WhisperPower has been selected to supply the on-board power generation for the new fleet of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. Twelve new ocean-going racing yachts — the next-generation Clipper RX — are nearing completion at the yard, and each will carry the WhisperPower Piccolo 6 at the heart of its electrical system. The Clipper Race is one of the toughest endurance challenges on the planet: a full circumnavigation of roughly 40,000 nautical miles across five oceans and six continents, sailed by crews who live and work on board for weeks at a time. Powering a fleet like this calls for a generator that is compact, efficient, quiet and, above all, dependable in the most demanding offshore conditions.
Compact, light and efficient by design
The Piccolo 6 is built around WhisperPower’s AC-Genverter® technology, which combines a compact permanent-magnet generator (PMG) with advanced power electronics instead of a conventional fixed-speed alternator. That makes it considerably smaller and lighter than a traditional genset while still delivering clean, stable power. On a racing yacht every kilo counts, and generator weight is essentially payload that does not make the boat go faster. At roughly 530 × 500 × 545 mm and around 113 kg, the Piccolo 6 delivers 6 kVA / 6 kW from a remarkably small footprint — a meaningful advantage when it is repeated across twelve identical yachts. Efficiency also comes from the way it runs: rather than turning at the fixed 1,500/1,800 rpm of a conventional marine genset, the Piccolo 6 operates at a variable, adjustable engine speed of 2,400–3,000 rpm, so it can follow the yacht’s highly variable electrical demand — from light navigation and communication loads to heavy battery charging, water-makers and pumps. Running closer to the actual load means better fuel efficiency and fewer wasted engine hours on a crossing that lasts weeks.
Quiet, clean power for the crew and its electronics
Comfort and endurance are not luxuries on a race like this. With approximately 51 dB(A) at 7 metres and 60 dB(A) at 1 metre in an enclosed, vibration-isolated installation, the Piccolo 6 keeps noise and vibration low, helping to reduce crew fatigue on a route that crosses the world’s most demanding waters, including the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific. On a voyage measured in weeks rather than hours, that is an operational advantage as much as a question of comfort. Modern racing yachts also depend on sensitive electronic systems — navigation, communication, instrumentation and battery chargers — and here the Piccolo 6’s PMG/inverter architecture makes the difference. It delivers high power quality, with frequency accuracy of ±0.1% and total harmonic distortion below 3%, effectively decoupling the quality of the electrical output from the mechanical speed of the diesel engine so the fleet’s electronics are fed by a stable, reliable source.
Built for a fleet — and a powerful reference
Standardisation is a decisive advantage for a series-built fleet. With twelve identical Clipper RX yachts carrying the same power system, the Clipper organisation benefits from shared spare parts, common maintenance and diagnostic procedures, uniform crew training and a single supplier relationship, plus the ability to move components between boats anywhere in the world. The Piccolo is supplied as a complete marine solution, including the fittings, hoses, cabling and starter-battery connections needed for installation, with indirect water cooling and a Stage V-certified engine. As a dedicated marine power specialist rather than a general industrial manufacturer adapting a land-based product, WhisperPower designs for exactly this environment: limited machinery space, seawater cooling, exhaust and acoustic isolation, marine electrical standards and global serviceability. For WhisperPower, the selection is a powerful endorsement — twelve brand-new ocean racers, sailing roughly 40,000 nautical miles across five oceans on the same Piccolo 6 system, is a compelling demonstration that the company can deliver a compact, efficient and reliable complete power-generation solution for the most demanding professional offshore applications, where weight, space, noise and reliability all matter.