Carbon Neutral Update

At 5:00 on Friday, June 5^th, Jay Sharkey was sailing Carbon Neutral
approximately 40 miles south of Newport, RI when the boat was dismasted due to a broken forestay. The starboard rudder had separated from its lower attachment point and was beig held on by a single pin and would have torn off completely had I not tacked over immediately. On his way back towards Newport for repairs, the port rudder broke due to the damage incurred by the starboard one. As Jay was in the process of trying to make a repair to the port rudder, the mast came down, without warning, on the port side of the boat. Conditions were such that he was sailing with a double reefed mainsail and wave heights were moderate with 4-5 foot swells. Once the mast came down, it became an immediate threat to the integrity of the boat's hull, and as such, Jay was forced to cut the mast and boom away, complete with the new set of sails (mainsail and jib).

After being assisted by a Block Island cruise boat in the early hours of June 6th, Jay was picked up by the Coast Guard, and had Carbon Neutral towed to Montauk, NY. During the tow, the boat took on water and has suffered some damage as a result. Though suffering from hypothermia and exhaustion, Jay has now fully recovered and is working hard to get Carbon Neutral back in the water. Though he will be unable to finish the Bermuda 1-2, we are looking forward to seeing Jay raise his sails again soon.

A note from Jay:

Thanks to everyone for the kind words and encouragement. This whole thing has been pretty traumatic, especially considering the fact that 415 (Carbon Neutral) had 2+ years and every penny I've ever saved wrapped up in her. I'll give a more detailed report of what happened once my head stops reeling.

Physically I'm ok, but yesterday when I went to Montauk to check things out, I felt like I was going to the morgue to identify the body of a loved one. The boat is an absolute mess from the water ingress suffered during the tow, so I'm not sure where things stand right now. With some luck, 415 will ride again and she'll be better than ever. For now, I'm afraid I don't have much to report.

I would be remiss if I didn't thank all of the people that spent time helping me out along the way. Eli Dana, Jimmy Correia, Rich Franklin, and everyone at Newport Shipyard, Dan Pingaro and all the folks at Sailors for the Sea, Dr. Paul Koch at Koch Eye Associates, Nick Turcotte, Joseph Jackson, Dan Freeborn, Jorge Dalmau, Sam Ausmus, Dave Christiansen, and everyone else who pitched in to get me to the starting line (and I know I'm probably forgetting to mention some folks here, but my head is still kind of swimming so if I've left you out, its purely accidental). This has been as "low budget" a program as ever existed and its a miracle I got as far as I did. Saying "Thank you" to all of these people doesn't even come close to conveying the debt of gratitude I'm feeling, but its really all I have left. Finally, a shout out to USCG Station Montauk Point for their professionalism and for treating me like a human being.

I guess that's it for now, good luck to everyone still racing, it is breaking my heart not to be out there.

About the Carbon Neutral Race Campaign

Sailors for the Sea enters the world of competitive racing with the collaboration of Jay Sharkey and his environmentally friendly Mini 6.5, Carbon Neutral. Jay Sharkey's passion for sailing the oceans is matched only by his commitment and dedication to acting responsibly to ensure the preservation of the delicate marine environment. For the two-year Mini Campaign that leads up to and includes the 2010 Transatlantic Race, the Carbon Neutral Race Campaign will prove that an environmentally friendly boat may be a formidable ocean racing competitor.

Sharkey, keenly aware of the effect each of us can have on the environment and the oceans, will use only environmentally safe products and "green power" aboard Carbon Neutral, including solar panels, non-toxic bottom-paint, and with the support from a sponsor, a methanol powered fuel cell that will charge the boat's batteries without any CO2 emissions. In his quest to reach the starting line of the Transatlantic Race and, ultimately, the podium, Sharkey's vessel will truly take nothing but the wind, and leave nothing behind...but a wake.

Please Join Sailors for the Sea and help support our many ocean-friendly programs.

Calculate your own carbon emissions and purchase carbon offsets to make your own lifestyle Carbon Neutral.

Mini Transat Campaign 2009-2010

2009

Early April - Boat launch and tuning begins
May 17th - Qualifier for the Bermuda 1-2
June 5th - Bermuda 1-2 Start (single-handed leg)
June 18th - Re-start (double-handed leg)
July 11th - IYAC Around the Island Race
July 24-25 - New England Solo/Twin
August 21-23 - Ida Lewis Distance Race

2010*

April 25-28th - Pornichet Select 6.50 (Pornichet)
May 6th - Mini Pavois (La Rochelle)
June 4th - Trophee Marie-Agnes Peron (M.A.P) (Douamenez)
June 13th - Mini Fastnet (Douamenez)
July 5th - Royal Western Mini Fastnet (Plymouth)
July 25th - Open Sail (Locmiquelic)
August 2nd - Transgascogne (Port Bourgenay)
August 23rd - Mini Port Medoc (Port Medoc)
September 13th - Winches Club Mini Transat (Douarnenez- Tenerife - French Guyana

*2010 Dates are based on 2009 schedule and are approximate

Click here for more photos of Carbon Neutral.

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