Teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg will sail to New York aboard the Open 60 racing sailboat Malizia II at the invitation of the boat's German skipper, Boris Hermann. Thunberg is scheduled to attend a United Nations climate action summit on September 23. The 16-year-old refuses to fly because of the impact of commercial aviation on the Earth's climate. Hermann said he would take Thunberg on Malizia II and and would use weather routing to avoid the worst weather on the passage, as the Thunberg has no experience ocean sailing. Due to her lack of sailing knowledge and experience, Herman is reported to have said, "This trip will be massively challenging for Greta and for all of us. "
"Greta taking on this challenge of sailing across on a race boat with zero comfort really shows her commitment to the cause and how far she’s willing to push herself," Hermann is said to have told a reporter from the Reuters news service.