Upgrades to the Charter Fleet for 2023 Every winter our engineering team are busy in the boat yard, ensuring the charter fleet is maintained to the highest possible standards. Upgrades to the yachts each year are a key part of our commitment to run the best charter fleet in the Ionian, and 2023 is no exception. Solar gantries, new sails and air conditioning are all regular additions during winter, but this year we are most excited about the advent of Lithium batteries. Lithium batteries are being introduced and will replace our existing AGM batteries. They offer a raft of advantages: AGM batteries can only be discharged to 50% without damaging the battery. For Lithium that figure is closer to 90% giving far more power in a single charge. Lithium also has a cycle life 10 times greater than AGM and will perform optimally for 2 to 3 times as long as an AGM battery. Lithium batteries weigh around 20% of AGMs for an equivalent usable capacity, they also take up around half the physical space. A completely flat Lithium battery only takes around 3 hours to recharge to 100% vs. 12-24 hours for the equivalent AGM - a huge advantage for sailors. Here's a full list of the upgrades by yacht for the 2023 season: Calm Souch – Lithium batteries Calypso – Brand New Main Sail Clorinda 2 – New Main Sail 2023, New Electronics 2022, New Upholstery 2023 Frank - Lithium batteries Indiana – New solar gantry Karin – Solar gantry and Lithium batteries Katja – Lithium batteries Lucky Styx – 2 x A/C units added in front and aft cabins Plan B - New Genoa, New Main Off Piste – Solar gantry & Lithium batteries, New Bigger Inverter 2Kw Scugnizzo – Lithium batteries Sea Spray – Solar gantry & Lithium batteries Wyvern – Lithium batteries This post was written by Tom Fletcher