Teen activist demands immediate action against climate change
The racing sailboat Malizia II skippered by Pierre Casiraghi and Boris Herrmann, arrived on Wednesday, August 28, 2019, in the bay of New York with climate hero Greta Thunberg on board. It was almost 15:00 hs in Manhattan, where a crowd of young activists had been waiting impatiently under the rain and started to cheer loudly when the dark black sails of Malizia II came into sight. The eagle has landed!
After 14 days at sea, the IMOCA 60’ crew sailed up the Hudson River, exhausted but in great spirits with the satisfaction of having delivered safely Greta to her destination. Malizia II faced difficult weather conditions with no less than six depressions, winds up to 30 knots, several cold fronts and rough seas in the Gulf Stream with troughs several meters deep at times. Designed for racing, Malizia demonstrated her potential, reaching speeds up to 30 knots. The average speed was 11.2 knots for the 3,711 nautical mile trip completed in 13 days and 18 hours from Plymouth via the Lizard on the Cornish coast to the Ambrose lighthouse.
“I am full of praise for Greta’s courage and determination; her attitude on board Malizia II was exemplary despite the extreme living conditions. I would like to thank everyone in the Malizia team and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. It was a very emotional moment sailing past the Statue of Liberty, and I thank everyone for all the support we received during this amazing adventure crossing the Atlantic,” said Pierre Casiraghi, Vice-President of the Yacht Club de Monaco on his arrival in New York.
“We are proud to have had the opportunity to bring Greta across the Atlantic emission-free and safely. Her mission to highlight the climate change crisis is very much in line with the Malizia Ocean Challenge where we work with scientists and are actively involved with educating young people.
The mood was very good onboard all the time and nobody felt really seasick. Greta as a non-sailor before this trip kept up very well in all conditions and I would say she’s quite an offshore sailor now. We had some very constructive and interesting discussions, all five crew together, often about the oceans and their role as a CO2 sink, as well as on other topics about nature and the climate. I wish Greta all the best for her actions, strikes, and speeches in America. We will go back to our racing program to prepare for the Transat Jaques Vabre later this year and the main goal, the Vendee Globe in 2020,” said the German Skipper Boris Herrmann.
Thunberg crossed the Atlantic Ocean departing from Plymouth, UK, on August 14, to get to New York after 14 days to speak at the UN Climate Action Summit on September 23, on a zero-emission voyage onboard Malizia II to reduce the environmental impact of her journey. Some detractors see Greta’s epic trip as a PR move, then so be it, as it increases awareness about the need to resolve climate change now for present and future generations.
The 16-year-old Swedish activist symbol of the battle against climate change, accompanied by her father Svante Thunberg and filmmaker Nathan Grossman, has just completed her first Atlantic crossing to participate in the United Nations Climate Action Summit on September 23, in New York, organized by Antonio Guterres, General Secretary of the UN. Greta’s message is loud and clear, and she does not beat around the bush, telling the situation like it is and demanding appropriate action! And the whole world is listening!
(Photo: Greta Thunberg@Riccardo Pinto / Team Malizia)
Today’s Quote
“Until you start focusing on what needs to be done rather than what is politically possible, there is no hope. We can’t solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis. We need to keep fossil fuels in the ground, and we need to focus on equity. And if solutions within the system are so impossible to find, maybe we should change the system itself.” Greta Thunberg, climate change activist
Monaco Reporter 