From Prototype to Pioneering: Sebastian’s Journey with HopYacht’s First All-Electric Catamaran

When we started HopYacht in 2021, our objective was to create a way for couples (or families with small children) to make life onboard really easy, blending simplicity, sustainability, and pure enjoyment on the water, with comfort as a top priority. 

The very first HopYacht built found the perfect owner in Sebastian Kummer. From day one, Sebastian believed in the HopYacht concept and took a leap of faith in purchasing our prototype, aptly named “Hop”,

Over the past three months, he and his wife have been sailing in the Ionian Sea and, in doing so, have helped shape what e-sailing truly means.

Without any prompting from us, Sebastian generously recorded his journey, in a series of thoughtful videos. 

This latest video describes how he learned to optimise power settings while motoring and discovering the sweet spot in combining sail power with minimal input from the twin electric motors. Traditionally this is referred to as “motor sailing” — however Sebastian has fittingly adopted the term “e-sailing” to describe his eco-friendly approach.

In 2023, Sebastian joined HopYacht co-founder Paul Tomes for part of the delivery voyage of ‘Hop' from Athens to Preveza, via the Corinth Canal. Together, they recorded daily conditions, tracked battery consumption and range, and experimented with subtle use of the motors to extend sailing performance, range and ultimately freedom. You can watch the video Paul created on this trip at this link https://youtu.be/z2aIQwH8k_Q

Like any prototype, “Hop” had its fair share of first-build challenges. But with Sebastian’s collaborative spirit, patience, and feedback, we were able to refine and optimise the yacht, ensuring it set the tone for all future HopYachts. His open-minded approach made him the ideal pioneer!

Taking an extended summer break, Sebastian and his wife have explored much of the Ionian Islands, documenting their adventures on his YouTube channel. Having previously purchased a Lagoon 42 (which Sebastian sailed from France to Turkey during covid) he knows the joys and demands of sailing life. For their next chapter, they want to return to sailing with family and friends in their Lagoon still based in Turkey and have made the difficult decision to pass “Hop” on to a new owner — one who will continue her story in the Ionian.

We owe Sebastian a huge vote of thanks for his trust, support, and enthusiasm in being the very first HopYacht owner. You can watch an edited version of Sebastian’s latest video below and hear his perspective of life aboard an all-electric HopYacht. 

Sebastian's Youtube channel can be found at this link. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sebastian+kummer