FAQs
What is TogetherWeSail.org?
Together We Sail is a VoyageVert collaboration project in coalition with other stakeholders to transport as many people as want to sail to COP30 from Portugal to Brazil at the end of 2025, on a pre-existing flotilla of Sailing Vessels.
Who will I be traveling with?
Before the voyage, we will give you information about those you will be travelling with – you will be invited to write and share a short paragraph about yourself. Once you embark on the trip you will have a more enjoyable time if you are already open to sharing a small (or large) part of yourself. Also, it’s fun! Your fellow sailors will have a line of introduction and already feel like extended family.
How do you guarantee an arrival time?
We can’t. We have an arrival window. Which, with weather forecasting technology (as used by ocean racers) we will know to within a few hours when our arrival time will be. Depending on your onward travel requirements you will be able to stay on-board if we arrive ahead of schedule.
What will we do on-board?
Depending on the length of the trip (can be up to 14 days+), there will be ocean experts hosting conversations, discussions, talks. Customers will also be invited to name any skills or areas of expertise that they would like to share or present, in a gentle atmosphere of fun and interest.
Being on board with 18 people, who are likely in some way or other like-minded as they’ve also chosen this method of travel, can’t operate like a silent tube or train carriage. However, there will be support and opportunity for those who are beautifully introverted, recognising that not everyone is comfortable with strangers immediately, and need a bit of space.
Our expert, experienced, qualified and professional crew will also be picked for their additional knowledge and skills. Through expert facilitation, life on-board will function on a community basis, especially for those longer voyages. At VoyageVert we firmly believe there is a way to live and share together! You will be gently encouraged (but most definitely not forced!) to participate in this way of harmonious living.
Will there be WIFI?
A few days is a long time for any of us to be away from outside contact. Satellite communications will be open for one hour each day. Between sailing the yacht, navigating by the sun, enjoying the vast seascape and wildlife, chatting and learning new skill’s from each other and our team we know you’ll be fully occupied.
Do I need to work?
Not if you don’t want to. We promote community life on board based on the philosophy that “once the need of all the individuals is met the need of the collective is met.” If you wish to help, there will be opportunities to be involved in almost all aspects, from cooking and cleaning to sailing the vessel. There are plenty of opportunities to learn, get involved, and feel great about being on the sea.
Will it be comfortable?
The vessel we have chosen for the pilot project is very large, strong and extremely comfortable. The interior spec. is designed to be robust, safe and functional. We are working with designers who make super-yachts for a living, so yes – it will be extremely comfortable!
Isn’t this dangerous?
We have to comply with rigorous, extensive and comprehensive international safety legislation. As for the forces of mother nature – being very fast means we will be able to sail around heavy weather systems. Weather routing technology combined with the speed of our vessel means we will never have to put the yacht in extreme conditions.
I’d be too scared.
Your ancestors were sailors and depending on what school of thought you believe we are descended from a lineage of water dwelling mammals! Satellite safety is developing fast and SOLAS* responsibilities for EVERY vessel and Captain means that everything is covered. Add that all countries rescue services are swift and never more than a few miles away.
*International Maritime Organisation – Internation Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea
What if I’m seasick the whole time?
We have put a lot of time and research into finding seasickness remedies that work and there will be trained crew to administer them. These medicines and techniques will help you find your sea legs. We have put as much thought and resource as is possible to this question because of the public preconception of this problem.
A lot of people’s experience is of conventional cross (English) channel ferries. Those ships have flat bottoms and limited keel weight which means they are inherently prone to rolling (back and forth) – the most seasick-inducing vessels on the sea! By contrast our concept design and pilot project yachts are low, stable and have almost no “roll-time”.
Why would I choose to sail with you and not fly?
There is currently no ‘green’ or carbon emission-free alternatives to flying across the world’s oceans. This is why we dedicate ourselves to delivering this project.
We want to see a future where booking a sailing ferry is as commonplace as booking long-haul flights, coaches, trains. Of course for this we do also need a future where people have the time to travel slow! But that’s up to all of you.
We also believe that placing one’s self in a pressurised aluminium tube and catapulting one’s self to the other side of the planet is un-natural. It provides no context of travel, and you miss everything in between point A and B. We want to show you the ocean in a harmonious, gentle manner.
“No one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced.” David Attenborough
Travel with us and be proud that you’re part of the solution – not the problem!