Climate activist Greta Thunberg will also be foregoing a flight on her return journey from the USA to Europe - she has found a sailing opportunity on a relatively well-known catamaran. The departure is scheduled for tomorrow from the US state of Virginia, according to the 16-year-old shared on Instagram.
One of the main reasons for the Swede's trip to America was to take part in the World Climate Change Conference, which was due to take place in Chile on 2 December. However, it was cancelled due to the current unrest in the country and moved to Madrid at short notice. Since then, Thunberg has been looking for an opportunity to sail to Europe, having already completed the journey across the Atlantic on skipper Boris Herrmann's Imoca "Malizia" (see interview in YACHT 21/19).
The ship of your choice for the return journey is the 48-foot catamaran "La Vagabonde". This is likely to attract attention again after the media-intensive journey, as the crew of the cat is known for its professional public relations work. The "Vagabonde" YouTube channel alone has almost 1.2 million subscribers.
The cat from Outremer belongs to Australians Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu, who will be joined on board for this trip by English professional skipper Nikki Henderson. Whitelum and Carausu have been travelling the world's oceans since 2014 and have financed this trip largely through their video reports and have also reached a large audience through numerous television appearances. The two had offered their services after the Swede had been looking for a sailing opportunity on Twitter.
Lenny, the couple's young son, and - as on the outward journey - Thunberg's father Svante will also be on board.
