imported by sailboat


St. Marys, Ga. | The two-masted schooner, called the, used to be a
tour craft.

Now a company is refitting it in St. Marys to import organically grown
coffee from Central America in an environmentally friendly manner.

The company - Blue & Green Packet Co. - also wants to import other
goods, including textiles, chocolate, nuts, beans, rice and tea.

The ship won't have the capability to carry nearly as much cargo as
modern vessels but can haul up to 70 tons. The average voyage will be
about three weeks but using the ship's sails will greatly reduce the
importing costs.

"The point is to prove it can be done," said John Siman, one of the
company's owners. "We can still trade commodities via sail."

He said there's a growing demand for products that are organically
produced and are imported in a way that has as little negative impact
to the environment as possible.

Rising shipping costs for imported goods should mean importing by sail
will be a profitable venture, said Paul Flowers, another company
owner.

"The price of oil will continue to go up," he said. "At the same time,
container-ship shipping becomes more and more unaffordable. It's a
huge cost difference."

The schooner will be renamed Emancipator after renovations are
completed in about a year.

http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/p...703050344/1051