Climate change activist Greta Thunberg watched dolphins during her first night at sea before she experienced ‘bouncy and rough’ waves after setting sail from Plymouth on her two-week trip across the Atlantic.
The 16-year-old is making her trans-Atlantic trip on board the 60-ft yacht, the Malizia II, fitted with solar panels and underwater turbines that produce electricity on board, with the aim of making the journey zero-carbon.
The boat’s skipper Boris Hermann said last night the the trip so far has been ‘bouncy and rough’ but ‘mostly everyone got some sleep’.
‘We are trying to find an organisation of space and storage and life. Everything is slow motion: dressing, cooking, etc. All ok so far and we will get used [to it]’ he added in a tweet.
He also shared a pictured of the Swedish teenager watching dolphins near the coast of Penzance as the team headed into their first night at sea.
Sharing a picture of herself on the yacht this morning, she shared the crew were ‘100 nautical miles west of Cape Finisterre’ on the west coast of Spain.
‘A very bumpy night but I slept surprisingly well. Some dolphins showed up and swam along the boat last night!’ the teen added.
Climate change activist Greta Thunberg watched dolphins during her first night at sea before she experienced ‘bouncy and rough’ waves after setting sail from Plymouth on her two-week trip across the Atlantic
The 16-year-old is making her trans-Atlantic trip on board the 60-ft yacht, the Malizia II, fitted with solar panels and underwater turbines that produce electricity on board, with the aim of making the journey zero-carbon
The boat’s skipper Boris Hermann said last night the the trip so far has been ‘ bouncy and rough’ but ‘mostly everyone got some sleep
It comes as the climate activist said she will not waste her time speaking to President Donald Trump when she lands in the US to attend UN summits on tackling global warming.
The 16-year-old said Mr Trump has ignored scientists and other experts about global warming, so she saw no reason why he would listen to her.
‘I don’t see that if anyone else has succeeded… I am not that special.’
She added: ‘I can’t convince everyone and instead of speaking to me and the school-striking children and teenagers they should be talking to actual scientists and experts in this area.
It comes as the climate activist said she will not waste her time speaking to President Donald Trump when she lands in the US to attend UN summits on tackling global warming. The 16-year-old said Mr Trump has ignored scientists and other experts about global warming, so she saw no reason why he would listen to her. Pictured: The Malizia II IMOCA class sailing yacht makes its way past the Plymouth Breakwater Lighthouse off the coast of Plymouth
‘There’s always going to be people who don’t understand or accept the united science, and I will just ignore them, as I’m only acting and communicating on the science.
‘I have just decided I’m going to do everything I can, that keeps me going, the dedication I will do everything I can.
‘Also, the fact that some things are actually changing, I think the mindsets of many people are changing, even if it’s not enough, and not fast enough, that’s something, it’s not for nothing.’
She added: ‘Of course there are climate delayers who want to do everything to shift the focus of the climate crisis to something else or want to make people question the science.
Greta’s ‘school strikes’ have inspired a global protest movement by young people demanding urgent action on climate change
Greta, who is taking a sabbatical year from school, will be joining large-scale climate demonstrations and speaking at the UN Climate Action Summit hosted by secretary-general Antonio Guterres in New York in September
‘I’m not worried about that and I’m just going to do as I want to do and what I think will have most impact.’
Mr Trump has previously described concerns about climate change as ‘bulls***’ and suggested global warming was a hoax created by China to hit US manufacturing.
Last night, self-styled ‘Bad boy of Brexit’ Arron Banks sparked fury after tweeting a sick ‘joke’ about the teenager, who has Aspergers drowning during her transatlantic yacht voyage.
Commenting on a post in which Thunberg announced she was off the English coast, Mr Banks wrote: ‘Freak yachting accidents do happen in August.’
Last night, self-styled ‘Bad boy of Brexit’ Arron Banks sparked fury after tweeting a sick ‘joke’ about the teenager, who has Aspergers drowning during her transatlantic yacht voyage. Commenting on a post in which Thunberg announced she was off the English coast, Mr Banks wrote: ‘Freak yachting accidents do happen in August’
The message prompted a storm of criticism, including from arch Thunberg critics like radio host Julia Hartley-Brewer, who tweeted: ‘She’s a child, Arron. FFS.’
Mr Banks responded: ‘Quite and one being used. Obviously I don’t hope she encounters a freak yachting accident! I just enjoy watching the ludicrous tweeter mob following the next outrage.’
Replying to another user saying the tweet had ‘shown his true colours’, he wrote: ‘It was a joke… you lefties have no sense of humour.’
Other Twitter users also slammed Mr Banks in replies to his tweet, with one writing: ‘Beyond despicable. This utterly vile. How could anyone imagine being on the same side as you was a good place to be.’
Greta’s ‘school strikes’ have inspired a global protest movement by young people demanding urgent action on climate change.
Greta, who is taking a sabbatical year from school, will be joining large-scale climate demonstrations and speaking at the UN Climate Action Summit hosted by secretary-general Antonio Guterres in New York in September.
The two-week sailing trip means she can attend the summits without using planes or cruise ships which cause greenhouse gas emissions. She said her adventure would have challenges including seasickness but said many people in the world were suffering a lot more than that
The first anniversary of her protest movement will happen next week while she is on board the yacht. The youngster is crossing the Atlantic in the 60ft sailing yacht, which is fitted with solar panels and underwater turbines to generate zero-carbon electricity on board
She is also planning to visit Canada and Mexico before travelling to this year’s UN climate conference, which is taking place in Santiago, Chile, in December, making her journeys by train and bus.
The two-week sailing trip means she can attend the summits without using planes or cruise ships which cause greenhouse gas emissions.
She said her adventure would have challenges including seasickness but said many people in the world were suffering a lot more than that.
To keep herself occupied during the journey she has books, board games and a rabbit teddy bear, which was a gift from a friend.
‘I was test sailing two days ago and we went out for several hours. I didn’t feel bad or anxious, I felt seasick for about one or two minutes, then it stopped,’ she said.
‘I will just have to see, get on the boat and see what happens, and that is also very exciting.
‘I’ve never done anything like this before, I can’t really say what’s going to be the biggest challenge, I will have to find that out.
‘I think this trip will be quite an adventure and a very new experience for me and I expect it to be challenging sometimes but also good most of the time.’
Greta was speaking at a press conference in Plymouth, Devon, before setting sail on Thursday afternoon.
The first anniversary of her protest movement will happen next week while she is on board the yacht.
The youngster is crossing the Atlantic in the 60ft sailing yacht, which is fitted with solar panels and underwater turbines to generate zero-carbon electricity on board.
The vessel is captained by Boris Herrmann, and Greta will also be accompanied on the two-week journey by a filmmaker, her father Svante and Pierre Casiraghi, the grandson of Monaco’s late Prince Rainier III and American actress Grace Kelly.
How did Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg become the poster girl for the climate change movement?
Greta Thunberg, pictured, is a teenager who began a solo protest outside the Swedish parliament last year which has since spread across the globe. The Fridays For Future events saw young people demand that their government takes action against climate change
The youth-led climate protests which kicked off across the world were inspired by Greta Thunberg, a Swedish teenager who went on a three-week school strike outside her country’s parliament in summer last year.
Born to a professional opera singer mother, the pigtailed 16-year-old developed her interest in climate change aged nine after watching a film on the effects of plastic.
What began as a lone fight in August last year outside the Swedish parliament spread all over the world and involved more than 100,000 schoolchildren in 112 different countries.
The movement was called Fridays For Future and consisted of students taking every Friday off to demand government action on the climate issue.
Greta has Asperger’s and ADHD but has often spoken on how her conditions have acted as a motivator instead of a source of depression, which she said they once were.
Since her first strike last year at the age of 15, Greta has gone on to talk about the possible solutions to combat climate change at rallies in Stockholm, Helsinki, Brussels and London. Every conference she has attended she has travelled by train, bus or cycled in an effort to keep her carbon footprint low.
Over the last few years she has convinced her family to make drastic changes in order to help save the planet including refusing to fly on planes, growing their own vegetables and not eating meat.
Greta was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by members of Norway’s Parliament for her work and determination, and she received the freedom of expression, Fritt Ord Prize, in April.
Greta is setting sail on 60ft racing boat Malizia II to get to this year’s UN Climate Action Summit in New York and the COP25 climate change conference in Santiago.