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Displaying items by tag: Greta Thunberg

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has arrived in Portugal after sailing across the Atlantic in a catamaran for the past three weeks.

The 16-year-old originally sailed to the United States to attend UN climate talks this past August — travelling by sea as she avoids air travel due to carbon emissions that harm the environment.

Sailing out of Hampton, Virginia on Wednesday 13 November, Thunberg, as RTÉ News reports, joined navigator Nikki Henderson — the youngest ever skipper in the Clipper Race — on the 14m La Vagabonde along with its owners, an Australian family who document their adventures sailing around the world on YouTube.

La Vagabonde docked in Lisbon shortly before 2pm local time and later tonight (Tuesday 3 December) Thunberg will travel onwards to a UN climate summit in Madrid.

Published in Environment
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It's been 15 days since 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg hitched a ride on a sail-powered yacht from Europe to the U.S. for the U.N. Climate Action Summit taking place in New York in mid-September. As Afloat previously reported, Thunberg has vowed to avoid air travel, due to environment-harming carbon emissions. The Malizia II docked this afternoon at 4:00 EDT at Coney Island in Brooklyn so its passengers could clear customs and immigration and then proceeded to North Cove Marina at the southern tip of Manhattan, just a stone's throw from Wall Street.

The Swedish teenager crossed the Atlantic on Boris Herrmann and Pierre Casiraghi’s Monaco-based 60ft Mono60, Malizia II, which has previously competed in the Rolex Fastnet Race.

Despite a light drizzle, a crowd of more than 200 gathered at North Cove to welcome Thunberg. The young activist has gained an adoring following in the last few months as she's worked, with great success, to highlight the urgency of the climate situation, which she says is most accurately described as a "crisis." She has 1.2 million followers on Twitter and 1.1 million friends on Facebook, and her Facebook post announcing her arrival in New York has drawn more than 2,000 comments, nearly all celebratory.

Published in Marine Wildlife
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Young climate activist Greta Thunberg is taking to the high seas as she plans a zero-carbon journey from Europe to a UN climate summit in New York this September.

As RTÉ News reports, the 16-year-old Swede intends to cross the Atlantic on Boris Herrmann and Pierre Casiraghi’s Monaco-based 60ft Mono60, Malizia II, which has previously competed in the Rolex Fastnet Race.

The foiling vessel is equipped with solar panels and underwater turbines to generate energy at sea.

It will also bear the slogan ‘#Fridays for future’ inspired by Thunberg’s regular Friday protests against climate inaction at the Swedish parliament.

Thunberg refuses to fly due to the negative impact of commercial aviation on the environment.

RTÉ News has more on the story HERE.

Published in Offshore

Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat

For the first time in sailing's Olympic history, a Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat event will be on the slate at the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition.

The Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat will join kiteboarding, windsurfing, multihulls, singlehanded and doublehanded dinghies and skiffs, promoting the diversity of the sport. This, in turn, will support World Sailing's desire to promote and grow universality in all disciplines and increase female participation with gender-equal medals and athletes.

Offshore sailing is the ultimate test of endurance, skill, discipline, navigation and critical decision making.

Embracing a major part of sailing in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will enable new stars of the sport to come to the forefront.

Qualification

Offshore sailing is a universal discipline that every World Sailing Member National Authority (MNA) can participate in.

Up to 20 nations will be on the start line at Paris 2024 and sailors from every continent will be represented. To qualify for the Olympic Games, continental qualification events will be held and competition for a spot will be hotly contested.

Equipment

For qualification events, World Sailing will approve a list of one-design boats that are already regionally available and can be accessed as a charter boat. Boats will be equalised to ensure fair competition.

For Paris 2024, World Sailing's Council will select a list of different Equipment it considers to meet the key criteria by 31 December 2020 and then make a decision on the Equipment, selecting from the list, no later than 31 December 2023.

MNAs, Class Associations and Manufacturers have all been invited to propose Equipment for the list and a World Sailing Working Party will evaluate each proposal. A recommended list will be presented to Council for approval in November 2020.

This recommended Equipment list will ensure that event organisers, MNAs and the sailors have opportunities to train and compete in Equipment that is readily available and affordable within their continent and country. It will also ensure each MNA has a fair opportunity to prepare for qualification events and eventually, Paris 2024.

Format

Starting and finishing in Marseille, the Mixed Offshore event is expected to last for either three days and two nights or four days and three nights off the French coastline and whoever crosses the finish line first will be declared Olympic champion.

The race course and length will be announced in the lead up to the start so the competition can take advantage of the latest weather forecast. Current options proposed include long and short courses heading towards the West and East of France.

Safety and Security

The French Navy and Mediterranean forces have extensive experience of supporting major oceanic sailing races. They will provide safety and security at Paris 2024.