The Green Blue (a sustainable boating community)
The Green Blue is the UK’s sustainable boating community, where you can find information on how to be a greener boater, learn how to maintain your boat, find eco boating products, and join their campaigns (which include helping marine creatures, protecting sea beds and keeping waters clean).
Read our post on how to keep dogs safe near water (many harbours are not dog-friendly).
A partnership between Royal Yachting Association and British Marine, it plays an important role in helping the millions of recreational and professional boaters on our waters, to help protect the water, sea beds and marine creatures – fish, seals, dolphins, porpoises, whales and basking sharks.
You can also learn more about electric boats, and report abandoned end-of-life boats, to prevent them polluting the water.
The Resource Directory includes everything from organisations that can collect rope for recycling, to eco-friendly boat cleaning products, hull protectors and water purifying machines.
The Green Blue’s Boating Pledge
- Minimise noise. Especially important in water, as noise travels further and disturbs birds and wild creatures. Never sail through birds or creatures on the water, as this can split mothers from their young.
- Minimise Wash. This can uproot vegetation and cause soil erosion, and even cause damage to other boats and loosen their moorings.
- Keep to Speed Limits. This helps protect local birds and wildlife. It’s also good to reduce fuel use and maintain engine efficiency, as well as of course reducing risk of collision. If you see wildlife, slow down to a no-wake speed and use binoculars to view from at least 300ft.
- Don’t Throw Anything Overboard. Even milk from coffee can cause bacteria in the water, and an orange peel takes 2 years to break down. Keep it all on board and dispose/recycle when you get back to shore. Secure bins (so items don’t blow into the water).
Other Useful Green Boating Resources
- Greensail has a free sustainable sailing guide, which covers managing greywater and blackwater, and how to avoid anchors damaging sea beds.
- Sea Clean is Europe’s first brand of waterless boat cleaning products, with info on how to clean boats and professional services (launder microfiber cloths in a microfiber filter, to prevent water pollution).
- Delphis Eco is a good brand of commercial cleaning products, some of which are good for boats (like toilet cleaners and de-greasers).
- Download the guide on using anchors with care, to prevent harm to seagrass (home to endangered sea turtles and seahorses). Advanced mooring systems has developed mid-water floats that elevate chains from sea-beds, leaving seagrass undisturbed. Respect voluntary no-anchor & no-access zones.
- SEAFLEX is an elastic mooring solution for docks, pontoons and other places, that can be secured in locations exposed to extreme weather.
Tips for Wildlife-Friendly Sailors
- Green Blue offers a free e-book on boating near wildlife. Don’t exceed 4 knots when close to shorelines and banks. Slow down to no-wake speed if you spot wildlife, lower voices and turn off music.
- Don’t drive through pods or groups of creatures and avoid jet-skis (all can injure and separate creatures from their young). Follow DEFRA Marine & Coastal Wildlife Code (do not chase, harass, touch or feed creatures).
- Take the 5-hour course at WiSe Scheme to teach you how to protect wildlife at sea. Graduates receive a certificate to display on literature.
Tips for Fishing Boats
- Avoid using methods that trap other creatures, and also avoid over-fishing.
- Monomaster is a nifty invention that unlike some fishing line recycling bins (which can tangle birds) keeps tackle safe, until you dispose of it in a proper recycling bin.
- Fishing for Litter has worldwide volunteers, who fill up bags at sea, to recycle at port. Fleets in England have removed hundreds of tonnes of marine litter from oceans (along with textile and scrap metal, which can be sold for extra income.
