Crew Available: Assisting Two Cyclists Across the Atlantic - Summer 2011

[24east]

My friend and I are planning a bike trip around Europe this summer. We are investigating the least carbon alternatives to travel to Europe. We currently reside in Burlington, Vermont but expect to be in either Washington D.C. or New York City this June. We are hoping to get in touch with any boat that would be in need of two crew members traveling either West to East in June or East to West in August. These directions are meant to be broad. We are very flexible from where we leave from and where we end up.

I have had some experience working on 42 foot sailboat. I spent a week- sailing around the Florida Keys and a week in the Bahamas. My friend knows how to sail but has limited sailing experience on larger boats. We both have a strong work ethic and a strong willingness to learn more about sailing. Any recommendations, advice, or connections is much appreciated.

Be well and much thanks,

Ian

[Auspicious]

Best wishes for luck finding a ride.

Taking on two crew may be an issue, especially with the baggage of bikes. If you have other relevant skills you should shout them out - cooking at sea?

If your priority is carbon footprint you may have trouble finding anything better than a commercial cargo ship. Most take some passengers. I haven't run the numbers, but between light wind and charging batteries it would not surprise me at all if the lbs carbon / lb of total weight for a cargo ship is better than an average sailboat.

[24east]

Thanks for the help.

You make a great point. We are not in contact with any cargo ships yet. Would you know where I could start looking for one (i.e. Forums, blogs, websites etc.)?

Thanks again.

Ian

[Auspicious]

Let me google that for you

I only looked at the first page but there appear to be some quite good links. Appears to be about 100USD/day including meals. Not at hostel level but not bad.

[boatman61]

You'd do better getting a boat ride without the bikes... buy a couple when you get here... unless your talking 'bells and whistle carbons'...

[LakeSuperior]

I'm looking for two low carbon footprint crew to help on my 35' Bertram with twin 454 Chevy engines. I plan on towing a small fuel barge to do the crossing to Europe. Can carry the bikes. Without the barge the Bertram get 0.75 miles/gallon.

OK, OK just kidding about the crossing (but not the mileage)!!!

[capn_billl]

Hold your breath during the voyage.
Quote/
Volume of CO2 exhaled per breath = 0.8 x (.05 x 2.6 L) = 0.8 x 0.13 L = 0.104 L
Volume of CO2 exhaled per minute = 0.104 L x 30 breaths/minute = 3.12 L

At standard air temperature and pressure, density of CO2 is 1.98 g/L. Therefore :

Kilograms of CO2 exhaled per minute = (1.98 g/L x 3.12 L) x 0.001 kg = 0.0062 kg

Quote/

A person on a sail boat will produce more CO2 from breathing over a two week voyage, than a person on a plane during a 10 hour flight. Save the trees, ... produce more CO2.

[capn_billl]

The two of you will produce 125,798.4 liters of CO2 during the two week voyage. Note pedaling a bicycle will increase CO2 output.

[Dockhead]

LOL. I agree that a cruising sailboat on a long passage is probably not ultra low carbon. On a typical ocean crossing one will burn a whole bunker of diesel fuel even though you are sailing most of the way. And I doubt that anyone would take bicycles. Cargo ship is a good idea.

Furthermore, you can't just sail back to the U.S. in August. From Europe, you have to get down to the Canary Islands or the Cape Verdes to pick up the trade winds, a couple of weeks of sailing from, say, the UK. Then you have to wait until the end of hurricane season, then you have a couple more weeks of sailing just to get to the Caribbean. A very few people sail directly not using the trades, but that would be a very rare exception.