The world is going steadily greener. Luckily there’s plenty yacht owners can do to meet today’s green ambitions.
Environmentally friendly mooring and anchoring
Mooring and anchoring can cause damage to the seabed. Find out if there are any protected seabed habitats in the area you want to lay anchor then steer clear of them. Use the right anchor for the type of seabed so you can avoid drag. Do your best to target bare sand away from the edge of seagrass beds when you anchor and take care around the pivot area of your anchor chain to keep it away from protected habitats – or use an existing mooring instead of creating a new one. Finally, always use the right amount of chain to minimise the risk of damaging the sea bed.
Greener waste disposal on board a yacht
Sewage, bilge water, grey water containing chemical cleaning products plus plastic food packaging are the worst sinners, all of which deserve careful disposal. Since 2016, when it became a legal requirement for new boats, yacht builders have had to find ways to contain black waste on board, for example via special holding tanks. But every responsible sailor should fit sewage containment on board, even if it’s as simple as a portable cassette-type head on a small craft. In response to the environmental imperative, there are also increasing numbers of pump-out facilities being built around coastlines, which you’ll find listed online.
Grey water from showers and sinks is another issue that deserves care and attention. In some areas of the Med you’ll face a fine if you’re caught dumping detergents in the water either in a harbour or at anchor. While it’s hard to fit a grey water tank in a small boat, you can do the decent thing by buying environmentally friendly washing and cleaning products without any chlorine, bleach, phosphates or microplastics.
Bilge water is full of nasties including toxic chemicals from inboard marine diesel and petrol engines. The solution is to place a good, deep drip tray under the engine. You can filter oily bilge water before pumping it overboard but it’s much better to pump it into a separate tank or other container than dispose of it safely onshore.
While you’re still allowed to discharge a holding tank at sea, you should never do so either within 3 miles of the UK coast or anywhere near a special Marine Protected Area. Outside the UK the rules are stricter, including the Med, and experts predict UK regulations will soon catch up.
Because outboard motors are notorious for polluting marinas and harbours thanks to careless refuelling or leaks, it is wise to do it onshore when the tank is either separate or can be detached. Otherwise, it’s best to find a clean and tidy way to pump fuel into the engine rather than try to pour it in by hand. Good inboard and outboard engine maintenance also minimises leaks.
Wise disposal of packaging
Yachts are designed efficiently to make the most of the available space, which means there’s limited storage. You don’t want to be carting loads of packaging around with you, so unpack as much food and drink as you can before sailing, stashing it in the lockers or in reusable containers. Never leave rubbish on deck, where it can blow into the water.
Cleaner, greener electricity
Greener electricity is a big deal on board thanks to modern solar photovoltaic tech, improved battery storage, better PV cells and super-efficient regeneration systems. All this makes solar power cheaper and more efficient than ever, an advantage when yachting in hot places where there’s a lot of sun. And today’s brilliant low-cost lithium LiFePO4 batteries are safer than ever as well as impressively efficient.
Fire on board is one of the worst things that can happen, and the risks of using LPG to heat a yacht are well documented. Cooking and heating with LPG also emits almost as much CO2 as running a petrol engine. Electric heating isn’t always practical on a small boat but on the other hand large capacity lithium-based batteries and ultra-efficient solar panels are developing fast, with the capacity to run an induction plate or microwave without switching on the generator or running the engine.
Greener antifoul yacht products
Most antifoul coatings are toxic to marine life, full of VOCs, biocides and metals. They’re slowly becoming less toxic but also less effective. New non-toxic polymer-based coatings are currently being developed. In the meantime when boatyards and marinas hose down hulls they must make sure run-off water containing antifouling chemicals is collected in a special tank.
Take care around invasive species
Non-native species can cause havoc, often spread via vessels as well as naturally by currents. They can ride on board hulls, anchors and propellers or even get into your ballast and bilge water. Zebra Mussels are a good example, fast-growing and resilient. They can damage a yacht, blocking the engine cooling water intakes and overheating the engine. The Carpet Sea Squirt is another, known for completely smothering natural habitats where it doesn’t belong.
‘Check, Clean and Dry’ is the best way to avoid them. Regularly check the boat itself, the equipment, and even your sailing clothes for plants and creatures, especially in the wet, dark places they like to hide. Wash equipment with fresh water, antifoul every year, and put any fouling you’ve removed in a bin, not back in the sea. And dry everything thoroughly.
When you share a yacht, the maintenance is done for you. All you do is turn up and she’s ready to go. You can rely on our people to make sure your craft is clean, safe, and operating as efficiently as possible to protect the natural world and take care of the climate.
