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I'm pretty left leaning in general (sorry) but the idea that the tiny pin prick of emissions from heritage machinery should change their operation because of climate change considerations seems ridiculous to me. Although I've shovelled many tons of coal into 100+ year-old boilers over the years so I'm biased. Making any heritage steam operation work financially is very very difficult. Most volunteer rail operations are struggling to keep their steam locomotives running, except for a handful of very well run ones like Steam Incorporated out of Wellington. Add the complexity of hull mainten

Well actually no. https://www.newsroom.co.nz/coal-use-plummets-to-32-year-low It's a shame there really is no logical "outing" trip for the Daldy like Walter Peak down south for the Earnslaw. Too slow for even Waiheke.

Well K4309 we are importing over 500T of coal each week to charge the Teslas so yes it is available , (from my POA contacts) just not so much high quality Westport coal as the old days.

https://www.bunnings.co.nz/solid-energy-25kg-coal_p0518426

Steam engines and the like are fascinating engineering marvels and were fundamental to our progress as a society. I love seeing them at places like Motat. But it is beyound me how to save this boat. As we all know the cost of maintenance of any boat is increasing alarmingly. Keeping a very old steel boat up to scratch would be a phenomenal job, let alone trying to run it on coal. Are you even allowed to purchase coal in NZ anymore? And if you are, where can you get it from? I assume it's not held in stock at Farmlands, Z energy or Meridian Energy?

Better to design a boat where the traveler is not in the cockpit, the boom is above head height, oh yeah and drop the main early when going downwind in a freshening breeze.

Doesn't sound like a very successful rescue then.