Simply Abu Dhabi XXXVI

1 7 2 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Photography: Francisco Martinez A s the sun rose over the chilly British port of Plymouth on a late summer’s morning in August 2019, teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg stepped aboard 60- foot carbon fibre sailboat Malizia II and strapped herself in for a challenging ride. Set to be her compact home for the next fortnight, fully-fledged racing yacht Malizia II is not designed for luxury travel. Stripped out to be as light as possible, that equated to buckets in place of toilets, a lack of cooking facilities, showers or proper beds, and a steely resolve from Thunberg. For the symbolic leader of the world’s youth climate activists, however, the gain far outweighed the pain. Invited to attend the UN climate summits in New York and Chile, Thunberg chose to make the two-week 3,000-mile journey via sailboat to avoid the dreaded carbon emissions from air travel. The aim was to demonstrate to the world that it is possible to switch to climate neutral mobility, and high-tech foiling sailboat Malizia II was the obvious choice. Equipped with solar panels and underwater turbines to generate electricity during the journey, even the boat’s emergency combustion engine was sealed before setting off for the crossing. In addition, Torqeedo RIBs powered by electric engines were used to assist the vessel during docking manoeuvres, as well as to tow Malizia out of, and back into, port. The supporting argument is a convincing one. The hottest 20 years on Earth since climate records began in 1850 have all occurred in the last 23 years. Moreover, the hottest five years on record have been the last five years, and 2019 is on schedule to maintain this alarming trend. Change clearly needs to happen, but we don’t all have to endure torturous transatlantic trips to achieve it. Advances in the world of hybrid Superyachtsof thefuture