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May 29, 2010 at 8:42 pm #594987
captainDaveParticipantI am working on starting a unique sustainable local food program that brings farm goods by boat from Whatcom, Jefferson, and Island counties to ports along Puget Sound. I was wondering if there would be people in West Seattle possibly interested in picking up CSA deliveries of fresh produce each week at the West Seattle Water Taxi dock. (You can see more about it at http://www.Farmboat.org) I am not sure if we will bring a boat to West Seattle, but if enough people wanted the service, we could find a way to make it happen. If you like the idea, sign up on the CSA member waiting list at http://www.FarmBoat.org (Just go to members).
Comments or ideas also welcome. We are hoping to price CSA food packages around $10 per week for individuals and $25 for families.
May 29, 2010 at 9:36 pm #695438
herongrrrlParticipantWhat an interesting idea, and very intriguing to us since we are a maritime employed, urban crofting family. Out of curiosity, have you done any investigation comparing the greenhouse impacts of boat transportation compared to truck transportation for the produce?
May 30, 2010 at 12:25 am #695439
JoBParticipantas much as i love this idea.. and i do…we have a very local CSA at high point that needs support.
May 30, 2010 at 4:28 pm #695440
captainDaveParticipantherongrrrl: I am guessing that our fuel burn per ton will probably be similar to trucks traveling the same route. We will burn about a gallon per mile, but our mileage would be less than trucks due to our ability to travel a direct route and work the tides.
However, most agricultural products that are shipped into the Puget Sound area by truck have a much higher fuel burden than locally grown stuff. Other than by sail boat, rail is the most fuel efficient way to move freight. There just isn’t any rail lines going to most of the farms we will do business with in the islands and on the Olympic Peninsula.
Another thing to consider is that it is easier to keep a boat cooler than a truck since it is surrounded by cool water. A truck needs to be refrigerated much more than a boat. In comparison to non-refrigerated trucks, our produce will probably taste better since it will be kept at a stable temperature on the sea.
As far as greenhouse impact, I am no longer a believer in Al Gore’s prophecies. My atmospheric science fiends are concluding that the earth is entering a cooling period and that more CO2 could actually help keep the temperature stable–although, they don’t think it would make much difference. If Gore and his followers get Cap & Trade, we will probably be forced to do this with government issued rowboats.
JoB: Isn’t the highpoint CSA pickups coming mostly from a single farm in Redmond? Anyway, we plan to bring produce in from many different farms located in Jefferson, Island and Watcom counties. Near-city farms sometimes concern me because the dirt has been subjected to industrial and automotive pollution fallout for many years (lead, arsenic and other heavy metal compounds).
The idea behind the FarmBoat is that it would be like a floating warehouse. People who did not have CSA contracts could also show up at the dock and buy stuff like they would at a farmers market.
May 30, 2010 at 8:20 pm #695441
KevinParticipantSounds like a great idea. Any plans to include fresh seafood shipments in addition to the produce?
May 30, 2010 at 11:58 pm #695442
YardvarkMemberSo this is like Sail Transport Company, but with an engine?
They were having trouble getting access to the Water Taxi dock the last I heard. Have you overcome that?
May 31, 2010 at 4:52 am #695443
captainDaveParticipantKevin: Probably will not include seafood in the CSA packages. It is possible we may have seafood available depending on licensing and refrigeration capability. So far our plans are to only have 40 degree or so hold temperature for produce.
Yardvark: Yes, an engine will make it more dependable. I love the idea of sail, but the winds in the Puget Sound area are not very consistent. We are restoring a historic 1911 halibut schooner that was originally sail powered with a small auxiliary engine. We hope to restore the original sail rig and use it when the winds are favorable.
As far as the dock goes, I first wanted to find out if there is enough interest from West Seattle residents to warrant discussions with King County for the use of the water taxi dock. All the other communities we plan on serving have adequate dock space. West Seattle is a bit limited.
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