AYE, CALYPSO, the places you’ve been to, the things you’ve shown us, the stories you tell.” So goes John Denver’s 1975 hit song, Calypso, which honors the ship that enabled Jacques Cousteau to film the depths of waters like the Amazon River and the Red Sea. Our boat would still be exploring them if not for a barge that hit and sunk her in 1996.
After Jacques died the following year, our hopes of restoration faced a wave of legal challenges. But at last, in October 2007, the weathered Calypso greeted thousands of fans in the French shipyard where the Cousteau Society has been renovating her ever since. Originally fashioned out of a retired minesweeper, the Calypso is being outfitted with as many recycled parts as possible. The rest is being rebuilt using green technology and practices.
Local lumber. For the Calypso’s new hull we’ve purchased local and sustainable wood: oak from forests in Mayenne and larch from the Vosges Mountains. These woods are managed by France’s National Forests Office, which plants a new tree as soon as one is cut down. We also cover nail holes in the planks with wooden plugs rather than silica, a suspected carcinogen, and epoxy resin, which is toxic to the sea.
Eco engine. For the new engine, our naval architects are looking for the most fuel-efficient one with the cleanest injectors. Modern engines emit up to 100 times less carbon monoxide than older ones and use all of their oil, so they don’t spew smoke or fuel into the sea. This is crucial: One gallon of fuel can foul a million gallons of water, killing fish, birds, and plants along the way.
Copyright 2009 Natural Health
