Most cruising sailors want the DREAM. You know: snipping ties to the work-a-day hustle bustle, hopping aboard a floating work of art, hoisting the sails and letting a fresh breeze carry them where it may (Preferably with a well-mixed rum drink, but that's another story).

It's no secret that one of the most alluring aspects of the dream is the seeming simplicity and purity of it all. What could be more pure, after all, than tapping into wind (an original clean energy source if ever there was one) and skimming along the remotest corners of the Earth, communing with dolphin, whales and turtles, along with communities of native people who don't use email, cell phones or neckties.

Those of us who're lucky enough to have spent time gunkholing some of the nooks and crannies of the world know that as pure as sailing can be, there are still a few dirty little kinks most of us would love to see worked out.

Most notably, while sailing yachts spend most of their lives interacting with wind, sun and water, their main sources of energy for close-quarters manuvering and on-board power remain stinky, noisy diesel engines. Sure, cruising yachts typically sport wind generators and increasing numbers utilize some form of solar panels to top off the house batteries, but almost all rely on diesel engines for propulsion and as a primary method for charging the batteries when away from shore power.

Perhaps that's starting to change. The new Lagoon 420 cruising catamaran boast it is "the first production recreational sailing yacht to be built with electric engines as standard."

The yacht features two 8 kw electric motors and an 11KVA/220V or 13.5KVA/110V generator, which will allow it to run in pure electric mode for approximately two hours – more than enough for maneuvering two and from most harbors and anchorages to places where it's safe and practical to use the sails. While it's under sail, then, the motion of the hull moving through water spins the propellers and automatically recharges the batteries. When the batteries drop to 80% charge, the diesel generator kicks in to keep them topped off enough to keep the electric motors turning.

In short, this system is something I've been sitting at anchor and dreaming about for years: it's clean, quiet, it should increase the distance a boat like this can travel before a trip to the filling dock, and it allows the boats to include things like air conditioning and 120-volt outlets, for the truly spoiled. One thing puzzles me, though: Why not add wind and solar generators to the mix, adding more alternative ways to charge the batteries before resorting to the diesel generator? My guess is that it'd be easy enough for individual owners to add those kinds of upgrades, but it'd be too expensive to offer them as standard.

Another new catamaran, the Alibi 47, also features a diesel-electric hybrid system, along with "hemp and natural fibers to reinforce traditional composite materials whenever possible" in an effort to use environmentally-friendly, renewable and natural materials in the construction of the impressive-looking yacht. While this certainly sounds promising, the Alibi 47 appears to be in the design stage at this point, with the first hull slated for May of 2007.

For all this good news, it appears the move to hybrid diesel-electric sailboat motors is far from a no-brainer. Peter Johnstone, the brains behind Gunboat Catamarans, which are arguably the most advanced, luxurious and all-around kick-ass performance cruising cats on the sea today, had this to say about 'em on the Sailing Anarchy message boards:

"My Gunboat 48 was originally designed for diesel electric. After six months and more research investment than I would care to admit, we decided on conventional diesels. None of the suppliers of the diesel electric systems can give you reliable shaft HP figures, or continuous duty power ratings. None have gone around the world. All of our systems have to be absolutely reliable. The diesel electrics are a long way from proving they are worthy."

Johnstone continued:

"Our research indicated diesel electric would be:

1) more expensive 2) 20+% less efficient 3) either weigh more or have shorter range

With this sort of summary, (I'm) not sure why anyone would choose to be guinea pig on behalf of these suppliers."

So it appears for now, this solution will work best in day sailing or charter boat applications where help is never far away and where the majority of engine use consists of maneuvering to and from an anchorage or dock. But it is a step in the right direction.

Oh – and one more thing: Do you think it's a coincidence that the Lagoon 420 – the first eco-friendly yacht – is named the "420"? A subtle wink to successful DeadHeads who'll no doubt be first in line to skipper one for themselves, I imagine?