Can we blow away maritime's carbon crisis?
Trade Winds, by Christiaan De Beukelaer
With m
aritime decarbonisation well and truly on the agenda, there has been a recent surge of interest in wind propulsion for cargo vessels. Christiaan De Beukelaer is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society whose sailing hobby led him to explore the possibilities of using this old-fashioned method in modern supply chains, and he has written this fascinating account of what it is like to put wind power into practice.
Like our featured book in the previous issue of the Telegraph, Trade Winds focuses on a voyage that was unexpectedly disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. De Beukelaer joined Avontuur, the world's largest sailing cargo vessel, in the Canary Islands for a voyage to pick up rum, coffee and cacao in the Caribbean and transport them to Germany. He was hoping to spend three weeks finding out more about the movement to bring back emission-free propulsion. Instead he found himself trapped onboard for five months.
This adds an element of tension and adventure to an account of how entrepreneurs and sailing enthusiasts are attempting to make a difference for the planet by transporting goods the traditional way, rather than relying on what De Beukelaer calls 'horrendously polluting, but frighteningly convenient, fossil fuels'.
The book is very well written, and it is interesting to read about the practical details of navigation, work and social life onboard such an unusual vessel. There are also maps, illustrations and images of the vessel during its voyage.
Potential readers who wonder whether this will book will be a lecture on environmentalism can be reassured that it is a fair account. It's clear where De Beukelaer's heart lies – he shows that the well-meaning attempts to transport goods by wind ship can inspire hope that a different kind of global economy is possible. However, he is also honest in his scepticism about whether a large-scale transformation to this planet-friendly propulsion system is ultimately possible. He doesn't shrink from the challenges involved, from the amount of timber required to build sailing vessels to the need for maritime professionals with particular specialist skills.
Still, the advocates for wind technology aren't going to give up. Only time will tell if they are successful in making a real difference to the maritime industry's carbon emissions.
Trade Winds: a voyage to a sustainable future for shipping
By Christiaan De Beukelaer
Manchester University Press, £20.00
ISBN: 978 15261 163097
Buy this book in the Nautilus Bookshop
While you're there, why not browse the rest of the titles in our unique maritime bookshop, which sells all the books reviewed on these pages.
Buy nowMore Books
Salvage story told through a treasure trove of images
In the Wake of the Empress of Ireland By David Saint-PierreThe sinking of the Empress of Ireland in 1914 remains the worst peacetime disaster in Canadian history. Of the 1,477 people onboard, 1,012 died as the ocean liner went down in just 14 minutes.
Fighting on after D-Day
Normandy: The Sailors’ Story By Nick HewittTo tie in with the 80th anniversary of D-Day last year, Yale University Press published this detailed and readable book by veteran ship restorer and historian Nick Hewitt, which puts the efforts of the Allied navies in the Battle for France centre stage.
Scotland's WW2 supply crews
Never to Return: Convoys to Russia and the Second World War By Roderick G MacleanAs remembrance season approaches, we often look out for new titles on the Merchant Navy in wartime, and Never to Return fits the bill this year.
New northern take on the Titanic tragedy
Titanic: The Greater Manchester Connections by James W BancroftFew maritime tragedies have held such a place in the public imagination as that of the Titanic. The tales and testimonies of passengers aboard that doomed voyage in 1912 have inspired countless books and several film adaptations, some more fictionalised than others.