Nikki Henderson, 26, flew to the US to sail 48-foot catamaran the La Vagabonde

Voyage meant to save approximately 2 or 3 tons of carbon dioxide emissions

But Ms Henderson's flight to US to skipper vessel likely produced same amount

A British yacht skipper's flight to the US to help Greta Thunberg sail to Portugal has produced the same amount of carbon emissions the voyage hoped to save.

Nikki Henderson, 26, flew to the US from Britain to sail 48-foot catamaran the La Vagabonde.

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The vessel is carrying Miss Thunberg and her father Svante 3,000 miles to Portugal where she will go onto attend the COP 25 climate change talks in Madrid.

Nikki Henderson's (second left) flight to the US to help Greta Thunberg (centre) sail to Portugal has produced the same amount of carbon emissions the voyage hoped to save. Miss Thunberg can be seen with Australian couple Riley Whitelum (left) and Elayna Carausu (right), and Ms Henderson (second left) on board La Vagabonde

Ms Henderson was a skipper in three ARC Trans Atlantic races. In two of them, she was the youngest competitor Pictured on the eve of her departure to Portugal

The journey was meant to save approximately two or three tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

But Ms Henderson's flight from Britain to the US likely produced the same amount of emissions the journey hoped to save, countering Ms Thunberg's mission, The Times reports.

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Ms Henderson was a skipper in three ARC Trans Atlantic races. In two of them, she was the youngest competitor.

She also skippered the Caribbean 600 and has raced in three Caribbean seasons.

Ms Henderson tweeted: 'I decided to help @Sailing_LaVaga and support Greta because she is changing the world - simply by standing up for what she believes is right and staying true to her values.

The vessel is carrying Miss Thunberg (centre) and her father Svante 3,000 miles to Portugal where she will go onto attend the COP 25 climate change talks in Madrid. The journey was meant to save approximately two or three tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Miss Thunberg with Australian couple Riley Whitelum (right) and Elayna Carausu (left), and English skipper Nikki Henderson (second right) on board La Vagabonde

The ship belonging to Australian YouTubers Mr Whitelum and Ms Carausu, left from Hampton, Virginia

'I so admire that, and hope to draw strength from her.'

The 16-year-old climate activist, who became world famous for founding the 'school strikes for the climate,' refuses to fly in planes because of the carbon footprint.

The ship, belonging to Australian YouTubers Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu, left from Hampton, Virginia, last month.

The couple also have their son Lenny onboard.

It aims to reach Portugal, more than 5,500 kilometers (about 3,500 miles) away. From there Ms Thunberg will make her way to Madrid in Spain for COP 25.

The 16-year-old climate activist, who became world famous for founding the 'school strikes for the climate,' refuses to fly in planes because of the carbon footprint

The vessel aims to reach Portugal, more than 5,500 kilometers (about 3,500 miles) away. From there she will the make her way to Madrid in Spain for COP 25. Pictured: Miss Thunberg waves from La Vagabonde

The Australian couple offered to sail Miss Thunberg to Spain after she had issued a plea on social media for help getting back across the Atlantic Ocean, after the summit was moved at the last minute from Santiago in Chile to Madrid due to the protests in the South American country.

They have a YouTube channel boasting more than 1.1million subscribers called Sailing La Vagabonde, which documents their travels onboard the boat.

'Through our videos we hope to inspire others to explore alternative options of living and to spread ocean awareness,' the couple said in their channel description.

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In August, Miss Thunberg used a zero-emissions sailboat to sail across the Atlantic ocean from Plymouth in the UK to reach the United States in a 60 ft racing yacht equipped with solar panels and underwater turbines.