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Hot Rodding in the Docks, Sailing Cargo Ships

Hot Rodding in the Docks, Sailing Cargo Ships

plus snippets from this week

Ahoy, and welcome to the sailing newsletter that gives our two cents on all things that use Sextants. No race update section this week, so we’re doing a little sailing science corner that should be fun. Let’s get into it.

In today’s letter:

Guilt Free Gouda: sailing cargo ships return.
Hot Rodding in the Docks: a science corner.
Lawson Update: capsized ship located.
Sailing Snippets: Hubba Nyumba, Komodo Kruisin’, Nets-to-Knots, Regatta Watch, and John John Get Your Gunboat.

The Return of Sailing Cargo Ships?

Jorne Langelaan thinks so. He founded Ecoclipper, a shipping company dedicated to using sailing cargo ships, and crowd funded their first purchase, the 1912 Dutch Sailing Barge De Tukker. Last month, De Tukker, at 131ft long, with a maximum load of 70 tons and 12 crew, made her first commercial voyage carrying wine, cheese, and Olive Oil. The eventual goal of Ecoclipper is to have a fleet of 25 sailing cargo ships, each 10 times longer than De Tukker.

But why wind, and why now? There’s two main reasons. One is environmental, which is fairly obvious. Sailing cargo ships are an order of magnitude better for the planet than current cargo ships, and Langelaan thinks adding wind power to shipping fleets will help stick to the Paris Climate Agreement. The other is perception. Since sailing cargo ships are limited in comparison to the load a fuel powered boat can carry, that leaves them with more selective cargo: luxury and bespoke goods. Consumers are clamoring (the consumers are always clamoring, don’t you know) for goods that are not just sustainably made and sustainably sourced, but also now sustainably shipped.

It may take about 70 days to sail from Europe to china, but at least your Gouda is guilt free.

Science Corner: The Bernoulli Principle

Or, what that one guy always hot rodding his boat into the marina knows. Fluid Dynamics. The faster fluids move, the lower the pressure on its surroundings. Speed equals pressure, pressure equals control going forward. When going backwards, the principle creates the opposite effect against the increased surface area of the stern, lowering pressure on one side, and swinging the boat much faster.

Good to know for A) Getting out of a tight spot, or B) doing donuts. The more you know. Check out a longer technical explanation from PBO here.

Lawson’s Capsized Boat Found

Professional sailor Captain Donald Lawson's sailboat, Defiant, has been found by Mexican authorities after several weeks of being reported missing. Lawson set sail from Acapulco on July 5, aiming to break circumnavigation speed records by traversing the Panama Canal back to Baltimore. His last contact with his wife, Jacqueline, was on July 12, where he mentioned losing the wind generator due to a storm's impact. The U.S. Coast Guard signaled vessels in the area after his sailboat experienced electrical issues about 300 miles off the Mexican coast. Despite the discovery of the sailboat, Jacqueline remains hopeful and awaits further confirmed reports from Mexican authorities. Lawson is an experienced sailor and was preparing to break the record for the fastest solo, non-stop voyage around the world in a boat under 60 feet. He is also the founder of the Dark Seas Project, a nonprofit that promotes diversity in sailing. Jacqueline urges anyone with information to contact the Mexican Navy and U.S. Coast Guard to aid in her husband's safe return home.

Sailing Snippets: ICYMI

Hubba Hubba: Nyumba completes sea trials. 31 meters of super-sized carbon fiber hybrid electric sailing beauty, she sailed from Cape Town to the Mediterranean. Check out the glorious pictures here.

Komodo Kruisin’: Sailing on a traditional Indonesian Phinisi style sailboat through Komodo National Park. Yes, the Komodo dragons. It’s very beautiful, and very, very expensive. Read the article and raise your eyebrows here.

Nets-to-Knots: Ex-NBA star Baron Davis invests in a new SailGP team, calling it the “Formula-1 of the water.” Hot take: when celebs invest in stuff, it’s either the start of something big, but usually it’s the peak of the hype. Our money is on SailGP growing in interest. Also, who doesn’t want to own one of those boats, so kudos to him. Read the brief from TMZ Sports here.

Regatta Watch: TAG Heuer revives it’s classic Skipper Chronograph watch after 40 years, which features a regatta countdown dial, and a price tag befitting a winner. Check out the article here.

Sail Portsmouth Festival: Visit the replica of the flagship for the first round the world sailing expedition in 1519 and 1522, considered the greatest feat in maritime history. Read about the Tallship here.

John JohnGet Your Gunboat: Surfer John John Florence is selling his Gunboat Catamaran for a gnarly 1.3 million. He bought the boat after suffering a knee injury that kept him out of pro surfing, but led him to buy the boat and explore tiny pacific islands and pristine breaks, after enviable Pacific crossings. If you haven’t been following his sailing adventures on youtube, go check it out, it’s awesome. Read more here.

That’s all for today, stay safe out there ya salty dogs and we’ll ketch ya next week.

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