Low Carbon Lifestyle Tour – coming to Craignish

The Low Carbon Lifestyle Tour is a 6-month voyage around Britain in the revolutionary
zero-emission Explorer Microyacht, to promote the benefits of low carbon living. The tour
will visit 40 ports including Swansea, Liverpool, Glasgow, ARDFERN (May 29/30), Edinburgh, Newcastle, London and Southampton, liaising with regional and national media to reach an audience of 12 million.

The message is that a LOW CARBON LIFESTYLE – a life that creates less carbon
dioxide – is easy, fun, saves money and improves your quality of life.

The Boat
“Chance” was designed in mid-Atlantic by Mukti Mitchell after a 10,000-mile voyage to study sea conditions (model name Explorer). Her unique feature is the revolutionary Swing Bulb Keel, which provides an unprecedented stability-to-weight ratio, combining
seaworthiness with row-ability, and dispatching the need for an engine. She has sailed 500 miles, was Finalist in the AYRS Yacht Design Competition 2003, and nominated “Innovative Boat of the Year 2005” at the IPC Marine Awards. She is 15’ long – the same length as the CBC Wayfarer dinghy!

The Man
Mukti Mitchell is a carpenter who lives by the sea in Devon. In 2004 he designed the Resurgence Personal Carbon Dioxide Calculator, coming first in an independent study of carbon calculators on-line, and in 2005 set up Mitchell Yachts Ltd. to manufacture the Explorer. Mukti has pioneered a low carbon lifestyle for 10 years, and his annual CO2 emissions are 5 tonnes (national average 10 tonnes per person). The lifestyle tour will combine Mukti’s passions and achievements in this nationally coordinated event. (There will be a second crew on the Explorer at all times during this voyage.)

Coming to Ardfern
The intention is that Mukti will come into Loch Craignish in order to give a talk in the village hall, - Wed 30 May @ 7.30pm, but this will be postponed to the Thur if he gets delayed. Hopefully there will be time to also meet him informally. He plans to come through the Crinan Canal…..so maybe a few of us could give him a hand with that??? And then his next official port of call after us is Oban on Sat 2 June.)

More Information
There is lots more on www.lowcarbonlifestyle.org. His diary is interesting and the downloads get down to the detail!

Clive Brown 25/04/2007