The Myth of Green
Many cruising sailors embrace the myth that sailing is by definition a “green” activity. This was largely true until around 1990 when most of our boats were relatively small, our equipment was minimal and many cruisers were younger and willing to rough it in order to engage in the adventure of cruising. Cruising was seen as an exciting and inexpensive way to travel and see the world. We relied on seamanship and we accepted physical challenges as part of the experience.
Today, many of our cruising boats are bigger, more comfortable, convenient, fully equipped with the latest technology. They tend to be more expensive and they definitely utilize more resources. Large, well-equipped boats have become status symbols and some of us enjoy showing them off at a rendezvous and in the marina.
Unfortunately, as in our land-based lives, the more products we use onboard and equipment we add to our boats that are not “green”, the more we contribute to the ecological crisis (the unsustainable over-consumption of the earth’s resources). If we use diesel propulsion, and propane for cooking and heating, we contribute to green-house gas production and have a relatively large carbon footprint. If we run our engines rather than work hard to sail in light winds, or wait for favourable winds and tides, we are choosing to burn fossil fuels rather than loft our sails. Whether we are equipping a new boat or making upgrades to an older one, it is important to recognize that all technology and equipment is manufactured, shipped and disposed of with an environmental cost.
To be green sailors these days, we need to buck the tide of bigger, fancier or more convenient vessels and make some choices that are informed by green best practices. Many of us want to do that but need some advice on what to do and where to start.
BCA’s New Core Value and Working Group
The Bluewater Cruising Association has a newly adopted core value of “Caring: Respecting our environment, the communities we visit and each other”. The Environmentally and Socially Responsible Cruising working group’s job is to engage members and provide information and resources and promote greener practices throughout BCA. We invite you to follow our work, participate in the discussion about sailing green and try out the ideas we suggest. We will be publishing additional articles, and a Progress Report that will invite your participation in environmentally and socially responsible cruising.