The 19th century "Golden Age of Sail" could be experiencing a revival. Modern-day cargo ship, Tres Hombres (pictured), is relying solely on wind power for its eight-month voyage to the Caribbean.
Editor's note: MainSail is CNN's monthly sailing show, exploring the sport of sailing, luxury travel and the latest in design and technology.
(CNN) -- With their billowing sails, towering masts and long wooden hulls, 19th century clipper ships were staggering feats of design -- and Europe's lifeline to the world's most exotic goods.
Laden with spices, teas and chocolates from across the globe, the use of these wind-powered sailing vessels reached its peak during the late 1800's, a period often referred to as the "Golden Age of Sail."
Abandoned in the advent of steamboats, the centuries-old transport is now enjoying a revival among cargo traders, with a new breed of merchant ships returning to wind power in an effort to promote environmentally sustainable trade.
This week, the 32-meter brigantine Tres Hombres set sail from the Netherlands to the Caribbean in an eight-month voyage transporting ale, wine, rum and chocolate -- much the same way as merchant ships would have done 150 years ago.
Named in honor of the three friends who founded the ambitious scheme, the 35-ton carbon-neutral vessel has no motor and relies on solar-powered fridges to keep its cargo cool.
"A lot of shipping companies are going bankrupt because fuel is so expensive," said one of the ship's founders and co-captain, Arjen van der Veen.
"The model we have now of shipping is unsustainable -- both for business and the environment. We chose a traditional rig because it's a beautiful design and we wanted to show people sailing can still be effective."
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From its base in Den Helder in the Netherlands, Tres Hombres will head to Brixham in England where it will pick up 100,000 bottles of ale, delivering them to Douarnenez in France.
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Eight years ago Justine Laymond, 39, suffered a dramatic lung collapse and was told she would die unless she received new lungs.
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From there it will sail to ports across Europe and the Caribbean, transporting 500 liters of wine, 50,000 chocolate bars, 4,000 bottles of rum and 5-tons of cocoa beans in a round trip.
All the cargo is organic, making it eco-friendly from the moment it is produced to the moment it lands on the supermarket shelf, Van der Veen explained.
"The whole chain of production is sustainable," he said.
"For companies, it makes their goods unique. It's a little more expensive but people are willing to pay because it has no carbon footprint."
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The Sail Transport Network (STN), a green travel campaign group, is now looking to create a sustainable transport certificate, much like the "Fair Trade" and "Organic" stamps found on other foods.
STN founder Jan Lundberg predicts that wind-powered cargo ships will soon be the norm as the world's fossil fuel supplies continue to diminish.
"The accelerating rate of change in the economy and finance, the peak oil factor and the climate crisis are all tipping factors. If more people sense this soon, you could see a jump in sail transport investment," he said.
"Many smaller older cargo vessels are idle today and are also being recycled -- these are realistic candidates for conversion to sail."
Recent figures show there is much at stake when it comes to sustainable transport on the high-seas. Around 90% of world trade is currently carried by the shipping industry, according to the International Maritime Organization.
The industry contributes 4% of global carbon emissions, United Nations figures show. Indeed, it says that if shipping were a country, it would be the sixth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.
But it could be that the winds of change are on the horizon. From January next year, new International Maritime Organization regulations will require shipping companies to cut emissions by 20% over the next seven years and a further 50% by 2050.
"By 2025 all new ships have to be 20% more efficient, so shipyards will also be compelled to produce more fuel-efficient vessels," Simon Bennett of the International Chamber of Shipping said.
"What's also important is that fuel costs have risen 400% since 2000 -- the operating costs are huge. In any case, every shipping company wants to reduce its emissions."
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With these environmental concerns in mind, Van der Veen and his fellow Dutch captains Andreas Lackner and Jorne Langelaan set about building the Tres Hombres in 2007, using the hull of a former passenger ferry in the Aran Islands off the coast of Ireland.
Completed in 2009, this is Tres Hombre's fourth trade trip after previous voyages across western Europe, the Caribbean and even delivering relief aid to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
The trio are certainly not alone in their quest to find green alternatives to the gas-guzzling cargo vessels of the 21st century.
British wind power company B9 recently tested a model of its planned 100-meter, 3,000-ton carbon-neutral freighter.
The ship would use 60% wind power, relying on three computer-operated masts rising 55-meters -- as tall as a 14-storey building.
This would be supplemented by a bio-gas engine converting food waste into methane; the food waste being anything from restaurant slops to out-of-date sandwiches.
B9 co-director Diane Gilpin said the design would best suit smaller vessels, and they are now looking for between $30 million and $45 million in funding to get it off the ground.
"In the last 100 years we've been absolutely besotted with what oil can do for us," she said.
"Now we're running out of fuel and we have to be a little bit cleverer about how we deploy our ships."
She admits it will be a challenge changing the traditionally conservative shipping industry, but added: "If we're looking at a new, green, industrial revolution, those early movers will benefit from being there at the outset."
As Van der Veen said when the Tres Hombres crew first floated the idea of a engine-less cargo ship: "Everybody thought it was crazy but we've proved them wrong.
"It's so satisfying -- it's part of our goal to make a transport revolution."
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The carbon-neutral vessel is named in honor of the three Dutch captains who founded the ambitious scheme -- Arjen van der Veen, Andreas Lackner and Jorne Langelaan.
The merchant ship Challenger, pictured in Bermuda in 1865. Spices, tea and chocolate from across the globe were delivered in ever increasing quantities to the dining tables of Europe, as the ships became larger and more efficient.
One of the best known trading companies of the era was Britain's East India Company. This historic painting depicts the company's Captain Henry Wilson shipwrecked on the Pelew Islands, later the Republic of Palau, around 1783.
Today, around 90% of world trade is currently carried by the shipping industry, contributing to 4% of global carbon emissions.
Tres Hombres managing company, Fair Transport, also hopes to build a 136-meter cargo ship which would use at least 50% wind power. A diesel and electric motor would provide power in less windy conditions.
British wind power company B9 recently tested a model of its 100-meter, 3,000-ton carbon-neutral freighter. The ship would use 60% wind power, relying on three computer-operated masts rising 55-meters.
The term reputedly stems from "Sea-Fever", a poem written in 1902 by English Poet Laureate John Masefield. It reads: "I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky. And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by."
Many of these ships have been beautifully restored and are still in use today. This is the Dutch three-masted schooner "Osterschelde" that was built in 1918 and restored in the 1990s. She still does annual around-the-world trips. Here she is sailing in Norway's Arctic archipelago Svalbard.
The first major tall ship event of the year was "Fleet Week" in New York City. The event saw an international fleet of tall ships invade Manhattan's harbor, including the beautiful "ARC Gloria" from Colombia.
Sailors aboard the Indonesian tall ship "Dewaruci" sail past the Statue of Liberty during Fleet Week in May 2012.
The 25th annual Fleet Week celebrated the 200th anniversary of the "War of 1812" -- the three-year conflict between the burgeoning American nation and the British Empire.
Rather than cargo trading or piracy, most tall ships in the world today are used for long, hands-on sailing holidays.
As such, a new tall ship travel industry has grown to satisfy the adventure-hungry sailing enthusiast with a potent sense of nostalgia.
But not all tall ships are old, some are newly-built, like "Tenacious" -- a 65-meter barque (sail ship with at least three masts) that was launched in 2000. According to its owners, she is the largest wooden tall ship to be built in the UK for over 100 years and does regular around-the-world trips.
Every four years, fans of traditional sailing boats from all over the world gather in the French city of Brest for the maritime festival "Les Tonnerres de Brest".
This summer will be the 20th anniversary of the festival, which always features tall ship races and regattas along the Brittany coast line.
More than 2000 boats from over 25 countries, including Mexico, Russia, Norway and Indonesia, are expected to take part during the 2012 festival in July.
She recently made history by becoming the first double lung transplant survivor ever to have raced across an ocean.
She is part of a multinational crew that is taking part in the bi-annual "Clipper Round the World Yacht Race" -- the only sailing race in the world where crews are made up of ordinary people, many with little or no sailing experience.
It was an emotional farewell for Laymond when she embarked on her journey. Her parents, understandably worried about her health, had urged her not to go because they feared she might not survive the trip as she only has 60% lung capacity.
Laymond decided to get involved in the race because one of the crews had a relay team of transplant patients, surgeons and specialist nurses on board its boat to raise awareness for organ transplantation -- something that saved her life six years ago.
She decided to take part in the eighth and final leg of the race -- crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The journey was a grueling affair plagued by tropical storms and rough seas. Laymond described it as her "toughest ever challenge."
The "Clipper Round the World Race" is the brainchild of Robin Knox-Johnston - the first man to sail single-handedly around the world. His aim is to give everyone, regardless of sailing experience, the opportunity of ocean racing.
This year more than 500 people -- aged 18 to 73 -- from 41 countries are taking part in the 40,000 mile race, which started in August 2011 and is set to finish on 22 July.
The line-up this year consists of ten identical 68-foot long Clipper yachts, which are all sponsored by different cities around the world
The first race took place in 1996; it consisted of eight boats and saw 300 people take part in the round-the-world relay competition.
Anyone can apply to take part in the race. This year 230 different professions are represented from nurses to surgeons, pilots to farmers, engineers to accountants and teachers to students and the whole gamut of occupations in between.
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