Sustainability, Summits and Smooth Sailing

Following our recent story about a 70 year old taking on the Clipper Round the World Race challenge, here we report on someone at the other end of the age spectrum setting sail on an exciting voyage. Climate activist Greta Thunberg, just 16 years old, is travelling across the Atlantic by boat to attend the UN summits on global warming in New York and Chile.

Choosing to travel by boat is a political decision for Greta: she told the BBC that refusing to travel by plane 'shows the world that the climate change crisis is a real thing'. The boat she is travelling in, a 60ft Malizia II sailing yacht, is fitted with solar panels and underwater turbines, meaning that all electricity on board will be generated with zero carbon emissions. Though it is one of the fastest ocean sailing boats, it has no toilet or kitchen and very little in the way of privacy.

She is sailing in stellar company: both Pierre Casiraghi (the grandson of Monaco’s late Prince Rainier III) and legendary actor Grace Kelly are on board. Her father Svante Thunberg will also be making the journey and everyone will be under the care and guidance of skipper Boris Herrmann. Holly Cova, who is from Guernsey where Bachmann Group is based, is part of the team helping Greta in her mission.

Greta will be speaking at the UN summit and, though her endeavour is gaining plenty of press attention, she remains realistic about what she can achieve: when asked if she could make US president Donald Trump listen to her please, she replied simply, "No. I’m not that special, I can’t convince everyone.

We wish Greta all the best for her journey and her speech to the UN summit. Here at Bachmann Group, we strive to make our working practice as eco-friendly as possible, helping to sustain the climate and planet for everyone to enjoy both on land and at sea.

To keep up to date on Greta's progress and to find out more about Bachmann Group, our services and our commitment to sustainability, please subscribe to our newsletter.