Windward

In today’s episode, we are delighted to receive Ami Daniel, the co-Founder, and CEO of Windward: a maritime data and analytics company. Daniel is an entrepreneur and a driver of technological change and is the recipient of the Israeli President’s Award for Social Activism and The Ilan Ramon Award for Leadership and Excellence.

Windward is a Predictive Intelligence company that is digitalizing the global maritime industry. Their technology allows other ship owners & operators, banks and commodity traders access to real-time information about the maritime ecosystem to make predictive and financially secure decisions.

The company has recently launched the Data for Decarbonization Program which is a hub for sharing data and technology to predict and reduce maritime carbon emissions. The goal is to create large datasets gathered from all stakeholders in the marine trade industry to build AI models that will accurately predict the carbon emissions of any vessel voyage and optimize the whole pre-fixture process.

This technology will aid in solving the rush to wait issue. Did you know that shipping businesses lose an estimated 18 billion USD annually due to “Rush to Wait?” This happens when vessel operators, wanting to ensure their vessel arrives on time, rush their arrival and speed up the journey. This leads to a lot of fuel waste, increased CO2 emissions and is incredibly inefficient. Windward’s AI offers a way to share information that will improve operational vessel efficiency. 

Join us to learn more about their unique data collection process and find out what makes Windward’s approach different than other maritime innovators. 

Maiden

This week we take a step back from our usual topic of wind propulsion and decarbonization of the maritime transport to promote a fairly new documentary: “Maiden.” 

This documentary tells the story of the first all-woman crew to race around the world on a sailboat named Maiden and how they challenged the male-dominated world of sailing. This endeavor begins with Tracy Edwards who recruited a 12-woman crew to compete in the Whitbread Round the World Race – now known as The Ocean Race. 

Dawn Riley, who was one of the crew members on Maiden, joins us on this episode to describe the documentary. She details the incredible story of how the underdogs of a world-renowned competition went on to win 2nd place overall in their class.

On May 18th, the Hudson River Maritime Museum will be the venue for screening the documentary. In addition, between June 8th to the 11th, Maiden will be at the Hudson River Maritime Museum docks and we encourage our listeners to visit. This program is free and open to the public, but donations are encouraged.

For our listeners in New York City, Maiden will also be making a stop at the Brooklyn Marina from June 1st to June 8th. Check out their website for more information on their stop-over schedule and on the Maiden Factor. 

Beyond the Sea

This week we are delighted to receive our guest Yves Parlier, a legendary sailor and an individual with a passion for innovation. Parlier has always challenged the sea and been a master of disaster throughout his years of competing. During the Vendee Globe 2000-2001, Parlier spent 10 days sheltered in the bay of a small island off the coast of New Zealand completing an ingenious repair to fix a wing mast that fell onto the deck. He went on to finish 13th in the race. This achievement, among his many wins, has placed him in the public eye as an extraordinary sailor who can reach finish lines even when seemingly impossible. He has since then switched careers from a professional offshore racing sailor to an entrepreneur and is now the CEO of Beyond the Sea. 

Beyond the Sea designs, manufactures, tests, sells, and maintains kites used to propel boats. The original idea behind the project was to design a backup kite sail in case of engine failure or demasting. In 2017, they launched the first towing sail for pleasure boats: the LibertyKite. However, they did not stop there; in 2020, The LibertyKite Second Generation was launched: a kite sail steered by an automatic pilot that will also send and recover the sail. This is an exciting technology and for this episode, Yves joins us with Marine Rialan, a project manager at Beyond the Sea, to discuss the development and potential of kite power.

But what makes the LibertyKite so innovative? And why would one opt to use kites instead of regular sails? Using kite sails is one of the easiest ways to retrofit cargo ships to utilize wind power. While kites are adaptable to all ships and can be easily attached, retrofitting cargo ships to use sails is a more expensive and complicated process. In addition, when kites are not in use there is no drag from the wind or adverse effect to ship performance which cannot be said about sails. 

Beyond the Sea is also working on a new project called “SeaLab ” where they will rebuild the “Médiatis Région Aquitaine,” an 18 m x 15 m catamaran that will be self-sufficient in energy with zero emissions. They hope to transform the ship into what Parlier calls a “laboratory of the sea,” where it will be used to develop new innovative technologies oriented towards the maritime market. It comes as no surprise that Beyond the Sea was selected as one of the 3 innovative companies to receive 1 million Euros in funding from Time for the Planet, a citizen movement dedicated to global action against greenhouse gasses that finances innovations on a large scale.

The wind has been used for ship propulsion for thousands of years and despite our transition to bunker fuel in the 19th century, Parlier believes the future of maritime shipping lies with the wind. Join us in our conversation about marine decarbonization and ocean governance and get a glimpse into Beyond the Seas’ role in innovating the green maritime shipping industry. 







Invest in Sail Cargo Inc

Sail Cargo Inc

I am writing to you from onboard the cargo schooner Vega, anchored outside the Swedish town of Dalarö, about 20 miles or 30km South East of Stockholm.  I can hear the anchor windlass hauling up the anchor now, we will set out for Stockholm within the hour.  By the end of the day we should be in the drydock, inspecting the vessel to see if she will be fit for purchase.  It is from this perspective that I am writing you to to share something exciting: we have officially launched our brand, SAILCARGO INC., as a top holding company. Our first move is to purchase the vessel Vega, and begin to ship cargo this year.
 
As you can imagine, this has been a major undertaking for our team. Some investors of Ceiba may not understand the significance of this opportunity. In case you are not familiar with our corporate structure, I will give a brief description:
Currently, you are a shareholder of Inversiones Maritimas Ceiba S.A., a Costa Rican company limited by shares, which owns the beautiful vessel Ceiba (check out some recent photos, attached!). This type of company is not able to scale up in the way that investors dream of… it is always going to be about one ship: Ceiba. Now, for the first time, we are inviting existing shareholders of Ceiba to join the top holding company.  SAILCARGO INC. has exponential potential, the ability to expand across sectors.  SAILCARGO INC. is positioned to become a powerful brand with a grand vision:
 
· constructing and operating a fleet of wooden, emission-free ships,
· working with existing certification societies to establish a powerful label,
· building a product brand supported by the label,
· designing an app to unite all clean power cargo vessels,
· taking a leading stake in the green hydrogen maritime sector,
· and more (see attached business plan).
 
 
NEW INVESTMENT IN SAILCARGO INC.
At this time, we are opening up to receive new investments to SAILCARGO INC. with a specific mission in mind.
 
Our vision has become a reality earlier than expected. Vega, the wooden cargo schooner from the same design inspiration as Ceiba, has been offered to me personally for purchase through SAILCARGO INC. With the momentum given to us by our major cargo client and the ever-growing support of our investors, we are in the position to move forward with the purchase of this unique vessel. By the end of this year, Vega will sail cargo emission-free. She will soon make a profit, and propel all other endeavours under the SAILCARGO INC. umbrella.  By acquiring Vega in May 2022, this topholding company can provide the service our clients are waiting for, paving the way for all other vessels of the SAILCARGO INC. fleet, including Ceiba and Pitaya. 

SAILCARGO INC. has opened fundraising in light of this promising acquisition.  Our team has been working on the Vega project quietly for over a year, and in November 2021 two objective surveys of the ship were conducted (we will be doing the third and final survey next week). We are confident with the decision to acquire Vega. As of this moment, we are trying to raise $2.6M for Vega.  We are grateful to say that we currently have $1.3M+ pledged towards this funding round.  You will find additional information attached.  If you would like to invest in our top holding company as an early supporter, we would be extremely grateful.  If so, please complete the single-page form (attached, #2).

 

 

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Thank you for all of your support: after all this time, we are in a position to take our vision to the next level with you. 
 
 
Kindest regards from the fjords of Sweden,
 

Danielle