VoyageVert
8th November 2016FAQ's
How Much will it cost?
Our current prediction and business model is based on a one-way ticket price of £4,000.
There will be 4 half-price tickets on every trip in return for some commitment to helping run the yacht.
How long will it take?
Our super fast catamaran can cover the 3500Nautical Miles (4028miles / 6482km) in 7.2 days at an average speed of 20knts (24mph or 37kph).
How many people will there be on board?
There will be 30 people on-board in total for the pilot project. However we are currently designing passenger sailing ships capable of taking up to 150 passengers.
Can I get off?
No.
Who will I be traveling with?
We will be inviting guests to share a short paragraph with their fellow guests (and only with them - not public) before the voyage begins. This is in order to bring the guests awareness of the intimate environment they will be sharing with strangers for up to ten days; with no escape! Once you embark on the trip you will have a more enjoyable time if you are already open to sharing a small (or large) part of yourself.
This simple step encourages the individual to consider the undertaking they are about to be a part of. Also it's fun! Your fellow sailors will have a line of introduction and already feel like extended family.
How do you guarantee an arrival time?
We can’t. We have an arrival window. Which with weather forecasting technology as used by our ocean racing colleagues; we will know to within a few hours when our arrival time will be.
We have a timetable planned that means every 10 days we will leave port. Depending on your onward travel requirements you will be able to stay on-board if we arrive ahead of schedule.
What will we do on-board for 8 - 10 days?
On every trip there will be a topical expert hosting conversations, discussions, talks. Customers will also be invited (in the ticket purchase stage) to name any skills or area’s of expertise they would like to talk about or present. All in a gentle atmosphere of fun and interest with their new fellow passenger friends.
Being on board with 30 people, who are likely in some way or other like-minded as they've also chosen this awesome method of travel, can't operate like a silent Tube or train carriage. There will be support and opportunity for those who are beautifully introverted, recognising that not everyone is comfortable with strangers immediately, and need a bit of their own space.
Our expert, experienced, qualified and professional crew will also be picked for their extraneous knowledge and skills.
Through expert facilitation, life on-board will function on a community basis. At VoyageVert we firmly believe there is a way to live and share together! You will be gently encouraged (but most definitely not forced!) to participate in this way of harmonious living.
Will there be WIFI?
Eight days is a long time for any of us to be away from outside contact. Sat-Comms will be open for one hour each day. Between sailing the yacht, navigating by the sun, enjoying the vast seascape and wildlife, chatting and learning new skill’s from each other and our team we know you’ll be fully occupied.
Do I need to work?
Not if you don’t want to. We promote community life on board based on our philosophy that “once the need of all the individual’s are met the need of the collective is met”. If you wish to help there will be opportunities to be involved with almost all aspects from cooking and cleaning to sailing the vessel. There's plenty of opportunity to learn, get involved, and feel great about being on the sea.
How frequent and seasonal would these trips be?
Leaving Bristol or Boston every 10 days. We will only be able to operate May until November. We are currently investigating a southern hemisphere route for the rest of the year. Our super fast catamaran can cover the 3500 Nautical Miles in 7.2days at an average speed of 20knts (24mph or 37kph).
Do you need to head south to the canaries first to cross the Atlantic?
We will have to “tack” when sailing westward but certainly not as far south as the Canaries! Ocean Sailing means tacking only once every 2-3days because there are no other obsticles or reasons to tack more frequently.
Will it be comfortable?
The vessel we have chosen for this pilot project is very large, strong and extremely comfortable. Being very fast means we will be able to sail around heavy weather systems. The interior spec. is designed to be robust, safe and functional. We are working with designers who make super-yachts for a living. It will be extremely comfortable!
Isn’t this dangerous?
We have to comply with rigorous, extensive and comprehensive international safety legislation. Weather routing technology combined with the speed of our vessel means we will never have to put the yacht in extreme conditions.
I’d be too scared.
Your ancestors were sailors and depending on what school of thought you believe we are descended from a lineage of water dwelling mammals!
With satellite safety beaconing and SOLAS* responsibilities for EVERY vessel, Captain and all countries rescue service’s help is swift and never more than a few miles away**
**http://pace.usp.ac.fj/ocst/HomePage.aspx
What if I’m seasick the whole time?
We have put a lot of time and research into finding remedies that work and there will be trained crew to administer them. These medicines (including natural therapy) and techniques will help you find your sea legs. We have put as much thought and resource as is possible into this question because of the public preconception of this problem.
A lot of people's experience is of conventional cross (English) channel ferries. Those ship's have flat bottoms and limited keel weight which means they are inherently prone to rolling (back and forth) - the most seasick-inducing vessels on the sea! By contrast our concept design and pilot project yachts are low, stable and have almost no "roll-time".
Why would I choose to sail with you and not fly?
There are currently no 'green' or carbon emission-free alternatives to flying across the world's oceans. This is why we are dedicated to delivering this project.
We want to see a future where booking a sailing ferry is as commonplace as booking long-haul flights, coaches, trains. Of course for this we do also need a future where people have the time to travel slow! But that's up to the rest of you.
We also believe that placing one’s self in a pressurised aluminum tube and catapulting one’s self to the other side of the planet is un-natural and provides no context of travel, moving across our environment with perspective and appreciation for what’s in between a and b. We want to show you the ocean in a harmonious gentle manner.
“No one will protect what they don’t care about;
and no one will care about what they have never experienced."
David Attenborough
Travel with us and be proud that you're part of the solution - not the problem!
"The world’s ecosystems are on the verge of collapse. We need to stop polluting them NOW.
If you are on the fence or a skeptic regarding climate change we point at this one simple fact. 90-100%* of scientists agree man made climate change will be catastrophic if not halted. The others are on the payrolls of Oil Companys or other self interest parties.
This is fact! We (humanity) no longer have the time or resource to waste energy arguing this point. We need solutions now and VoyageVert is a solution."
*http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/11/4/048002
Ross Porter (Project Founder and Lead)