Sam Merrett // Hudson River Sail Freight on Schooner Apollonia

On the Wind Sailing

Andy Schell

Sports, Wilderness, Places & Travel, Society & Culture

4.8 • 593 Ratings

🗓️ 15 November 2022

⏱️ 115 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sam Merrett is the founder, leader, and captain of the Schooner Apollonia, the only operating sail freight vessel in the United States. The Apollonia sails up and down the Hudson River, collecting and delivering cargo as she makes her way with the power of the wind. Sam has a background working in alternative fuels and spent years converting truck engines from diesel to vegetable oil. He gained sailing and boating experience on the Hudson River, and then bought the Apollonia in 2015. The vessel had not been sailed in over 30 years, and was missing an important component: the rig. After a 4-year yard period, Sam and his crew started sailing the Apollonia in 2019. For the past three summer seasons, the Apollonia and her crew have been shipping goods up and down the river. Sam and Emma sat down in Hudson, NY, to talk about this carbon neutral shipping project, and everything that comes with it. Follow the Apollonia, learn more, and support the project here: schoonerapollonia.com

If you liked this conversation you'll LOVE The QUARTERDECK, 59 North's 'deep dives on the art of seamanship.' Join our interactive community and get involved in the conversation at quarterdeck.59-north.com. First two weeks FREE, then multiple pricing options thereafter.

ON THE WIND is presented by Forbes Horton Yachts and supported by Weems & Plath. Learn more about both sponsors & friends on the show, or follow the links above.

Transcript

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0:00.0	But I guess within that, like there's obviously like a lot of ways to respond to climate change and trying to create a more sustainable world.
0:08.3	So I think for me it felt like the right solution because it was in an environment I wanted to spend more time.
0:14.1	It was a skill set. I was like excited to learn. And it felt like it had like a real world like practical application.
0:21.2	This season of On the Wind is presented by our friends at Forbes Yachts.
0:26.0	Forbes and Jamie Horton are longtime sponsors of the show.
0:29.2	And they've also been on an episode of On the Wind.
0:32.1	Episode 332, Andy interviewed them about when they took their kids out of school
0:37.3	and cruised the Bahamas on their 35-foot lobster boat.
0:40.9	That's one of the things I love about Forbes yachts is that they have some cruising experience of their own.
0:47.4	So if you are buying your own cruising boat or interested in buying a cruising boat, they can really give you some insider knowledge on that.
0:55.9	So you can contact them and check out their listings at Forbesyots.com.
1:01.6	And if you also have a boat to sell, they can help you out there too.
1:05.9	Yeah, so go check out Forbes Yachts to start your sailing or boating dreams.
1:11.9	This season is supported by our friends at Weems and Plath in Annapolis.
1:16.3	Weems and Plath are a longtime supporter of the show, and they make fantastic equipment that we have on all of our boats, both 59 North boats and our personal boats.
1:27.3	I actually have a Plath compass on my
1:29.8	boat that I'm excited to see that Williams and Plath carries the oil for. And they also make a
1:36.8	really great clock and barometer set. It's a great Christmas gift. And also it just makes any boat
1:43.2	look wonderful. And a barometer is a wonderful
1:47.2	tool for weather forecasting offshore. So check out everything they have at weems dashplath.com.
1:59.7	You're listening to On the Wind.
2:02.7	I'm your host, Emma Garshaghan.
	...

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