I have a 2003 hylas 46 (hull #50). Im considering sailing from USA east cost to Portugal in May 2027 with the ARC group and sailing the Mer for a couple of years. My vessel wiring/hardware is set up to be compatible with USA AC shore power input of 120v 60 Hz. What do I need to do to enable my vessel to accept European shore power which is 230 v 50 Hz. I have read that the victron quatro inverter/transformer will step 230 v down to 120 v (and vice versa) but the cycle doesnt change (ie what goes in comes out). How have other trans atlantic sailors managed this issue?
Sincerely
Pete L (la charrette).
I’m not a transatlantic sailor (or a sailor at all) but depending on your power needs and long-term plans, what many single-voltage vessels do when planning an excursion to lands of a different local voltage is just install a world-voltage charger or two, and let the charger(s) keep their battery bank full at dock while they leave the inverter/charger disconnected from shore power entirely and let it continue inverting at the vessel voltage and frequency.
Victron has the Phoenix Smart IP43 line of chargers that are world-voltage input (they have others as well, depending on your battery bank chemistry and nominal voltage) and Sterling Power also has the ProCharge Ultra line of world-voltage chargers that are often used for this kind of scenario.