Starlink at sea: which plan actually works for your yacht?

The news first

Advice written last season may already be wrong.

The hardware is the easy part. The plan, mounting position, power supply and backup systems decide whether Starlink will actually be useful on the yacht.

Starlink stopped offering Global Roam to new customers on 15 July 2026 and discontinued it for existing customers on 17 August 2026. Its replacement recommendation for international travel is Global Priority. That matters because many older yacht articles still treat “Global Roam” as the simple answer.

The current rules also draw a clear line between coastal and ocean use. Roam Unlimited is described for coastal waters up to 12 nautical miles, with limits on how long it can be used there. Beyond that—or after those allowances are used—the account needs Ocean Mode or a Global Priority plan.

Check the current plan before you buy or sail. Starlink plans, prices and offshore allowances vary by country and account. Sign in, enter the address where the service will be registered, and confirm exactly how far offshore the plan works and what any additional ocean data will cost.

Choose by use

Three sailing patterns, three sensible starting points.

Hardware

Permanent installation or a terminal you can put away?

Starlink currently lists Performance, Performance Gen 2, Standard and Mini terminals as approved for use while moving. But they are built for different jobs: their weather resistance, power demand, mounting arrangements and suitability for regular offshore use are not the same.

Yes, the electrical load matters. Published averages are 20–40 W for Mini, 75–100 W for Standard and 110–150 W for Performance. Over a 12-hour night, that is roughly 20–40 Ah, 75–100 Ah or 110–150 Ah respectively from a 12 V battery bank, before router and conversion losses. A small yacht may therefore need to schedule use rather than leave the system running continuously.

Avoid an actuated dish while under way. On these models, the Starlink dish sits on its own motorised support stem. Starlink does not recommend using them while the yacht is moving because the terminal's support can move unexpectedly and create a safety risk.

Mounting

The best position is the clearest practical view of the sky.

The terminal needs a wide view overhead. A mast, furled sail, boom, arch, radar or the yacht’s own heel can interrupt that view. The ideal drawing-board position is not always the place that survives salt water, sheets, feet and maintenance.

The connector often controls the cable route. Current kits use moulded, weather-sealed locking plugs rather than a small bare network cable. The lead may fit inside an existing stainless tube while its connector will not, and the plug shape differs between Mini, Standard and Performance terminals.

Measure before drilling. Check the complete connector, tube, deck gland, bend radius and service access for the exact kit in hand. Starlink’s Performance guidance, for example, specifies a minimum 19 mm (¾ in) routing hole for its fold-flat connector. Do not assume that the supplied lead can be cut or replaced with ordinary Ethernet cable; confirm any field-termination option with Starlink or the installer.

Price check · 24 August 2026

What it costs now.

Prices vary by country, tax, hardware offer and account address. These are current public starting points, not a quotation.

Approximate conversions use the ECB reference rate published for 24 August 2026: £1 ≈ €1.169. Ocean Mode usage is additional and account-specific, so check its per-GB rate in the app before enabling it.

Not only Starlink

The strongest setup often uses more than one network.

• 4G/5G and marina Wi-Fi

  Often cheaper and faster near shore. A good router can fail over automatically when Starlink is obstructed or paused.

• Iridium phone or messenger

  Low-bandwidth but genuinely global. Useful as an independent way to send messages or make a call when the main broadband system or the yacht’s power fails.

• Managed multi-network systems

  Larger yachts often combine Starlink, OneWeb, VSAT, cellular data and shore Wi-Fi through one managed onboard system, with automatic failover, monitoring and technical support.

• Amazon Leo

  An emerging LEO competitor. Its first maritime reseller agreements were announced in February 2026, but it is not yet the simple consumer-yacht alternative that Starlink has become.

How far we have come

From scheduled bulletins to a video call at sea.

Offshore crews were never completely cut off. Radio forecasts, NAVTEX and GMDSS delivered essential weather and safety information; Inmarsat and Iridium later added global voice and data. What changed was the volume, immediacy and price of ordinary internet.

This is a history of everyday connectivity, not distress capability. GMDSS, NAVTEX, satellite safety services and broadband still serve different purposes.

The practical answer

Match the service to the passage—not the size or prestige of the yacht.

For the installation, begin with the same honesty. Mini or Standard can be sensible where the terminal is removable or used in benign conditions; Performance is the stronger starting point for a permanent exposed installation. In every case, confirm the view of the sky, cable route and continuous house-bank load before buying.

The resolution: most cruising yachts do not automatically need the most expensive maritime package. They need the least complicated plan and terminal that genuinely cover the intended route—plus VHF, registered distress beacons and an independent way to call for help when broadband or yacht power is unavailable.