From Finland to Ibiza aboard a solar yacht built with his own hands

Good weather has already settled in the Balearic Islands, and the Mediterranean is preparing for a new season of intense activity. And if there is one island where everyone tends to stop over in summer, that is Ibiza.

Year after year, the Pitiusan island becomes one of the most sought-after destinations in the Mediterranean. Footballers, singers, businesspeople, Hollywood actors and visitors from all corners of the world choose Ibiza for their holidays, drawn by its beaches, leisure offerings, landscapes, and that unique atmosphere that has made it an international benchmark.

With the arrival of peak season, the airport receives hundreds of travellers every day, and the ports begin to fill with vessels arriving from all across the Mediterranean. Large yachts, classic sailing boats, luxury catamarans, and even self-built vessels find their final destination on the island to enjoy the summer.

Because yes, everyone wants to be in Ibiza. In any way possible. Even after sailing more than 5,700 kilometres aboard a solar-powered boat built with his own hands.

That is how Lukas Sjöman, Finnish inventor and content creator, arrived at Marina Ibiza after completing an extraordinary European voyage aboard the “Helios 11”, a small yacht powered exclusively by solar energy, which he designed and built from scratch himself.

What for many would have been just an idea became a project of nearly two hundred days of work. Armed with plywood, fibreglass, and a huge dose of patience, Sjöman shaped a vessel designed to demonstrate that another way of sailing is possible: no fuel, no traditional engines, no emissions, only the sun as an energy source.

Once construction was completed, an adventure began that would take him across much of Europe by sea, rivers, and inland canals. His route allowed him to pass through countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and France, linking river systems and navigating some of the continent’s most important waterways until finally reaching the Mediterranean.

Kilometre after kilometre, the “Helios 11” advanced powered by energy captured through its solar panels, turning each day of navigation into a practical demonstration of the potential of renewable energy applied to maritime transport.

But Lukas Sjöman’s adventure does not end with his arrival in Ibiza. The Finnish inventor has turned the entire experience accumulated during the design, construction, and navigation of the Helios 11 into a dissemination project through his social media and website. Through it, he sells technical documentation, plans, and manuals so that anyone interested can build their own solar vessel. In addition, he offers personalised consulting sessions in which he supports other sailors, builders, and innovators in the design and development of their own sustainable navigation projects.