Oakland (Calif.) April 9, 2007 — Strictly Sail Pacific, the largest sailboat show on the West Coast that opens in Oakland on April 18, brings environmentally friendly activities to Jack London Square on Earth Day weekend. The five-day event—which runs until Sunday, April 22—features a large fleet of sailboats fueled by wind power, boats and companies that tread lightly on the ocean environment, and opportunities to try sailing.”As a group, sailors are respectful of the ocean environment, and the weather,” said Kevin Murphy of show organizer Sail America. “They have to work with winds and tides, and they have to operate according to the weather … The ocean is much more than a playground: it`s integral to everything you do as a sailor.”
Sailing is a generally “green” activity, but one boat coming to Strictly Sail takes that concept to a new level.
The Derek M. Baylis, a 65-footer designed by pioneering California naval architect Tom Wylie and built in Watsonville (Calif.), was designed to give marine researchers and educators access to the ocean while leaving a minimal footprint on the environment.
In the world of marine research vessels, this sailboat is like a hybrid car—tapping both the power of the wind and that of an auxiliary diesel engine. Fitted with an innovative double-masted, cat-ketch rig, the boat consumes a fraction of the fuel used by research vessels driven by engines alone: “It`s like powering an 18-wheeler using a motorcycle engine,” said Wylie.
The Derek M. Baylis—which is operated by the nonprofit Sealife Conservation and also works with the Monterey Bay Aquarium “Science Under Sail” program—takes researchers, school kids, tourists, and all those with an interest in the oceans aboard for a first-hand look at how man`s actions can have a positive, or devastating, effect on the health of the ocean. The boat is coming to Strictly Sail Pacific to extend its environmental education to showgoers who step aboard.
Strictly Sail Pacific runs April 18-22 at Oakland`s Jack London Square. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.strictlysail.com.
