“The rich gazed at their superyachts, and decided they were not enough. The new breed of megayachts, which are at least 70 metres (230ft) in length, may be the most expensive moveable assets ever created.”
“First and foremost, owning a megayacht is the most polluting activity a single person can possibly engage in. Abramovich’s yachts emit more than 22,000 tonnes of carbon every year, which is more than some small countries. Even flying long-haul every day of the year, or air-conditioning a sprawling palace, would not get close to those emissions levels.
The bulk of these emissions happen whether or not a yacht actually travels anywhere. Simply owning one – or indeed building one – is an act of enormous climate vandalism.”
I just asked because you said it was hard work on a 2 person vessel. I don’t sail so I was just wondering why that would be. Is it labor intensive with moving the sails, or more mentally fatiguing to constantly calculate where to position sails? I’ve not so seriously considered crossing the Altantic (which I heard requires a year of preparation). So to the question as to whether an automated sailboat for two would be greener, I would say /yes/ to the extent that it might encourage more people to sail.
To me, the mental part is easy, but I suppose it would depend on how familiar one is with the winds and tides. It is extremely labor intensive.