About
The Vermont Sail Freight Project was an initiative created by farmer Erik Andrus of Ferrisburgh, Vermont with the financial and organizational support of the Willowell Foundation of Monkton, Vermont. The goal of the effort was to highlight the potential of working waterways to enhance prospects of regional sustainability, as well as to open markets for farmers in Vermont’s Champlain Valley and New York’s North Country.
Beginning in 2012, the Vermont Sail Freight volunteers, led by Erik, designed and built a 15-ton capacity sailing barge and raised funds for her construction from grants, donations, and pre-sale of cargo items. The Ceres was launched on July 27th, 2013, and was ready to journey downriver with cargo in October 2013. This was made possible in part by the participation of Greenhorns, USA and by the support of the Eastman and Waterwheel Foundations. In October, 2013, $56,000 worth of products from small farms in the north were delivered and distributed along the Champlain-Hudson waterway at farmers’ markets and through our own events and wholesale accounts.
The following year, 2014, involved a smaller team and a less-ambitious program of activities. However sales volumes were lower, as we could not keep up the pace of publicity. The team’s prowess at moving the craft under sail alone advanced, however, as did facility organizing and loading and unloading cargo with a smaller workforce. Following a brief and fairly unprofitable season that left us holding a lot of unsold inventory, Erik made the decision to steer the model towards more of a wholesale emphasis.
From late 2014 into early 2015 Erik and partners made moves towards launching a wholesale model that would pay a limited staff rather than relying on volunteers, but the team to manage this venture never came together. Critical deadlines to relaunch in 2015 were missed, leading Erik to cancel the season’s program. Ultimately Erik judged the effort to be lacking the magnetism and momentum necessary to create a company and made the decision to disband in July 2015.
Is working sail viable? Vermont Sail Freight Project has proved it can be done and can inspire while meeting real needs. However, positioning it for the long haul in the world as we know it proved to be too taxing for a small and underfunded team.
The Vermont Sail Freight Project 
I heard your presentation at “Financing the Working Landscape” last week, and am stunned by the creativity and simplicity of your idea – it sounds fabulous, and please keep me in the loop as it moves along.
And what about returning from NY ? You don’t want to have an empty barge coming back, so are there things/food/whatever that you can ship on the return trip?
Using the northbound capacity is a must! There are several alternatives. The one I like most is a kind of fair-trade-import CSA, where the project would buy such things as olives, olive oil, sesame seeds, coffee, chocolate, sugar, dried tropical fruits, and so on. And there will likely be other less management-intensive approaches, say for instance freighting masonry materials from the coast to a retailer in Burlington, or to a specific waterside project. The project could probably match road freight rates on the northbound run.
HI there,
We are in the midst of forming a producer coop across the lake in Essex NY. We have been discussing the logistics of bulk ordering and distribution of fair trade goods as a part of our mission, the core of our work is processing locally grown ( our own grown and neighbors) into hotsauce, ketchup, mustard, pickled scapes, pesto etc. The coop will also have a media lab, sewing room, office equipment, bike repair, and house 2 non profit organizations. Our target for opening is March 1, 2013, with the first processed goods coming out in June/July. I read your article about the rice in Small Farmers Journal and tried to find your farm on my way down to the New England Farmers Union Meeting last week– then at our grange planning meeting Mac told me about you. He met you at the Maker Faire. Mac and I determined right then and there to come and visit you.
Here is what I have to offer: Radio interview. Short video production. Friendship and solidarity, liason with this new Coop of farmers, promotion through our network of 13,000 young farmers. Documentation for Farmhack.
http://www.thegreenhorns.net
http://www.farmhack.net
http://www.ourland.tv
http://www.heritageradio.org
Thank you for your delightful vision, full and honest opensource process, and bravery. Please let me know when is a good time for a visit. I’d have to be before Christmas, or else in early February, as winter conference season is carrying me away from home.
With admiration and thrills up the spine.
Severine v T Fleming
farmer @thegreenhorns.net
[…] corporation-dominated food distribution systems,” Andrus is working with boat builders to create a carbon-neutral alternative to bring “8 tons of grains, roots, wine, cider, and maple syrup” from Vermont to New […]
[…] Another purpose of visit wholefoods, was to see Erik from Vermont sail freight project. […]
[…] kickstarter campaign has begun for those who can’t donate time to the project. Read about the https://vermontsailfreightproject.wordpress.com/about/. You can follow the kickstarter link from […]
[…] to Heritage Radio Network, Erik initially conceived the idea, called The Vermont Sail Freight Project, as a one-off demonstration to raise awareness about regional food and energy issues while also […]
Erik,
fantastic work and we hope it is all progressing well? we are involved in a similiar project over in the UK. stay in touch? andy
[…] Vermont Sail Freight Project […]
What an amazing undertaking! Love to see more info about the boat, and the design/build process!