Man who built $20,724 solar-powered yacht that can run forever reaches his last stop before the next big challenge begins
Published on Aug 12, 2026 at 7:58 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Aug 12, 2026 at 7:58 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
A man who built a $20,724 solar-powered yacht that can run forever has reached the last stop before his next big challenge.
YouTuber True North Yachts has been sailing across the ocean aboard his yacht, the Helios 11, a lightweight, solar-powered yacht.
Incredibly, he had sailed it over 3,500 nautical miles from Finland to reach Gibraltar, via European canals and mainland Spain.
However, there is an even bigger challenge now awaiting the YouTuber, which is a brand new, more luxurious and much bigger vessel.
The solar-powered yacht successfully reached Gibraltar from Finland
In the opening of the video, the yacht had reached Gibraltar after quite a crossing through European canals.
The final step of this recent journey was 40 nautical miles from Marbella to Gibraltar.
A challenge was docking the yacht in a protected anchorage, something the YouTuber was able to do in Gibraltar.
“We have calm nights even though the boat is so light, too light to be honest,” said the YouTuber.
The YouTuber had to find different places to dock overnight before arriving in Gibraltar due to how light the yacht is.
One interesting thing noted by the YouTuber was how the cooler Atlantic air saved him from needing air-conditioning on the boat.
“The Atlantic waters are now so much cooler that at night I can actually use a blanket!” said the YouTuber.
What is next for the solar-powered yacht?
With this leg of the journey completed, the YouTuber was also preparing for the next challenge.
The boat was set to travel from Gibraltar to Portugal, and he was targeting 15 nautical miles a day.
That involved finding protected anchorages for the boat and testing the yacht out in Atlantic waters.
“On the Atlantic coastline, I will make a seaworthy assessment in moderate weather,” he said in the video.
This is all about taking lessons from this boat and applying them to the next boat.
That is because the next challenge for the YouTuber is a bigger, heavier, and more comfortable solar-powered yacht.
A new boat, the Powercat, is under construction as True North Yachts makes its way across Europe in the current design.
The YouTuber’s new solar-powered yacht build
The next build is a 16-metre Powercat that has already been started in Sweden.
This will be a bigger, heavier, and faster yacht, again utilizing solar power but on a much bigger scale compared to this version.
Much of the money saved on air-conditioning has gone into the next solar-powered yacht.
True North Yachts is adding air-conditioning to this next vessel, along with Cork insulation.
That should keep it warm when it’s cold, and nice and cool when the weather is hotter outside.
The plans showed that the yacht will have a sauna, shower, private room, grand bedroom, smaller bedroom, and a full kitchen too.
The extra surface area compared to the other yacht means it can accommodate all these extra features.
It will be fascinating to see how the larger yacht performs when it hits the ocean.
Solar power timeline
1839: Edmond Becquerel observes the photovoltaic effect, discovering that light can be converted into electricity
1873: Willoughby Smith discovers the photoconductivity of selenium, taking a vital step toward modern photovoltaics
1883: Charles Fritts creates the first working photovoltaic cell by coating selenium with a thin layer of gold
1954: Bell Labs invents the first practical silicon cell, proving the technology could generate useful amounts of electricity
1958: The Vanguard 1 satellite is launched into orbit, becoming the first spacecraft to utilize sun-derived energy
1973: The University of Delaware builds ‘Solar One’, an experimental house fully powered by the sun’s rays
1982: The first megawatt-scale photovoltaic facility begins operating and feeding electricity into the grid in California
2022: Global installed capacity of this renewable resource officially surpasses one terawatt worldwide
Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
