10 WAYS TO REDUCE L
COURTESY MIKE HARKER
"These adjustable panels gave us 100 amps a day while we cruised the Sea of Cortez," said Jimmie Zinn of the Pt. Richmond-based Morgan 38 'Dry Martini'. "The shadow of one thin shroud can reduce output by as much as 60%."
from La Paz to SFO: 3.556 tonnes. Still lower than the worldwide average. Of course, there are many variables in figuring one's carbon footprint — are you vegetarian? How much do you recycle? Do you buy locally grown/organic foods? and so on — but it's clear that cruising sailors, whether they are aware of it or not, are 'greener' than many of those who preach conservation. On top of that, in this age of $5/gallon diesel, they're saving boatloads of cash.
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f you're planning your own cruising adventure in the near future — or even if you're out cruising right now — check out this list of 10 ways you can reduce your footprint: 1) Sail more than you motor. Though folks like Lin and Larry Pardey don't feel this way, many cruisers believe engines are a necessity. If you're one of them, challenge yourself to only fire up the 'iron genny' when you absolutely, positively have to get someplace in a hurry. Part of the fun of cruising is kicking back and letting the wind take you where it will — it may take you a little longer, but you'll be impressed with your fuel savings at the end of the season. 2) Row, sail or kayak ashore instead of using an outboard. Not only will your ride be quieter, but you'll get a little excercise and save on
LATITUDE / ANDY
"I use my kayak, which I've had since my first 'Wanderlust', more than the outboard and dinghy," said Mike Harker, seen here on his shoreside mode of transportaion.
charging systems but added in about 300 annual engine hours, six months of shorepower use and two roundtrip flights
JIMMIE ZINN
ong before 'go green', 'global warming' and 'carbon footprint' became catchphrases for the environmental movement, cruising sailors had harnessed Mother Nature's gifts to cross oceans, charge batteries and stretch budgets. As Mr. and Mrs. American work to reduce their carbon footprint — the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere annually by an individual's actions (mainly energy consumption) — cruising sailors and liveaboards can be proud of the fact that our footprints are exceedingly smaller than those of our landbound friends. The average American produces 20 metric tons (tonnes) of CO2 every year while the worldwide average is just 4 tonnes. Using one of the many online carbon footprint 'calculators' (www. carbonfootprint.com), we calculated our own personal footprint as liveaboards: 4.203 tonnes. Not too shabby for being plugged into shorepower and driving to work every day. Then we calculated the footprint of an imaginary cruising couple who never ran their engine, used solar and wind power to charge their batteries, anchored out all year (thus not using shorepower) and didn't fly home to visit family: 2.310 tonnes. Of course, those types of cruisers are few and far between, so we recalculated with the same solar and wind
fossil fuels. 3) Instead of hiring a cab or riding a bus, bring along a couple of folding bikes for getting around while in port. They're not terribly pricey and they break down into relatively small 'footprints' on your budget and boat. 4) Install a windvane. While electronic autopilots are great, they drain batteries. Plus they have the annoying habit of dying in the middle of an ocean crossing. Windvanes can easily steer a boat in most conditions, leaving the autopilot in good shape to handle the rest. 5) Consider more eco-friendly products when buying everything from bottom paint to boat cleaners.
