about when I would next charge.’ So what will be the breakthrough that promotes the widespread adoption of renewable energy in offshore racing? ‘There doesn't need to be a breakthrough,’ Colman replies. ‘The technology is already on the shelf and selling to the regular leisure market. ‘Electric motors are simpler and more reliable than diesels – the newest models from OceanVolt are weather sealed to the point they will even work underwater. Now we need to optimise the installation so it doesn’t weigh more than a classic system,’ he explains. ‘As technology progresses batteries will become lighter and more user- friendly before the next Vendée.’ Has Colman ticked the box on fossil fuel-free sailing? ‘Absolutely not; I am currently putting together a new programme for the next Vendée Globe,’ he reveals. ‘I am in talks to renewables companies about using this as a platform to promote the new energy era. Having a boat that is constantly charging and is able to store sufficient energy to avoid a daily charge actually frees up a lot of mental space for the skipper to focus on other elements.’ Will we ever see renewable solutions for cruising boats, with air-cons, entertainment systems and toys? ‘Any sailing boat using good hydrogenerators can now meet its energy needs while sailing, especially any kind of performance boat,’ replies Colman. ‘For the moment a hybrid system with electric propulsion and regeneration, and a diesel generator is probably a good intermediary step, much as it has been with cars...’
The wider picture
Shifting the conversation from competitors to organisers, where do you start if you want to create a sustainable, carbon-neutral event? You could follow the lead of the Atlantic Cup, which in 2012 became the first carbon-neutral US regatta… ever.
‘The Atlantic Cup is the longest race on the US east coast, and the only dedicated Class40 event in the US,’ says Manuka Sports Management’s Julianna Barbieri. ‘It’s a double-handed race held every other year. Teams race from Charleston, South Carolina to New York City, then to Portland, Maine. There the teams convert to fully crewed mode and race a two-day inshore series in Casco Bay. ‘When we created the Atlantic Cup in 2010-11 we knew that we wanted to make sure our
One step at a time… though there were previous attempts to complete the 27,000nm
Vendée Globe course with no use of
fossil fuel the first to take full advantage of modern developments in green power was Javier Sanso who raced the 2012 event on this Owen Clark design comprehen- sively fitted out with a sophisticated package of solar and hydro power generation and the most advanced storage
systems of the day. Sadly Sanso was dismasted late in the race – but at least he
hadn’t burnt any fossil fuel…
11th Hour co-founder Jeremy Pochman sums it up: ‘Identify each challenge, define an achievable set of
objectives, then put your ideas into practical and sustainable solutions. Do the best job you can and then mitigate the rest… one step at a time’
operations were not leaving a negative impact on the planet,’ Barbieri continues. ‘In partnership with 11th Hour Racing we started devising ways to implement sustainability solutions into every area, from working with caterers and waste management to communications. We changed our thinking right out of the gate.’ Offshore, all skippers are required to use renewable energy – hydrogenerators, solar or wind, for everything but propulsion. Most choose solar over hydrogenerators with some skippers voicing concern about drag. Single-use water bottles are prohibited by the NOR, with skippers encouraged to use their water tanks – in practice most skippers prefer water containers which double as moveable ballast. The carbon footprint of the event in 2016 was 29 tons, broken down into transport (73 per cent), events (17 per cent), accommodation (four per cent), offices (three per cent) and waste (three per cent). To be carbon neutral the remaining carbon has to be offset. Since 2012 the event has offset 95 tons in total. ‘Our carbon offset partner, We Are Neutral, calculated and offset our footprint,’ says Barbieri. ‘The offsets were used to retrofit low- income housing in the southeast US with energy-efficient lighting. The cost of offsetting 29 tons of carbon to make the 2016 Atlantic Cup carbon-neutral was US$300-500. It’s really not that expensive.’ The end result was an event that was fully compliant with ISO20121, the event standard pioneered by the 2012 Olympics. ‘Being ISO20121 compliant not only holds the Atlantic Cup to a very high standard in terms of environmental responsibility, but it shows race organisers that it is possible to implement sustainability into their events without busting the budget. And it demonstrates to every type of sailor that they can adopt small changes that collectively over time will have a positive impact on our
planet,’ says Barbieri. ‘It’s our hope that our efforts are inspiring change throughout the sport – to make a difference we all must do our part.’ Barbieri also drafted the sustainability strategy for Vestas 11th Hour Racing’s Volvo Ocean Race entry. For the team Barbieri’s plan touched on every area of impact relating to its carbon footprint. Throughout the Volvo race the team is tracking all travel, accommodation, electricity, water consumption and waste, to calculate their carbon footprint. The carbon impact will be offset at the conclusion of the event with the Ocean Foundation’s ‘blue carbon’ credits project, SeaGrass Grow. Even in the details the team sought out partners with a strong environmental commitment: Karün sunglasses, made from recycled fishing nets; Aethic sunblock, with a formula that is coral compatible. Challenged by the team, clothing supplier Musto even reduced by 70 per cent the plastic used in the packaging and delivery of their Volvo Ocean Race Collection. Onboard, they use a desalinator for fresh water generation while onshore Bluewater filtration units provide for all water requirements. The team sources food locally onshore, operating a ‘meat free’ Monday, onshore and at sea (surprising factoid… a tomato requires 13 litres of water to grow, making a hamburger takes 2,400 litres). Staff share transport ashore while flights are obviously mitigated as much as possible. The goal is to have a 75 per cent landfill diversion rate; all food scraps from operations on land are composted, and as is – or by now should be – today’s norm all food packaging comes back ashore for recycling. 11th Hour Racing have inspired other events to go carbon neutral as well: take a look at the successes of the 52 Super Series which has offset 248 tonnes of carbon through a portfolio of development projects managed by ClimateCare… and, on a much smaller scale, the 2017 Vineyard Cup, which offset its carbon footprint for just US$10!
Going carbon neutral is the right thing to do. Protecting and restoring the health of our oceans is one race none of us can afford to lose. It requires only the will to change and some forethought. Start by developing a strategy, learn from the many available resources online, seek assistance from organisations specialised in carbon offsetting and start tracking! The clock is ticking.
www.11thhourracing.org q SEAHORSE 75
BENOIT STICHELBAUT
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