Nov 26, 2024

There has been a lot of discussion in the media and among ordinary people generally, following the election results in the United States and concern about climate change deniers and vaccine sceptics since the Republican win. To be sure, places like Florida and the Caribbean have long experienced hurricanes but this year saw more storm activity and more powerful storms. Was that just bad luck? Last week, Canada’s West Coast experienced a Weather Bomb that brought B.C. a deluge for days and hurricane strength winds. As just one example of the severity of the conditions, the CBC website showed a video of a Giant Pacific Octopus clinging to cover during B.C.’s bomb cyclone.  The footage was captured by Ocean Networks Canada at the University of Victoria (https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6571459). The footage was captured at Folger Passage near Bamfield, where instruments measured waves 10-metres high, compared to the usual one metre, and vertical currents three times stronger than normal.

What boat can handle a 10-metre high wave? 

If you are thinking that a superyacht could, you might be right, but I would not want to bet my yacht, or my life on it. A 10-metre wave is about 33-feet high and that will break over just about any bow. Hopefully no one was out in the weather bomb, but I’m concerned to think that pleasure craft are contributing to climate change.

Look at the fuel we burn just to power a 50-foot yacht, let alone a superyacht. In the big picture globally, there aren’t many boats and boats use a very small amount of fuel comparatively. But every gallon contributes to the problem. As boaters, we have a pretty easy way to cut back our carbon footprint. We have sailboats. I see a great future for sailing but that is not where the market is right now.

My inbox is stuffed with superyacht editorial and PR just about daily. You would think lots of people had superyachts but luckily, for now superyachts are only for the select few. Also, they may be able to help the rest of us. Some of the billionaires with superyachts can also afford to make a major investment in environmental progress, for example building their superyacht to run on hydrogen.

I think the world is making progress that way. I just read that Canadian Pacific Kansas City (used to be CP Rail now called CPKC) says its two new hydrogen production and refuelling stations in Calgary and Edmonton are now operational. These stations are part of CPKC’s hydrogen locomotive program, through which the railway company is retrofitting a number of diesel locomotives with hydrogen fuel cells so they can operate without directly generating emissions.

I think that is great news and I could see that technology and those engines being adopted for marine use pretty quickly.  Unlike traditional diesel engines, hydrogen-powered locomotives emit only water vapour. According to The Canadian Press, CPKC currently has three hydrogen-powered locomotives in service. That’s exciting.

There is good news, there is bad news. There is a significant concern politically about what future governments will do, but I feel confident that most people now realize the environmental damage that has already been done and I think we are willing to make changes in the way we live and in what we buy. Boating can be a great and relatively benign activity in the future but that’s not where the market is going right now. That’s why I feel conflicted.

Andy Adams – Editor