Track Greta Thunberg’s zero emission boat trip
UPDATE: August 28, 2019
Greta Thunberg arrives in New York. Video from The Guardian YouTube channel
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Greta Thunberg, the champion of a low carbon future for the planet, has joined the transAtlantic voyage of Boris Herrmann’s zero emissions racing yacht Malizia II and you can track their progress hour by hour on this page or the home page of Team Malizia. The tracking is provided by the Windy.com map and weather forecasting service.
We wrote about the Malizia II back in May when her custom Solbian solar panels were being installed by Sailectron’s photovoltaics expert Michael Körner. The 60 foot IMOCA open racing yacht is powered by sails and use the solar panels for on-board electricity along with underwater turbines generating electricity as the boat moves through the water.
Zero emission boat preparing for round-world race
Team Malizia is preparing for the Vendée Globe round-the-world race in November 2020 and so the vessel conforms to the Vendee Globe rules by having a (sealed) diesel engine available in the case of a sailing emergency.
Typically the diesel engine on the Vendée boats are used when the yachts come into and out of harbours, but boats powered by Torqeedo electric motors will assist Malizia II in docking, towing, passenger transport and general harbour support.
The team was founded in 2016 by Pierre Casiraghi, Vice-President of the Yacht Club de Monaco. The Club is a leader in promoting marine electrification, promoting and hosting the Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge since 2014 and winning the UIM 2018 Environment Award. It recently introduced all-electric tenders and unveiled an electric committee boat for the club’s regattas.
Casiraghi and skipper Boris Hermann are long time racing teammates and ocean explorers and Team Malizia has an active #MyOceanChallenge program with educational kits for students about preserving the marine environment. The yacht’s sails are emblazoned with a ‘Climate Action Now’ message and Greta’s signature call to ‘Unite Behind The Science’.
Thunberg attending UN Conference and others
Ms. Thunberg is travelling to New York to attend the UN Climate Change Summit and will then travel throughout the U.S., Canada, and South America.
A few months ago she put forth the idea of crossing the Atlantic on a cargo container ship, but decided to take up the Team Malizia offer, generating publicity both good and bad. Some observers have noted that crewmen will have to fly to New York to sail the yacht back to Europe.
The other option, of course, was to attend the conference by internet hookup, but when asked about that last Wednesday, Thunberg said ”Of course I can [dial in] and I have attended several conferences and meetings by video link, but unfortunately my experience is that those attendances don’t get any attention at all.”
In addition to the online tracking by Windy, you can follow Greta Thunberg’s journey on her social media accounts: facebook • twitter • Instagram
Or on the social media of Boris Herrmann Racing: facebook • twitter • Instagram
