Annapolis Boat Show - Part Deux - The Power Weekend

Can one expect Green initiatives at a power boat show? Well, yes, particularly on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The US Powerboat Show held in Annapolis last weekend showcased a few enthusiastic vendors that offered sustainability as well as performance.

Greenline Hybrids

Most notable in the water was the Greenline Hybrid, two beautiful and comfortable boats made in Europe. What sets them apart is the company’s philosophy: “We want to keep our most beautiful boating spots in the same pristine condition as when we first discovered them. We want to enjoy the untouched beauties of the boating world for years to come and pass them on to our children and grandchildren.” To fulfill this vision, they have devised a hybrid engine that allows cruising on the sun’s energy supplemented by diesel power when needed. Running on solar electric power enables a quiet, pollution-free ride, much like the sailboat experience, at sailboat speed (up to 6 knots) – up to 20 miles at 4 knots. When it is necessary to get somewhere quickly, such as trying to outrun a storm, the diesel can be kicked in increasing the speed up to 15 knots. 



Greenline's 40 Hybrid



The charge from the six 1.3kW solar panels built into the hard top, and the hybrid drive that charges the lithium batteries when the diesel is running or the sun is shining, allows the boat to run for several days without the diesel. The solar panels have been built to operate in a marine environment and they can be walked upon. The manufacturer says that due to the design of the hull, the boat burns “…up to 4 times less fossil fuel per nautical mile than comparable planning hulls, reducing the pollution by 75%.” Both the 33-footer and the 40-footer are impressive vessels that make a very strong environmental statement (greenlinehybrid.com).

Electrocruise

On a smaller scale, the 23-foot ElectroCruise solar-assisted cruiser was in the water equipped with solar panels that power a Ray Electric 4HP outboard. The little lobster boat hulled cruiser has a hardtop covered in solar panels and depending on the number of batteries installed can cruise up to almost five hours at 7 knots. The full line of “e-boats” is designed for all-day electric power cruising with a range of up to 12 hours on a single charge, depending on the model. The electric outboards, ranging from 2.5 to 4HP are made in the USA. The Ray Electric is, according to the manufacturer, “the first electric outboard to be designed and patented as a primary source of power,” rather than just for trolling. Coupled with the charge from the sun, use of the electric outboard makes for a relaxing, non-polluting, quiet ride (rayeo.com).

Ray Electric Motor

German-made, Torqeedo displayed its line of electric outboards, lithium batteries and distinctive propeller design. Models ranged from kayak motors to those that can take provide almost 10HP. The system includes a remote throttle information display that details battery charge status, remaining range, speed over ground, and input power (torqueedo.com).



Duffy Electric Boats

Locally, SJ Koch Electric Boat Rentals displayed its incredibly cute rental American-made Duffy Electric Boats, that are not solar powered, but electric plug-ins. These quiet little boats hold up to 10 people for a quiet day on the water and are rentable in three locations in Maryland (experiencetheduffyboat.com).

Green on shore transportation was featured too with Bikes Go Green, a family-run business from Virginia. Their foldable Volto bikes, made in China, operate by traditional pedaling or electrically via a lithium-ion battery powered motor. Either way, they are emission free (bikesgogreen.com).



Bikes Go Green



Of course, there’s the other side of the coin too – the mega-motored muscle boats that probably use more fuel in one afternoon than the average neighborhood. There was one outboard that produced an astounding 537HP and looked to me like it was dressed in a Superman outfit. Even so, there was a lot of talk about fuel efficiency.



The boat show management is slowly moving toward recognition of the importance of sustainability. The show brochure marked off an area for green boating where several of the dealers mentioned above were located. The management is awaiting a waste audit of trash collected during the sailboat show the previous weekend, so we are hopeful that there will be some recycling stations available next year in and around the show.

At both the power and sail shows, there is a growing appetite for sustainability and stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay. We hope that boaters will support the manufacturers and dealers of these products thereby doing as we are at The Solar and Wind Expo – creating demand and building markets for green boating products. That is good for the economy, for clean air, clean water and healthy lives.

by Elvia Thompson

The Annapolis boat show exhibitors are embracing Green

I feel so blessed to live a stone's throw from Annapolis and to be able to visit the biggest and oldest sail boat show in America, now in its 42nd year. Some may say that sailboats are already green because they are not fuel intensive like motor boats. They are right. But they are not stopping there; the sailboat culture embraces conservation. A tour of the Annapolis Sailboat show on Saturday was not only fun but enlightening.

The emphasis on energy saving and conservation was everywhere. The first thing we noticed was the placement of "eco-stations," trash and recycling bins that had been set up in select locations by WasteStrategies of Annapolis, Md. in partnership with Annapolis Green. They were set up to help event goers separate recyclable trash from non-recyclable waste. It was very effective; we saw person after person look at the graphic instructions and then separate their waste. It was so effective that we found ourselves clapping a couple of times.

"Our containers have received broad acceptance, at Eastport Yacht Club's Boat Show Bash, at the boat show itself and at others locations since we debuted them last month. At the Boat Show Bash we were able to recycle 50% and that was a huge success; with proper planning we will get to 75% next year," said John Nicklin, Managing Member of WasteStrategies.

Beautiful boats abound, lots of them were demonstrating small wind turbines and/or solar panels or had them as an option. We ran into Meghan Mathews of Yacht 2 Be Green, whose entire booth was dedicated to greening your yacht.

They carried LED lighting, wind turbines and all types of energy saving products and "soon will carry a line of Solar Panels," according to Meghan.

Yacht 2 Be Green also has a charitable arm called Sailors Without Borders whose mission is to have cruising sailors transport school supplies and other materials to needy kids in out of the way places.



Oyster Marine 655

 We saw a 65 foot Oyster with one of the best layouts I've seen, with a hundred-foot mast, retractable sail, it was like a big playground that would look great with me as Captain, but I digress...

We met a man who was demonstrating a neat way of recycling waste plastic.

Rod Sato, Vice President of E-N-ergy was standing next to the Blest Be-h desktop unit that can convert plastic into oil that can run generators and other engines. He was converting the plastic into something useful as we watched! The unit uses 1 kilowatt of electricity to convert 1 kilogram of plastic into 1 liter of oil, at a cost of around US $0.25. The oil can then be further refined back through the machine into gasoline, kerosene, and diesel. A small amount of ash is left over, and the off-gasses are turned into CO2 and water with a catalytic converter, or can be used to run a generator." The process is called pyrolysis- or gasification, and is a tried and true method for converting almost any type of material into energy.



BE-H

 Material is super heated in the absence of oxygen- so does not combust, but vaporizes into gas. Since there is no combustion, there are no toxic gasses released, so the process is relatively clean," said Sato.

And there were several other booths featuring eco-friendly products. Another thing we noticed was that boaters embrace non-toxic stainless steel cookware rather than non-stick cookware that was so prevalent just a few years ago.

What a great event this was, with so much promise. The oceans may soon see benefits from all the good people working together to find solutions to the waste problem that we face in the world. Next weekend we get to see the power boaters at the same venue and we will report on their achievements.

Bon Voyage!

by George Lopez

The Annapolis boat show is here

Sylvia Earle

Years ago when the Googleplex proudly debuted Google Earth, renown American oceanographer Sylvia Earle told Google execs that they had a great product but that it wasn’t really Google Earth, but “Google Dirt” because there was no mapping of ¾ of the planet – that is, the oceans. Red-faced, probably, they set to work with Dr. Earle and completed mapping of the oceans too. Dr. Earle was right on point when she said, “Without blue, there is no green.” Our planet is regulated by the oceans. Our people are fed by the oceans. Even deep inland the effect is profound.

The production of energy from fossil fuels affects the oceans and the land. We know how oil spills from drilling and cargo tanker accidents affects nature, but there is a big negative effect from air pollution as well. Too much carbon dioxide and shrinking amounts of ozone high in the atmosphere kill phytoplankton – the basis of life in the ocean. When we think of renewable energy we need to expand our thoughts to the ocean, the Earth’s mother, who feeds us and brings us weather regulating the pulse of the Earth and humankind.

For the next two weeks my hometown of Annapolis, Maryland, will be awash in boats – even more than usual. Two of the nation’s biggest boat shows, one each for sail and power, brings many visitors and locals into our charming downtown to see the latest and greatest in vessels and accessories. The enthusiasm for boating and enjoying the Chesapeake Bay, which is evident in Annapolis all-year long anyway, is magnified. There is a movement toward Green Boating, using eco-friendly products and being very careful to put no trash in the waters. There also are entrepreneurs who are taking it a step further. Last year a hybrid solar powerboat was introduced – the Greenline. It has solar panels on the top and on the deck and can go all day at a reasonable speed powered by the sun. If needed, an auxiliary diesel engine can kick in, but is usually not needed.

The point of this is that we need to think of new ways of living, working and playing if we are to have a habitable planet in the future. Whether our passions are mountain biking or sailing, we need make every decision as if our lives depend on it… because they do.

by Elvia Thompson