SailCargo

Jun 29, 2010
1,287
Beneteau First 235 Lake Minnetonka, MN
This isn't new. Comes and goes on forums for the last few years. Has yet to get out of the concept phase I think, maybe there are some companies out there doing this. Looks less practical and more wanting to ride the "green wave".
 
Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
What makes a lot more sense is adding a kite to a current ship for supplemental propulsion. You use it when its practical, and don't use it when its not. If operating by sail alone, the cost will be be too high to be practical. If you don't have fast product turnover, you loose money to the bank in interest. There is a reason sailing went by the wayside.
 
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capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Too much space for people and not enough for the cargo was my first impression.
Back in the '80s, I tried to initiate a sailing cargo business through the eastern Caribbean, as it wasn't economical for Tropical Shipping to stop at all the islands with one or two 20 foot containers. They were overjoyed to pass the work off to me and my small fleet of as yet unpurchased, but sourced, sailing freighters.
The problem arose when I began seeking financing, the only financing available was through SIU (Seafarers International Union).
They pretty much offered me carte blanche (millions of dollars), the only caveat being I must employ all American union crew. At that time I could employ a West Indian to chip and paint (a deckhand) for around us$80.00 a month, whereas an American was a lot closer to us$1200.00, never mind officers etc. Sadly there was no way I could make the numbers work. SIU was even going to throw in the money to buy the San Juan Shipyard (including it's Roosevelt Roads Naval Station contract), so I could convert and maintain the vessels for nearly free.
Boy, wouldn't that have been a gas?
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
My fantasy job... but I live in the real world :wahwah:
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
... it wasn't economical for Tropical Shipping to stop at all the islands with one or two 20 foot containers. They were overjoyed to pass the work off to me and my small fleet of as yet unpurchased, but sourced, sailing freighters....
....The problem arose when I began seeking financing,
So there might be a niche market there? Maybe financing could be found with a more enlightened source today vs 30 years ago.
 

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
So there might be a niche market there? Maybe financing could be found with a more enlightened source today vs 30 years ago.
These days Tropical (as well as other companies) run dozens of 40 footers to almost every island each week.
Sadly, the time has come and gone.
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Interesting concept. It might work here in the Hawaiian Islands. Lots of wind available, especially the downwind run from the Big Island to Oahu. It would fit in with the state's goal of going to alternative energy as much as possible. And it sure would be cool to watch a clipper sail by while I am having my coffee, instead of the usual tug and barge.
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
They pretty much offered me carte blanche (millions of dollars), the only caveat being I must employ all American union crew. At that time I could employ a West Indian to chip and paint (a deckhand) for around us$80.00 a month, whereas an American was a lot closer to us$1200.00, never mind officers etc.
One of the reasons for the high cost of goods here in Hawaii is the Jones Act. It requires that everything shipped to HI must come from a mainland port on an American ship. Much of what we get here sails right by us going from Asia to the mainland, and then back here, at a very high cost.
 

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Interesting concept. It might work here in the Hawaiian Islands. Lots of wind available, especially the downwind run from the Big Island to Oahu. It would fit in with the state's goal of going to alternative energy as much as possible. And it sure would be cool to watch a clipper sail by while I am having my coffee, instead of the usual tug and barge.
The Hawaiian Islands run east to west for the most part, so it would only be a one-way trip under sail.
The reason it would have worked in the eastern Caribbean is that the islands run north to south in easterly winds. Beat to Trinidad with a fully laden, therefore at max draft vessel, then close reach up the islands to St Martin, then run back to PR. And schooners, not square-rigged vessels so you had the ability to beat and sail close hauled, and the cargo offloading ability of the union purchase, using the gaffs and booms of the gaff rigged schooners.
There are very few places in the world where this could actually work if one factors in all the variables.
 
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Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Sailing cargo ships.... heh, heh.... I think that's the reason Josh Slocum decided to go cruising...

The age of steam pretty much killed the sailing cargo industry....and also spawned the maligned formula for "theoretical hull speed" into an economic model.
 
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Jun 2, 2004
3,390
Hunter 23.5 Fort Walton Yacht Club, Florida
If the business model is to make money off the investors to fund someones hobby then I see great potential here. If the model is create a profit generating enterprise then this was probably thought up by a couple of stoned art school drop outs.
 
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Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
I think it would work for specialty items. For instance people pay a premium for "female owned & farmed" coffee or "rain forest alliance" coffee or "organic" coffee (that one makes me laugh).

I had the same dream of shipping coffee by sail 12 years ago (as did many others) and even sketched out a business plan. I believe you could add $2/lb to the shipping cost of the coffee and the retailer would only have to charge an extra $0.5 a cup to make a nice margin. You just need a partner to distribute and market the coffee.

Promote it as "low carbon" coffee or some other granola like thing.
 
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Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
If a squares'l schooner is their working design, they should consider a new architect. I have to say, the squares'l design makes me think the whole thing is an investor's scam designed to appeal to a romantic concept of throwback shipping from the "simple days" of sail. I might consider such a thing for one man or a single married couple to do for the love of it, but that type of wind power doesn't have sustainable economics. A better solution would be electric motor driven wave, wind and solar powered vessel exploiting the most efficient new design knowledge. It's accessible. This concept is just limited.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Jul 12, 2011
1,165
Leopard 40 Jupiter, Florida
One of the reasons for the high cost of goods here in Hawaii is the Jones Act. It requires that everything shipped to HI must come from a mainland port on an American ship. Much of what we get here sails right by us going from Asia to the mainland, and then back here, at a very high cost.
Not exactly, but close. Jones Act requires that things shipped between US ports must be US-flagged, US-build bottoms, US-crewed, US-safety inspected, etc. Shipping stuff from San Diego to HI requires Jones Act shipping. Shipping from Shanghai to you doesn't. The reason Chinese made stuff goes right past you is economics of scale, not law. They could stop one of those COSCO 16,000 TEU container boats in Honolulu, and offload fifty containers for local use, and the import port would just be Honolulu. It's just economically difficult to justify the stop.
 
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Jun 2, 2004
3,390
Hunter 23.5 Fort Walton Yacht Club, Florida
One of the reasons for the high cost of goods here in Hawaii is the Jones Act. It requires that everything shipped to HI must come from a mainland port on an American ship. Much of what we get here sails right by us going from Asia to the mainland, and then back here, at a very high cost.
A big part of that is the "Paradise Tax". When I lived there and they still grew pineapples and sugar we paid more for the pineapples, sugar and even macadamia nuts than mainlanders did. For a long time after I moved to the mainland my mom would send me macadamia nuts at Christmas paying more for them than I would around the corner at the local grocery store. People are accustom to paying more fore everything so they do not question paying more for everything
 

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,690
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
Some parts of the world still deliver cargo by sail. Check out the sail cargo boats of Madagascar at the 8:19 mark of this Patrick Childress video
- the rest of the video is worth watching too :)
 
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