, the electric prototype 4.zero has just recently been acquired by another well-known adventurer, named Malcolm Wood. What do they have in common? The same ideology: to raise awareness about climate change and make eco-friendly electric sailing possible.

Malcolm is no stranger to sailing: he grew up racing 420s as a kid and skippering 50 foot yachts in his late teens. Also a passionate environmental filmmaker and social entrepreneur, Malcolm is involved in multiple production initiatives through environmental film and media. This includes the world renowned production “A Plastic Ocean” . Teaming up with several different individuals, Malcolm’s goal is to work on a set of environmental films that will be released over the next few years to highlight the global issues we are facing as well as the solutions. His latest film “The Last Glaciers” tackles humanity’s greatest challenge, climate change, and was supported by some of the most highly respected scientific institutions globally, including NASA, MIT, INAIGEM, ICIMOD, Arctic Basecamp, GLACIOCLIM, Oxford University, and Climate Outreach. He has been recognised for his work in sustainability and has been selected as an ambassador for Climate Change by the United Nations as the first paraglider, speedflyer, and filmmaker to join UN Environment’s campaigns. He also founded Meru Projects, a foundation and green fund created to support charities, NGOs and research around technologies that will create a better and greener environment for children with a focus on environmental education.

His next challenge is to pioneer zero emissions sailing by testing the prototype “4.zero” renamed Meru. Integrated with a full electric engine and system, it can be used without zero CO2 emissions. Designed for best in class long distance performance sailing, its ability to produce energy regeneratively through the propellers, wind and sun when the boat is sailing, gives it autonomy without limits. This innovation created for the preservation of the environment allows the sailor to navigate around the world while reconnecting with nature in its truest form. 

Malcolm will be making a series of videos showcasing his learning process and the path that we can all take to traveling in this new way! Stay tuned to follow his adventures.

Continue navigation

Outremer 52 awarded European Yacht Of The Year 2024

The European Yacht of the Year ceremony has come and gone, and it was with great pleasure that the Outremer team received the European Yacht Of The Year 2024 award in the Multihull category for its latest model, the Outremer 52.

Cannes Yachting Festival 2023

Just nominated for the European Yacht of the Year award, 2024 Edition, for which it is heading to Barcelona in a few days to complete sea trials, the Outremer 52 was undoubtedly the star of the show this year, gaining more and more attention as the first 4 models are now out and about.

• Asia-Pacific
• Middle-East and Africa

Eighty-year-old sailor and journalist Jimmy Cornell has begun his quest to circumnavigate the globe in nine months in an electric boat.

The Romanian-born British yachtsman set off from Seville in Spain on November 19 to mark the 500th anniversary of the Earth's first circumnavigation by explorer Ferdinand Magellan and sailor Juan Sebastian Elcano. 

Cornell's Aventura Zero catamaran is powered by energy-generating blades and solar panels.

CLICK: THE MOVEMENT HOPING TO REDUCE OUR PURCHASE IMPULSES FOR THE GOOD OF THE PLANET

"The boat creates no emissions and allows us to heat water, make bread, and cook," he said.

The journey is around 32,000 miles in total and Cornell will arrive at the Port of San Julian, off the South of Patagonia in August 2021.

Video editor: David Bamford.

• Documentary

Copyright © 2020 CGTN. Beijing ICP prepared NO.16065310-3

• Terms of use
• Privacy policy

• AI Generator

SPAIN-HISTORY-ADVENTURE-SAILING

• Standard editorial rights
• Custom rights
• Andalusia ,
• Anniversary ,
• Aquatic Sport ,
• Catamaran ,
• Circumnavigation ,
• Exploration ,
• Ferdinand Magellan ,
• Portuguese Culture ,

Aventura 37

• Description
• Visite virtuelle

Aventura Yachts has once again entrusted Lasta Design with the design of an exceptional unit: the Aventura 37 Sail.

The result lives up to its ambitions: pure lines and treatment of the interior and exterior spaces unequalled on the market.

The Aventura 37 is distinguished by an elegant and dynamic silhouette, unique in the sub-12 meter catamaran market: the roof has a double seat at the helm, close to the sundeck for perfect conviviality, and the manoeuvring station is located as close as possible to the sail plan, allowing excellent control of the sails for performance. The outside saloon is incredible with its comfortable seating ideally arranged around a table that can accommodate up to 8 guests; with its staircase allowing direct access to the roof, its sunbathing/relaxation area, its vast storage spaces and its integrated plancha, it has nothing to envy to the biggest! Inside, the layout and ergonomics have been exceptionally well thought out by designer Samer LASTA, resulting in a comfortable saloon for 5 to 6 guests, a complete galley with a 285l fridge/freezer, an oven, a microwave, a dishwasher and finally, a navigation area integrating the EmpirBus electrical management system.

The Aventura 37 is standard in a 3-cabin version, including an owner’s suite with an office area, an actual dressing room and a bathroom with a separate shower. Available in a 4 cabins charter version with 2 or 4 bathrooms, the Aventura 37 meets all demands…

For Aventura, a sailing catamaran should “go the distance” with a very favourable weight/sail ratio and carefully worked hull lines; the Aventura 37 remains fast at all speeds.  “An absolute pleasure at sea…

Technical specifications

• Overall length : 10.9m
• Overall beam : 5.94m
• Engine(s): 2×20 hp
• Naval architecture and design : Lasta Design Studio
• Overall length: 10.90m
• Overall beam: 5.94m
• Minimum draft: 1.20m
• Max air draft (including VHF): 20m
• Light displacement: 7.9 T
• Upwind sail area: 94 m2
• Mainsail area: 58 m2
• Genoa area: 36 m2
• Optional Gennaker area: 60 m2
• Optional Asymmetrical Spinnaker area: 85 m2
• Optional Symmetrical Spinnaker area: 90 m2
• Fresh water volume: 2×250 L
• Diesel volume: 2×250 L
• Minimum holding tank volume: 80L
• 12V Refrigerator / Freezer volume: 200L / 75L
• Standard configuration: 3 double cabins / 2 bathrooms.
• Optional configuration: 3 cabins / 3 bathrooms, 4 cabins / 2 bathrooms.
• Engine: 2×20 / 2×30 hp
• Certification and design category: CE A8 B12 C16 D20