Top 10 Tips for Eco-Friendly Chartering

Sea turtle near water surface interacting with a plastic lid, emphasizing ocean pollution awareness.

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.

Take sailing courses here

Inquire about a yacht charter / sailing vacation here

Learn about the SLC sailing license here

Author

  • Grant Headifen

    My vision for NauticEd is to ensure that families and friends get out on the water not only safely but with true COMPETENCE, confidently savoring every moment of their valuable time.

    Achieving this means being the pinnacle of sailing and boating education—offering comprehensive multi-media theoretical instruction coupled with hands-on, on-the-water training through our global network of American National Standards Instructors. We steadfastly avoid becoming a mere certification mill; our focus is on delivering genuine competence, ensuring our students are well-prepared for enjoyable, real-world boating experiences.

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