Navigating the Waters with When Sailing

Greta and Michael are explorers at heart and environmental advocates first. The duo behind When Sailing has covered 11,376 miles since April 2019 and shows no signs of stopping. Always ready to educate their audience about sustainability and reducing your environmental emissions, our company’s mission strongly aligns with theirs. The team at Battle Born Batteries appreciates what Greta and Michael do as they spread the word about how our LiFePO4 technology can help you get out there and stay out there.

As world travelers, Michael and Greta try to raise awareness of climate change and reduce their carbon footprint when traveling. They have spent the past 2 years climbing volcanoes, sailing with dolphins, and telling the stories of people they meet along the Mediterranean. In November, they crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 23 days to raise awareness of climate change and ocean pollution.

“We always liked to travel, and that’s also how we met,” said Michael. “We started out visiting Europe and close to it, and then after the first 2 years we decided to travel more sustainably.”

“Throughout our travels, we saw the problems that are out there because of the sustainability issues that we currently have,” said Greta. “So, we wanted to make sure the way we kept traveling was a lot more sustainable. We decided to shift our lives and find a way to travel while working and were lucky that we found a great boat so quickly.”

Michael had recently gotten his sailing license so they decided to look at sailboats for home and transportation. Navigating only on wind power allows them to travel to places they’d like to visit, and is more eco-friendly than traveling in an RV.

“As much fun and liberating sailing might be, everyone who has ever stepped on a sailboat knows that at the end of the day, you’re happy to let the anchor drop and pop open that cold beer,” said Greta.

Before the install, the crew members joked that neither had experience with lithium aside from the batteries in their phones! Two nearly dead lead-acid batteries were all that powered their vessel.

“It was really painful with a system like that because every morning the batteries were empty because the fridge depleting it,” said Michael. “It also is very hot where we are, so during the day we had to really ration our usage. We had to charge maybe one laptop at a time once a day and plan out when we work or edit videos.”

To make matters worse, when storms came in, they would be out of a charge – so checking the weather forecast for wind and storm predictions became all too common for Greta and Michael. It was even a challenge to properly power the water maker and navigation instruments like chart plotters.

“It’s pretty awesome to be able to use it all and not have to ration our power,” said Greta. They joke about if they’ll ever see land again now that they’ve got our LiFePO4 technology aboard.

Here’s what powers their all-electric sailboat nicknamed “For Tuna,” a 2003 Beneteau Oceanis 393 Clipper:

-7 BB10012 Battle Born Batteries

-1 Victron Multiplus 3000W 12V 230V Inverter/charger

-1 Victron VE Bus Smart Dongle

-1 400 ANL Fuse kit

-1 BMV-712

-1 Sterling Alternator Protection Device 12V

-1 Victron 100/50 MPPT SmartSolar Charge Controller

If you’re looking for a comparable bundle for a system like Michael and Greta’s, check out our Battle Born Energy 800Ah 12V kit for sailboats here. Our batteries come with a waterproof seal and are designed to handle vibrations, so they’re ready for powering adventures on smooth sailing or stormy seas.

Their upgrade went seamlessly thanks to the assistance of a local installer. Check out their video as they can now charge two laptops, a hairdryer at high heat, the water heater at full power, and more onboard amenities. They’re excited to share how their fridge stays cold all night long,  something that was impossible with their old lead-acid system. Now that they have the necessities taken care of, Michael and Greta are looking to swap out their induction cooktop and get rid of the propane tanks and the fire hazards that come with them.

“Without these batteries, we could not go anywhere, and they changed our life completely,” Michael said in a recent video highlighting their lithium, solar, and wind generator setups. “Lithium has a lot of advantages and advancements made in the past few years, so they’re an amazing option for sailors here. Not only can we discharge them completely and recharge them, and use all the scope of energy in there, but they’re also way lighter and maintenance free!”

As for future projects, Michael and Greta are still exploring the area of Curacao and plan to continue north. They also would like to slowly move into educating people about sustainable tourism and how everyone can travel mindfully. While they understand that everyone doesn’t have the opportunity to travel or live on a boat, people can make small changes about where they dine or stay when on the road.

They also want to encourage people to take a step-by-step approach to sustainable, environmentally conscious living. Even simple swaps like buying personal care products not packaged in excessive amounts of plastic are small, but great ways to start.

“If everyone works to make these little changes then we can reach that goal of living a more sustainable life,” said Greta. “It’s not a race, so small things will really add up over time.”

Check out When Sailing on their YouTube channel, blog, and Instagram!