| Next revision | Previous revision |
| sail:sail_boats [2025/12/17 04:30] – created - external edit 127.0.0.1 | sail:sail_boats [2026/03/26 18:33] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1 |
|---|
| # Sail boats | This topic is part of [[gt:transport|Transport & freight]]. |
| | ====== Sail boats ====== |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| ## What are sail boats? | ===== What are sail boats? ===== |
| |
| They’re vessels for travelling (and/or living) on water using the wind for propulsion – a sustainable way of transporting people and goods that is undergoing a revival. | They’re vessels for travelling (and/or living) on water using the wind for propulsion – a sustainable way of transporting people and goods that is undergoing a revival. |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
| |
| ### History | ==== History ==== |
| |
| The earliest representation that we have of a boat with a sail is from Mesopotamia and is over 7000 years old. One of the most significant developments in sailing was the invention of the [lateen rig](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateen), probably by the Arabs, around 2000 years ago, which allowed boats to sail against the wind for the first time. From that time, sailing vessels have arguably been the most important means for humans to explore and chart the earth. | The earliest representation that we have of a boat with a sail is from Mesopotamia and is over 7000 years old. One of the most significant developments in sailing was the invention of the [lateen rig](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateen), probably by the Arabs, around 2000 years ago, which allowed boats to sail against the wind for the first time. From that time, sailing vessels have arguably been the most important means for humans to explore and chart the earth. |
| |
| |
| ## What are the benefits of sail boats? | ===== What are the benefits of sail boats? ===== |
| ### Environmental | ==== Environmental ==== |
| |
| The main environmental benefit is that they don’t require fossil fuels, with their associated emissions of carbon and pollutants when burnt and after spills. Cruise and cargo ships use heavy marine oil that is [much more polluting](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/21/the-worlds-largest-cruise-ship-and-its-supersized-pollution-problem) than road fuels. Sailing vessels can also replace diesel lorries, buses and trains for cargo and passenger transport. | The main environmental benefit is that they don’t require fossil fuels, with their associated emissions of carbon and pollutants when burnt and after spills. Cruise and cargo ships use heavy marine oil that is [much more polluting](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/21/the-worlds-largest-cruise-ship-and-its-supersized-pollution-problem) than road fuels. Sailing vessels can also replace diesel lorries, buses and trains for cargo and passenger transport. |
| |
| |
| ### Personal | ==== Personal ==== |
| |
| You’ll see nature at its best from a boat – from sunsets and unspoilt coastlines to dolphins, whales, flying fish etc. If you get a boat, you can live on it, saving housing costs, but unlike a conventional home, you could use it to make a living by transporting passengers or cargo. Plus holidays are sorted forever. | You’ll see nature at its best from a boat – from sunsets and unspoilt coastlines to dolphins, whales, flying fish etc. If you get a boat, you can live on it, saving housing costs, but unlike a conventional home, you could use it to make a living by transporting passengers or cargo. Plus holidays are sorted forever. |
| |
| ### Social | ==== Social ==== |
| |
| Sailing can be and has been a life-changing experience for people in difficulty. The [S](http://sailboatproject.org/)[ail](http://sailboatproject.org/) [B](http://sailboatproject.org/)[oat](http://sailboatproject.org/) [P](http://sailboatproject.org/)[roject](http://sailboatproject.org/), for example, is a [co-operative](/coop/co-operatives) that has crewed boats with people who are homeless, unemployed or recovering from addiction. They also help struggling olive farmers in Portugal, by paying them for their olive oil up front. [WWOOF](/wwoo/wwoofing)[ers](/wwoo/wwoofing) could also be transported to various countries to help olive farmers, and brought them back with the olive oil at the end of the season – and the same applies to other products. | Sailing can be and has been a life-changing experience for people in difficulty. The [S](http://sailboatproject.org/)[ail](http://sailboatproject.org/) [B](http://sailboatproject.org/)[oat](http://sailboatproject.org/) [P](http://sailboatproject.org/)[roject](http://sailboatproject.org/), for example, is a [co-operative](/coop/co-operatives) that has crewed boats with people who are homeless, unemployed or recovering from addiction. They also help struggling olive farmers in Portugal, by paying them for their olive oil up front. [WWOOF](/wwoo/wwoofing)[ers](/wwoo/wwoofing) could also be transported to various countries to help olive farmers, and brought them back with the olive oil at the end of the season – and the same applies to other products. |
| |
| |
| ## What can I do? | ===== What can I do? ===== |
| |
| In order of difficulty (and this topic can get pretty difficult): | In order of difficulty (and this topic can get pretty difficult): |
| |
| ### Buy goods transported by sail boat | ==== Buy goods transported by sail boat ==== |
| |
| What if you went to your local [farmers’ market](/farm/farmers_markets) and saw chocolate, coffee, olive oil or other things that couldn’t possibly be produced locally? Would you think that that was against the local / independent ethos of farmers’ markets, and dependent on unsustainable, corporate plantations and ships? But what if it were from independent growers and delivered by independent sail boats? | What if you went to your local [farmers’ market](/farm/farmers_markets) and saw chocolate, coffee, olive oil or other things that couldn’t possibly be produced locally? Would you think that that was against the local / independent ethos of farmers’ markets, and dependent on unsustainable, corporate plantations and ships? But what if it were from independent growers and delivered by independent sail boats? |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
| |
| ### Travel by sail boat | ==== Travel by sail boat ==== |
| |
| You can often find sail boat skippers (via word-of-mouth, an online search or by negotiation with cargo vessels) willing to take you along for a fee. One cargo vessel we talked to takes passengers from Chichester to Cherbourg for £110, for example (and it takes 8-10 hours, depending on the weather). Well worth it for a sustainable adventure rather than a polluting, corporate ferry. [FairTransport](http://fairtransport.eu/) are looking at setting up routes with large passenger sailing ships. You can reduce the price on cargo boats by negotiation / offering help. It’s a good idea to get some skills first to increase your usefulness, but not essential (you could help load and unload, keep watch, scrub decks, cook or look after children). | You can often find sail boat skippers (via word-of-mouth, an online search or by negotiation with cargo vessels) willing to take you along for a fee. One cargo vessel we talked to takes passengers from Chichester to Cherbourg for £110, for example (and it takes 8-10 hours, depending on the weather). Well worth it for a sustainable adventure rather than a polluting, corporate ferry. [FairTransport](http://fairtransport.eu/) are looking at setting up routes with large passenger sailing ships. You can reduce the price on cargo boats by negotiation / offering help. It’s a good idea to get some skills first to increase your usefulness, but not essential (you could help load and unload, keep watch, scrub decks, cook or look after children). |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
| |
| ### Learn to sail | ==== Learn to sail ==== |
| |
| First, get the feel of the wind – get a kite, for example, and maybe graduate to a bit of wind surfing. extrapolate to try to understand the huge pull that an 8m sail can have in a strong wind. There’s a lot to learn – sailing is extremely unpredictable, and you’ll have to deal with wind, weather, currents and tides all at the same time. Search online for course providers. | First, get the feel of the wind – get a kite, for example, and maybe graduate to a bit of wind surfing. extrapolate to try to understand the huge pull that an 8m sail can have in a strong wind. There’s a lot to learn – sailing is extremely unpredictable, and you’ll have to deal with wind, weather, currents and tides all at the same time. Search online for course providers. |
| ### Get a boat | ==== Get a boat ==== |
| |
| By the time you’re thinking about getting a boat, you really have to be a proficient sailor, and know everything there is to know about registration, health & safety, insurance, navigation, legislation, mooring, wind speeds, rigging, tides, maintenance etc. There’s a lot of mandatory training, kit and insurance required, such as life jackets, flares, air horn and VHF radio plus training – you’ll learn all about this from your sailing courses. | By the time you’re thinking about getting a boat, you really have to be a proficient sailor, and know everything there is to know about registration, health & safety, insurance, navigation, legislation, mooring, wind speeds, rigging, tides, maintenance etc. There’s a lot of mandatory training, kit and insurance required, such as life jackets, flares, air horn and VHF radio plus training – you’ll learn all about this from your sailing courses. |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
| |
| ### Build a boat / become a boat-builder | ==== Build a boat / become a boat-builder ==== |
| |
| Building a boat is like building a house – it needs an awful lot of training. You can build from scratch or you can renovate a classic old boat; and you can employ a naval architect, and/or put in a lot of your own labour. There are more boat-building apprenticeships in France than there are in the UK, but there are boat-building schools in [Lowestoft](http://www.ibtc.co.uk/), [Falmouth](https://www.falmouthmarineschool.ac.uk/career-pages/boatbuilding/), [Portsmouth](http://ibtcportsmouth.co.uk/) and [Lyme Regis](http://www.boatbuildingacademy.com/). | Building a boat is like building a house – it needs an awful lot of training. You can build from scratch or you can renovate a classic old boat; and you can employ a naval architect, and/or put in a lot of your own labour. There are more boat-building apprenticeships in France than there are in the UK, but there are boat-building schools in [Lowestoft](http://www.ibtc.co.uk/), [Falmouth](https://www.falmouthmarineschool.ac.uk/career-pages/boatbuilding/), [Portsmouth](http://ibtcportsmouth.co.uk/) and [Lyme Regis](http://www.boatbuildingacademy.com/). |
| |
| |
| ## Further resources | ===== Forum ===== |
| |
| | This topic belongs to the section [[gt:transport|Transport & freight]]. You can ask questions or add information on the corresponding [Forum section](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/transport). |
| |
| | ===== Further resources ===== |
| |
| ## Specialist curators of this topic | - [Sail Cargo Alliance](http://sailcargoalliance.org/) - alliance of organisations who share a passion for sail-shipped cargo |
| | - [Crew Seekers International](https://www.crewseekers.net/) - bringing skippers and crews together throughout the world |
| | - [International Windship Association](https://www.wind-ship.org/) - facilitates and promotes wind propulsion for commercial shipping worldwide |
| | - [Sailing Networks](https://www.sailingnetworks.com/) - social and business network for the sailing community and marine industry - including crew finder |
| | - [Maritime and Coastguard Agency](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/maritime-and-coastguard-agency) - legislation and guidance on maritime matters and certification |
| | - [WikiTravel](https://wikitravel.org/en/Hitchhiking_boats) - hitchhiking boats |
| | - [Mainsail](https://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/12/03/budget.sailing/index.html) - sail the high seas on a budget |
| | - [Quidnon](https://quidnon.blogspot.com/) - plans for a houseboat that sails |
| | - [Find a Crew Worldwide](https://www.findacrew.com/) |
| | - [Dmitry Orlov](https://www.resilience.org/stories/2006-08-20/new-age-sail-2/) - the new age of sail |
| | - [Dmitry Orlov](https://www.feasta.org/fleeingvesuvius/2011/05/18/sailing-craft-for-a-post-collapse-world/) - sailing craft for a post-collapse world |
| | - [Alternative World Sailing Community](https://alternativesailing.org/) - creating a world wide network of sailing vessels, harnessing the wind to move goods and people around the planet |
| | |
| | |
| | ===== Related topics ===== |
| | |
| | - [[wind:Wind generators]] |
| | - [[soel:Solar electricity]] |
| | - [[hitc:Hitchhiking]] |
| | - [[nrbo:Narrowboats]] |
| | - [[star:Stargazing]] |
| | - [[batt:Batteries]] |
| | - [[ntaw:Nature awareness]] |
| | - [[cano:canoes|Canoes & kayaks]] |
| | - [[navi:Navigation]] |
| | - [[lito:tourism|Low-impact tourism]] |
| | - [[litr:transport|Low-impact transport]] |
| | - [[fish:Fishing]] |
| | |
| | |
| | ===== Specialist curators of this topic ===== |
| |
| |