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A family walks through passport control. Today is the start of their summer holiday. They are going to America!

But they are not in an airport. They are at a harbour. They are sailing across the Atlantic.

Less than 100 years ago, this was normal. Flying was a new technologyUsing science and machines to achieve something.. If somebody wanted to travel abroad, they had to sail.

Huge ocean liners travelled the sea. It could take a long time! A trip from England to Australia took nearly 40 days.

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Now, most people travel by plane. It takes only 48 hours to reach Australia from Europe.

But this could soon change. A new boat called the Oceanbird is a modern ocean liner. It is 200m long and 40m wide. And it has been designed to help the planet. It will have five giant sails 80m tall.

These will help it travel quickly. The Oceanbird will be able to cross the Atlantic in eight days. This is not as fast as some cargoGoods that are being transported. ships, but it will not use much fuelThe plastic is burned to fuel cement factories. Proponents say it is clean because high temperatures destroy harmful toxins. But the burnt plastic still produces carbon dioxide emissions. .

The fastest sailing ships ever were the clippersThey were particularly important for making fast deliveries of tea from China to Europe. built in the 19th Century. This was during what was known as the Golden Age of SailGenerally considered to be from the middle to the end of the 19th Century.. One called The Champion of the Seas covered 535 miles in a single day.

Yes! This boat is better for the planet than a plane. It does not matter if it goes slower than other boats or planes. It is more important to look after the environment.

No. People are used to speed. It will still take more than a week to cross the Atlantic. Think how long it would take to go around the world! We should make flying better for the planet instead.