Watt & Sea

Watt & Sea: Cutting-Edge Marine Hydrogenerators for Sustainable Sailing

Watt & Sea is a French company that designs marine hydrogenerators. The founders are Yannick Bestaven, an experienced skipper, and engineer Matthieu Michou. They launched the first prototype in 2008 during preparations for the Vendée Globe. The company was officially founded in August 2009 in La Rochelle, France.

Watt & Sea build lightweight, brushless, retractable hydrogenerators that produce electricity from boat speed. The products began with racing versions and evolved into cruising models like the Cruising 300 and Cruising 600. Their hydrogenerators produce power starting as low as 3 knots and reach 500–600 W around 8 knots.

Watt & Sea gear was used by 95 percent of Vendée Globe racers in 2016. The Volvo Ocean Race fleet was equipped with their units in 2017.

The company won several awards, including the 2010 Bateau Bleu label, 2011 DAME Design Award, 2012 Segeln Award, 2013 Pittman Innovation Award, and the 2016 French High Technology Prize.

Watt & Sea’s mission is to reduce diesel dependence on cruising and racing yachts by delivering reliable renewable energy at sea. Their hydrogenerators are praised for low drag, quiet operation, durability, and MPPT regulation with Bluetooth monitoring. They also expanded into aerogenerators for racing trimarans and developed the POD 600 unit that mounts under the hull.

For more information about other energy souces, please read our article on alternative energies onboard.