Pacific Powerhouse
It’s a foggy and still November day in Port Townsend, Washington, and a childhood friend is taking me and my colleague Brian for a quick spin on his 58-foot schooner, Singawing. Matthew Mortensen is his name. He and his wife, Andrea, operate Great Bear Charters, bringing clients up and down the Inside Passage on their flotilla of one. It’s easy to picture spending a week or more on this charter boat bedecked with all the cruising necessities. Its cozy interior has plentiful sleeping quarters and kayaks flare out on racks above the transom.
Out on the water, Mortensen explains that Singawing has become a guinea pig for his hybrid life, a test case for his commitment to eliminating dependence on burning fossil fuels (and yes, in case you’re wondering, he drives an all-electric Nissan Leaf). Mortensen, along with his friend, business partner and fellow master electrician Chris Brignoli, founded ReVision Marine in Port Townsend with the singular goal of bringing their hybrid-energy vision to other environmentally conscientious boaters.
Off Point Wilson, Mortensen explains how his sailboat is powered by twin’s fiberglass hull at 8 knots, plus the faint whisper of a motor whirring somewhere below. Mortensen explains that they can run the boat in “stealth mode” for 2½ hours before the generator switches on to recharge the boat’s batteries.
