A Clean, Green Machine

Here are the reasons we’re building sailing work boats:

One: To clean up our oceans, and keep them clean! Sailing work boats live off the wind, don’t use oil resources, don’t pollute, and don’t add to global warming.

Two: They’re a LOT more affordable to operate than motor boats: they cost less than half as much to operate and maintain. This makes them economical for small, relatively poor island and coastal communities that are just barely able to afford the fuel costs of the motor boats they use now. Sailing work boats may make the difference between these communities having ocean transportation and NOT having it!

Three: Ocean resource conservation: when used for fishing, rather than passenger or light cargo carrying, the fishing methods these boats use eliminate the tragic waste of “bycatch”, where seals, dolphins, turtles, and non-targeted species of fish are also caught, killed, then dumped over the side.

Four: Better wages for the passenger ferry operator or fisherman; the ferryman has half the expenses he would have with a motorboat; the fisherman can catch half as much fish and produce the same economic benefits for his family.

Five: MORE Ocean Resource Conservation: When the fisherman only has to catch half as much fish to make the same amount of money, he has the option of leaving the other half in the ocean. We can then use intelligent management practices to conserve ocean resources, rather than being politically bound to meet the needs of corporate and factory fishing interests.

Six: Conservation of oil resources: ferry boats and fishing boats that use virtually no fuel help conserve existing oil resources.

Seven: They’re sustainable. Our oil resources may not be cheap or available forever, but the wind is always free! Sailing work boats are the most sustainable type of vessel!

(Below) Light on the ocean, you get the most miles at the fastest speed with virtually no fuel consumption from this type of vessel.

This is the kind of vessel we are replacing:

(Below) A 130-meter long factory freezer trawler. Not clean, not green, and with rising fuel costs, this vessel is a dinosaur on its way out.

(Below)  A Tuna Purse Seiner.