Top 10 Tips for Eco-Friendly Chartering
NauticEd wants everyone to respect the environment – especially our gorgeous oceans and marine animals. Below are our top 10 eco-friendly chartering tips.
Be Reef Safe
- Use reef-safe sunscreen (i.e., sunscreens that do not bleach coral). Here’s tips from NOAA (https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sunscreen-corals.html)
- Anchor responsibly
- Never anchor on or near a reef
- Never let the anchor chain drag across the reef
- Use mooring balls
- Keep toilet waste tanks closed – open and dump only when offshore (at least 3 miles) and then close tank again – it is easy to forget.
Go and Protect Local
- Shop and eat local
- Recycle and toss rubbish according to local guidelines
- Leave the wildlife wild—don’t chase animals/fish/whales and dolphins; don’t pick plants
Provision Properly
- Don’t buy small plastic water bottles – buy big bottles and bring your own refillable water bottles
- Purchase environmentally friendly products
- Bring your own bags for shopping
- Avoid single-use items
Clean Up
- Leave only footprints
- Pic up some extra trash that is NOT yours
- Organize a beach clean-up day
Thanks to David M for this pic and his family’s beach clean up effort on a charter
Reduce Carbon Footprint
- Sail vs motor – sail as much as you can
- Minimize generator use
- Try rowing the dinghy
- Ask for an electric dinghy motor
Make Good Selections
- Charter an echo-friendly yacht
- Look for boats with solar panels or other hybrid devices
- Choose a destination that respects environmental guidelines
- Plastic clothespins are a bad idea – use wooden ones
Practice Sailing
- Try to use the sails as much as possible
- Study the charts to avoid improper anchoring or scraping the reef with your keel
- If you see trash in the water, practice your man overboard skills
Washing
- Take a shower in the rain
- Use eco-friendly soap in the shower or when you wash in the ocean
- Limit detergent in cleaning dishes – select eco-friendly dish detergent
- Leave dishwater in the sink for reuse
- Pre-wash dishes in saltwater
Reduce – Reuse – Recycle
- Reuse food storage bags
- Reuse towels
- Re-wear clothes
- Use Tupperware-type containers instead of plastic wrap or bags
- Pressure the charter base to install recycling bins at the base (many don’t)
Share your Knowledge
- Show your crew how to reduce, reuse, and recycle
- Set eco-friendly as the tone of the trip for your crew
- Share your environmentally friendly knowledge prior to chartering to create an environmentally friendly tone
- Study up on your destination, your route, and local guidelines
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NauticEd is a global sail training and certifying body as well as a yacht charter agent. We represent all yacht charter companies worldwide with a selection of over 5000 yachts in 55 sailing destinations. The SLC sailing license is accepted worldwide.
