PRESS RELEASE
12 June 2006
friends of the earth boat sets sail for
climate action
A new state of the art yacht, called
Friends of the Earth, will set sail this week
(w/c 12 June) from Cape Town, South Africa to
highlight the need for national and
international action on climate change. The
yacht will begin sea trials before taking
part in the one of the world's most
challenging solo races – the transatlantic La
Route du Rhum - in October. The 2006 Route du
Rhum will be the first international race for
the Class 40 yacht.
British born skipper, Jonathan Crinion,
will be sailing the high seas in support of
Friends of the Earth's climate campaign to
highlight the need for national and
international action on climate change.
Jonathan Crinion worked with Owen Clarke
Design, the naval architects responsible for
Ellen MacArthur's victory in the 2000 Europe
New Man Star Race, to develop a state of the
art racing yacht and a showcase for some of
the technological solutions to climate
change. Environmentally friendly features
include four solar panels which will power
the yacht's electrical equipment and a solar
shower.
Jonathan Crinion said:
"The Route du Rhum is one of the world's
premier long distance races and I am thrilled
to have the chance to sail against some of
the best sailors in the world. I am equally
thrilled to be sailing in support of Friends
of the Earth's climate campaign. It shows
that the solutions to climate change already
exist and there is still time to take
action.”
Friends of the Earth Executive Director in
the UK, Tony Juniper said:
“The ‘Friends of the Earth' yacht will be
using the power of the wind and sun to
compete in the Route du Rhum. Wind and solar
power are just two of the many solutions to
climate change that already exist but which
are being largely overlooked. That's why in
the UK our climate campaign is calling for
the introduction of a climate change law
which will commit the UK to making annual
cuts in carbon dioxide emissions.”
The yacht's maiden voyage will take it
from Cape Town via the Azores to Falmouth in
UK to finalise preparations ahead of La Route
du Rhum which begins in St. Malo in France on
Sunday 29th October 2006 and finishes at
Pointe à Pitre in Guadeloupe. The competition
marks the start of a two year race
programme.
In the UK Friends of the Earth is calling
for the Government to introduce a climate law
that will commit it to cutting the UK's
carbon dioxide emissions by three per cent
year on year. For more information go to
www.thebigask.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION
In the UK
contact Anna
Mitchell of Friends of the Earth on: +44 (0)
207 566 1664 or +44 (0) 207 566 1649 or email
at
annam@foe.co.uk
In France:
Anne
Bringault, Les Amis de la Terre France: Tel:
+33 14851 1891 or email
coordination@amisdelaterre.org
In the US
: Lisa Grob,
Friends of the Earth US: Tel: +1 202 222 0744
l or email:
LGrob@foe.org
Pictures
of the yacht and
Jonathan Crinion are available from
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/images/yacht_2006
.
For more information
on
climate change visit
http://www.foei.org/climate
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
:
Features of ‘Friends of the Earth'
yacht:
-
The yacht is powered using energy from
the wind and the sun – the only non
renewable energy source is a lightweight
diesel engine that is used to power the
boat in and out of port.
-
All the navigation equipment, the auto
pilot, lights, pump and the computer run
off a bank of 12 volt batteries that are
recharged using four solar panels – one on
either side of the stern and two on top of
the coach roof.
-
Owen Clarke Design designed a fast and
efficient yacht. The hull foils have been
designed to provide the least resistance
when the yacht moves through the water
while the sail configurations are designed
to extract the maximum power from the
wind.
-
As lighter yachts are faster and more
efficient the yacht uses the least amount
of material possible – it has no interior
fit other than a box over the engine, a
small navigation stable and four aluminium
frame pipe cots.
-
There is no fridge on board to sap
energy. Working with a nutritionist
Jonathan Crinion has developed a tasty and
healthy diet and menu plan that does not
require refrigeration.
-
There is a solar shower – a simple
black bag of water which is heated by the
sun when hung from the boom on a sunny
day.
-
All fittings are designed to be energy
efficient, from the interior and navigation
lights to the stove.
-
On board cleaners and soaps are all
environmentally biodegradable.
-
The boat hull does not use any toxic
antifouling to prevent algae growth –
instead the boats hull will be regularly
scrubbed.
JONATHAN CRINION
Jonathan Crinion's website is
http://www.jonathancrinion.com
Jonathan Crinion was born in Liverpool,
England in 1953. He has cruised and raced all
his life and has competed in numerous races
including the Fastnet and Round the Island in
the UK and many ‘round the cans' races in,
Canada, South Africa and the UK among many
others. When he isn't sailing Jonathan heads
up his own industrial design company, Crinion
Associates Ltd. He has won a number of awards
for his work and in 1994 was chosen by
International Design Magazine as one of the
'International Design 40', a selection of the
world's top 40 designers. Jonathan's
environmental designs include wind turbines
for use on homes and yachts. Jonathan and his
partner Stephanie have two daughters,
Jennifer and Zoe.
La Route du Rhum
La Route du Rhum has a long and
illustrious history with a reputation for
being one of the toughest trans-Atlantic
races. La Route du Rhum starts in St. Malo on
28th October 2006. The boats head into
Biscay, which in October and November can
present very tough conditions. The boats then
turn south into the Atlantic on route to
Guadeloupe - a distance of 3400 miles. The
fleet will pass the Canaries and Cape Verde
islands before tactically deciding whether to
sail the shorter distance and try and
negotiate the tricky Azores high pressure, or
dive Deep South and pick up the south-east
trades. Ellen MacArthur won the monohull
class of the last Route du Rhum race in
2002.
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