Sailing on the Cheap Boatlife

 

An especially interesting player in this area is France’s Neoline, which is currently working on a ship specially designed for “clean transoceanic sea transport, at a stable price and adapted to the logistical reality and the needs of shipper.” No small feat! The company’s design features an unusual double-main, with two overlapping sails forward and two slightly smaller ones aft, rigged together with scaffolding.

A brand sailors know well has already signed on to have its cargo transported using a Neoline vessel: Benet au plans to send boats to the U.S. market aboard one of the ships once they’re operational. Another company with a unique new build in the works is France’s TOWT. Founded in 2011, TOWT has historically employed an assortment of classics to transport its goods, which include things like wine, coffee and olive oil.

Over the years, schooners, lugers and ketches have all been part of the fleet, plying their trade over five separate Atlantic routes. However, the company is also now working on plans for a 220ft, three-misted schooner with a projected average speed of 12 knots and a carrying capacity of 1,000 tons. sailing liveaboard lifestyle

Planned routes include those to Portugal, the Caribbean, Central America and West Africa, taking the company’s already successful model to a whole new level. So, what does the future of “green” shipping look like? It depends on who you ask. “It’s my job to sell the concept that wind works and is a real solution for shipping. It’s our member’s job to sell the technology they’ve created to make it happen,” says Gavin All wright of the International Wind ships Association a group that advocates for wind-powered shipping solutions.

Classics, retrofits and new builds are all represented in the group’s membership, making it an international alliance where would-be competitors come together to promote a common goal. This diversity only makes sense, given that when it comes to reducing pollution from any industry, there is no silver bullet.

Whether building the infrastructure for romantic-yet-carbon-neutral ships like Ceiba or creating technologies to power larger, more conventional commercial vessels, the only wrong way to cut down on emissions is not doing it. No matter what the solution (or solutions) ultimately look like, though, it’s exciting to see the dawn of a new “Age of Sail.” 

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