TORQEEDO CRUISE 4.O FP
THE POD DRIVE
Voila....this is it. The old engine, the tank, the tubes, the smell, the fuel, the holes for emission and cooling water are all gone. They are being replaced by this little shining plug inside the boat, and the sleek pod and folding propeller underneath it.
2) A VOTE FOR UP-CYCLING – Oct 27, 2022.
Voting for Smaragd is a vote for up-cycling. Simply using already existing fossil-fuel sailboats and transforming them into electric sailboats. It is definitely an easier transformation than to even thinking about the up-cycling of an existing fossil-fuel car into an electric one...
For us, it was a no-brainer in terms of taking responsibility for the generations to come. Despite the cost. This was in early 2018. An electric pod engine was 30-130% more expensive than a new fossil fuel engine back then. But being a member of the generation that has been using the planetary resources for 50-100 years without second thoughts of the consequences, it felt like the least we could do. Just pay for the shift. Now. We owe it to the young ones to ditch the habits and dependence on fossil fuels.
Our dear Project Patron, Dee Caffari MBE, expressed it like this, and we love her for it:
"I have been a supporter of this project since 2020, and back their ambitious call for change. We need more of what they stand for and the Smaragd up-cycling concept is refreshing. Let’s all vote for this amazing crew and their mission this year which will also be a vote for all the new progressive, innovative, alternatives next year.”
Yes...a vote on Smaragd this year is truly a vote for all the new progressive, innovative, alternatives next year!
We encourage you who are thinking of shifting to electric, to just do it. The internet is loaded with groups and videos on how it can be done – from low-cost fix-it-all-by-yourself solutions to more costly full-fledged systems installed by a shipyard.
To start with, how nice isn’t it to never have to look for a marine gas station again? Very. And we love the silence, the non-smelling, the extra space – the no engine and no tank. The pod engine under the hull is it. The lonely cable coming up into the same room where the former engine lived is also it! Lots of space, no grease, no oil spill, no filters, no smell, no emissions, and no cooling water holes. A win-win-win-win.
The cost of up-cycling an almost 30-year-old sailboat can of course be set at any level. We went all in. It was very much an emotional based decision as it was a gift to my/our children and we were blessed financially at the time. And it was not even close to the cost of buying a brand new sailboat of the same size.
Old boats that are taken out of “circulation” are either being burned or chopped up and ending up in landfills. Some are left to sink to the seabed in the belief that the problem will be gone. It won’t. They are all disaster alternatives just pushed over to our children to deal with when we are gone. Not nice. We have to stop those thoughtless behaviors. Now.
Ok, back in 2018, we may not have had the chance to do all steps through the renovation in the absolute optimal environmentally friendly way. We tried to do as well as we could together with the shipyard. As a “producer” they had of course responsibilities as well as laws and regulations to live up to. It was not perfect, and we can only hope and believe that the industry will develop into better methods and innovative, non-toxic, and sustainable materials, and solutions.
Looking at our fellow nominee colleagues for this award there is seemingly great progress going on, and we do support their efforts wholeheartedly. They have a fabulous opportunity in years to come to really pave the way into an all-in sustainable production of new sailboats. We salute you guys for that!
Nevertheless, the up-cycling of an already existing sailboat will not come close to the use of energy and resources, or the amount of released CO2, compared to the production of a new boat from scratch. As it looks today.
We hope to win this award to be able to promote the good values built into the concept of up-cycling. If you like that though, please give it a minute, click the link, join our statement and vote for the Smaragd…and sleep well tonight.
Thank you for your attention.
Hugs to you from all of us