Greta Thunberg – the 16 year old climate activist, has arrived in Lisbon by sailing catamaran, after spending three weeks at sea since leaving Virginia in the United States on November 13. She crossed the Atlantic under sail to attend the GOP25 climate conference – the destination of which was suddenly moved from Chile to Madrid, on October 30. Chile renounced holding the conference following serious unrest and anti-government protests. The conference opened in the Spanish capital yesterday and will run until December 13.
Riley, Nikki, Greta and Elayna with Lenny before departure.
While most delegates to the conference would not be affected by such a move Greta’s moral decision to cross the Atlantic under sail rather than fly by aeroplane (she went out on August 15 – see report: HERE) meant that she was calling for help, and a lift, on her social media platforms. She was invited to sail aboard La Vagabonde, a 45-foot Outremer catamaran belonging to You Tube sailing celebrities Riley Whitelum, and his wife Elayna Carausu. The couple have recently had a baby, Lenny, so they took on Greta’s father Svante as well as professional sailor and a recent Maiden guest skipper Nikki Henderson.
Speaking a few minutes after docking, Riley said: “About the trip – it’s not recommended to cross the North Atlantic this time of year. It was quite eventful and we crammed about three years of sailing experience into three weeks. We managed to dodge 60 knot winds and 7 metre waves – twice we had a huge wave come across the deck which took a chair off and snapped a few important ropes. Nikki was absolutely amazing – it was like having three crew members aboard. Elayna also had a difficult job looking after our baby Lenny who turns one in three days’ time. But I am very proud to have played a small part in Greta’s journey.” The boat made good time, often averaging 10 knots boat speed and with a top speed of 22.8 knots for this trip.
Happy crew – minutes after landfall
Nikki Henderson had revealed that she and Riley shared most of the night watches, leaving the other three to manage the boat during the day. “Riley and I rotate in solo shifts,” she wrote. “For the first week or so when it was colder and we were acclimatising into shortened sleep cycles, we rotated two on two off. Now we have relaxed into a three hour watch cycle which allows for more sleep and also time to really get into the groove of the watch.
“We move our sleeping quarters to the saloon berth for the night, so as not disturb anyone. Most importantly we can wake each other up if we need a hand. There are specific jobs onboard that are much easier, quicker and safer with two, such as reefing, or rolling away a spinnaker. But sometimes a five-minute reef can easily turn into a 30-minute affair.”
Wellwishers welcome La Vagabonde to Portugal
Greta spoke at the assembled press conference on the dock thanking the La Vagabonders and Nikki for making it happen. “I am so grateful to have done this trip and had this experience. And I am so honoured to be here in beautiful Lisbon. After being so isolated for three weeks and with such limited things to do it feels quite overwhelming to reach land and see this amount of people. But after this trip I also feel energised and I want to continue now. It feels good to be back in Europe and of course I and other climate activists will continue to put pressure on people in power and make sure they prioritise this (climate change).
“We are facing a global emergency and we need to see it from a holistic point of view. We need to fight for our children and grandchildren and every living being on earth. We want to make sure the voices of the people are being heard and the voices of future generations and especially those from the Global South are being heard.
“We need people in power to listen to the science and unite behind the scientists. I hope everyone of you will get active and start fighting for your future as well.”
Greta was asked about flying and particularly about the building of a local airport: “We need to put flying in a bigger perspective – as to whether it will do more harm than good. We should not think about today and what we want now but what we will need in the future,” she said.
One question was from a GOP25 delegate, who had flown to Europe: “For those who can’t afford (the time) to travel by sailing boat what would you recommend?” he asked.
Greta has faced a lot of criticism for not flying but she pointed out that this was a symbolic gesture. “I am not telling people what to do,” she said.
“I am not travelling like this because I want everyone to do so,” Greta asserted. “I am doing it to send a message that it is impossible to live sustainably today.” To cheers and applause she continued: “And that needs to become much easier – we can’t rely on people to sail you across an ocean like this – it would be absurd. I am not telling you how to travel… There are more sustainable alternatives, but I am not telling anyone else what to do.”
Greta’s post this evening: Change of scenery! I probably look a bit drunk, stumbling around the beautiful streets of Lisboa on my sea legs… I have been living under a rock for a few weeks so I need to catch up and get organised
Greta also admitted she was seasick on the first day but no-one suffered from seasickness after that.
Asked about her immediate plans she said: “I have been living under a rock for a few weeks so I need to catch up and get organised,” before adding: “And then I will go to Madrid for the march on Friday. After Madrid I am going home for Christmas.”
Screenshots from Euronews on FB. You can see Greta’s arrival and the full press conference: HERE
In the Tagus approaching the dock near the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge. 22.8 knots was their top speed at sea