Meet the Team
When Lyall and Katie met while sailing in Saint Lucia, after the ARC in 2011, it was love at first sight. They have been busy pursuing their passions for solar energy and sailing while raising their two daughters on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Whilst chartering in Tahiti in the Spring of 2018 we were having to run the engine for up to 4hrs a day to keep the batteries topped up to run the fans, refrigeration, lights etc. Being sat in a beautiful, sunny anchorage listening to a noisy engine didn't make any sense - it really does ruin the experience. Why didn't our boat have clean & quiet solar panels aboard? So we decided there had to be a better way, we wanted to help other boat owners go solar and 6 months later launched Sun Powered Yachts at the Annapolis Boat Show 2018.
"You can't underestimate the importance of running a quiet boat"
We initially focused on the solar panels but soon realized that boat owners were looking for the complete package to get up and running. We now offer all the system components from solar panels to batteries, our bundles are very popular and we can also put together custom quotes.
More recently we completed a 5-year ownership program through Dream Yacht Charter and sailed our Dufour 382 'Blake' in the ARC 2021 (160 boats sailed across the Atlantic from Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia) and spent a full year aboard in 2022 sailing the Caribbean. We spent a good amount of time in Mexico and Belize before sailing to Key West and spent summer 2023 cruising in the Abacos & Eleuthra (Bahamas). Blake is currently hauled out in Freeport, Grand Bahama and we have returned to land life in Hawaii.
Katie and Lyall Burgess
Co-Founders
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Lyall is from England and has travelled to 50 countries backpacking and sailing. With a background in Hospitality and Event Management he found sailing in 2004, has logged over 60,000 miles and qualified as an RYA Yachtmaster Ocean.
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Katie is from Maine and has been working in the solar industry in Hawaii for over 15 years, most recently for Powur. Her knowledge of solar products and system design will be an asset to your yacht's system.
Annapolis 2023
New Orleans WorkBoat Show 2022
Annapolis 2023
Sarah Steinbrecher
Head of Order Fulfillment
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Sarah is from San Francisco Bay and is an all around water woman having sailed in the Pacific, New England, and Hawaii. She has a background in logistics and helping grow businesses. Please reach out to her with any of your order questions.
Sarah
Sarah
Sarah
Love sailing & solar? Want to join our team? Send us an email to info@sunpoweredyachts.com
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Podcasts
Want to learn more about us? Have a listen to some of the podcasts we have been on:
'Out The Gate' podcast | Episode #10
'Good Jibes' podcast | Episode #8
'On The Wind' podcast | Episode #381
Boat shows 2024
We love boatshows and the #boothlife that comes with it for a hectic long weekend! It's a great time to meet with partners, influencers and sailing YouTube channels that have all gone solar with SunPower or Maxeon solar panels. Read our most recent boatshow news post
It's a fantastic opportunity for us to highlight in person the benefits of going solar & identify what sets SunPower & Maxeon solar panels apart. We have details on the full range of SunPower and Maxeon flexible & fixed frame solar panels aswell as all the other system components to get you up and running. Our tentative schedule for 2024 includes:
Electric & Hybrid Marine Show - March 13th & 14th, California
Palm Beach Boat Show - March 21st-24th, Florida
Annapolis Sail Boatshow - October 10th-14th, Maryland
Who we follow
The more time that we get to spend in the marine industry you come to realize that it's one big family! It's great to have met, and come to know over the years, so many people that enjoy their time in and around sailing. We would like to highlight some of the awesome people and the services they bring to the sailing world, get in touch with them & ask questions - we all started somewhere and love to answer questions :)
