Shipping goods around the Puget Sound, using only the power of the wind and sun.
Shipping goods around the Puget Sound, using only the power of the wind and sun.
Shipping goods around the Puget Sound, using only the power of the wind and sun.
What we don't believe is that those two facts should prevent you from having and enjoying your morning coffee.
Which is why we're delivering coffee around the Puget Sound, using sail power.
Now, you’ll be able to enjoy a cup of coffee on chilly, Pacific Northwest mornings that came to you, shipped by sail. When you look at the forests and marine wildlife you care about, that makes this area great, you know that we care about them too; we committed ourselves and our business to protecting them through alternative energy based transportation. We see no reason to lag behind using petroleum-based propulsion, which is only getting more and more expensive and damaging every year, when we could turn instead to the cleaner, faster energy that can be harnessed with simple sail cloth and solar panels. The Puget Sound has a rich nautical shipping history, from Indigenous traders to Europeans. We become a part of that history together now, as we ship your coffee to you by sail, protect our ecosystems together, and enjoy great coffee! We are 100% committed to our no petroleum propulsion goal. We have already traveled almost 2000 nautical miles, including an ocean passage with no petroleum. Our crew and ships are experienced, and will make sure you get your morning coffee, fossil fuel free!
Please fill out the form below and we'll get back to you with details!
Starting within the next month, we are going to deliver roasted coffee from Middle Fork Roasters in Seattle, to various ports around the Puget Sound. At first, we will be sticking close to Seattle, but hope to expand as far south as Olympia, and as far north as Bellingham before too long. We also hope to expand our available goods, shipping local products all over the Puget Sound.
We are commited to protecting our environment. Any needed shore side transportation will take place using bicycles and trailers.
As excitement about this project grows, we hope to run a crowd-sourcing campaign in order to upgrade our capacity, gaining some economy of scale and shrinking the price premium over goods shipped via oil burning freighters.
Sailing technology has continued to evolve over the last hundred years, even after petroleum fueled shipping took over at the beginning of the 20th century, due to the popularity of recreational sailing and racing. Racing sailboats in particular has led to many modern materials and innovations, with speed records constantly being set.
We believe that by taking these modern improvements of the ancient technology of driving ships before the wind, and combining them with new advancements in solar power and electric engines, it will be possible to economically ship goods without the use of any oil.
We see no reason to lag behind using petroleum-based propulsion, which is only getting more and more expensive and damaging every year, when we could turn instead to the cleaner, faster energy that can be harnessed with simple sail cloth and solar panels.
We already own a small 28ft sailboat, that we've sailed for the last year without any engine power. We built a large oar based on a chinese design, called a yuloh, that can propel our boat for short distances if we need to maneuver when the wind fails. About Our Boat.
For long distance, we are entirely dependent on the wind, but on the ocean, this is actually very reliable. We are 100% committed to our no petroleum propulsion goal. We have already traveled almost 1000 nautical miles, including an ocean passage with no petroleum. More About Us.
One of the first upgrades to our capability will be the installation of an electric engine, with enough solar panels to provide the power necessary to enable us to maneuver reliably and safely inside of ports, or in other areas of heavy traffic. After that, (or before if demand is great) we will move up to a larger vessel, also equipped with electric power.
We would love to hear from anybody with knowledge in the following areas:
Mahonri, Ariel, and their dog, Lenin, have been living aboard their Cape Dory 28 named Wimahl, since January 2013. After buying Wimahl in St. Helens, Oregon, they moved it up the Columbia river to Hayden Island, in northern Portland.
After spending the first half of the year learning to sail and getting the boat ready for cruising, they left Portland after the famous Blues Festival at the beginning of July and headed down the river to Astoria, and then up the Washington coast to the Puget Sound, where they traveled for the rest of the year, including a trip to the San Juan islands and Victoria, British Columbia, before settling down for the winter and more boatwork in Everett, Washington.
Ariel also does freelance writing and illustrating. Her first childrens book was recently released. It is available here.
Mahonri spent 6 years as a U.S. Air Force Pararescueman, before separating to pursue his own dreams. Aside from sailing, he also pursues his landscape photography.
Lenin is always very busy being a dog.
Chase and Indigo have recently joined us in our endevour to ship via sail. They'll be shipping around the Puget Sound aboard their boat, Osprey, a Buchan 37. More details coming soon!
Wimahl is a 1978 Cape Dory 28, a model known for its seaworthiness and rugged nature. Cape Dorys are highly sought after by people looking for a small sailboat than can cruise the world.
Ours is a Bermuden rigged sloop, having a single main sail, combined with either a small club-footed jib foresail, or a larger genoa.
When we purchased Wimahl, we were told that she had sailed around the South Pacific with a previous owner. We haven't been able to verify this, but we do know that she had been sailed at least around the Pacific Northwest for a number of years.
We have modified her extensively, including reworking the chainplates and rigging, installing solar panels, setting up the yuloh sculling oar, new sails, and modifying storage on the inside.
From Wikipedia:
The Chinese "yuloh" is a large, heavy sculling oar with a socket on the underside of its shaft which fits over a stern-mounted pin, creating a pivot which allows the oar to swivel and rock from side to side. The weight of the oar, often supplemented by a rope lashing, holds the oar in place on the pivot. The weight of the outboard portion of the oar is counterbalanced by a rope running from the underside of the handle to the deck of the boat. The sculler mainly moves the oar by pushing and pulling on this rope, which causes the oar to rock on its pivot, automatically angling the blade to create forward thrust. This system allows multiple rowers to operate one oar, allowing large, heavy boats to be rowed if necessary.
We built our own yuloh when it became apparent that we needed some means of moving the boat short distances, even if the wind was not cooperating. It enables us to move the boat at speeds between 1-2 knots, with an effort we are able to sustain for long periods.
