We should all strive to drastically minimise our ecological footprint. This includes our favourite hobby. Because it is undisputed that boats, yachts and their crews have a considerable impact on the environment in the areas in which they are travelling. Anchors rake up sensitive seagrass fields that store vast amounts of CO2. Diesel engines, some of which use ancient technology, blow far too many emissions into the atmosphere. And even the journey to the boat is often problematic from an ecological point of view.
Added to this is the large amount of waste that usually accumulates during a cruise. Alarmingly often this is simply left lying around somewhere, sometimes even in remote bays, from where it ends up in the sea. If you dive in places in the Mediterranean that are heavily frequented by boats, you will almost always find drinks cans, bottles and other items on the seabed.
Sometimes such finds are not even the result of irresponsible behaviour. Many crews dispose of their rubbish on land in the rubbish bins provided for this purpose. But these are sometimes rarely emptied and overflow. Or animals tear up the rubbish bags and the wind scatters the rest. Even if the waste bins are collected regularly, the rubbish often ends up in illegal landfill sites, especially in countries such as Greece, Italy and Croatia, and is then sometimes burned in the open air.
Environmental pollution caused by plastic waste is increasing
In financially weaker countries, waste collection services are sometimes simply not designed to cope with the masses of holidaymakers at the height of summer. Pollution of the environment with plastic waste has become an acute issue there in recent years. Boaters come across plastic debris almost everywhere, whether at sea, on the shores of bays or while snorkelling. The best way to combat this is to consistently avoid it, i.e. to take as little plastic and packaging on board as possible. And also to avoid plastic bags, plastic cups, disposable crockery, straws and the like when going ashore.
The trickiest issue for most people is certainly travelling to the cruise. Not every owner will be able to afford an expensive electric car, and not every charterer can or wants to do without a flight. The statistics show this very clearly: with the exception of the past few coronavirus years, the number of flights is rising continuously.
If you don't want to give up flying, you can at least make a financial contribution to climate protection projects that try to offset the miles you fly. One option, for example, is the "Atmosfair" initiative supported by the Ministry of the Environment (www.atmosfair.de). It's not even expensive: a flight from Hamburg to Mallorca costs 17 euros per person. That should be possible for a holiday costing 2,000 euros or more. Alternative strategies could be to sail more in northern European waters or to choose a holiday destination with a car or train journey. The Flixbus connections from southern Germany to Italy and Croatia, for example, have been pretty good for a few years now; they are also unbeatably cheap. And thanks to good Wi-Fi on the bus, the journey isn't too boring either.
Travelling to your own or rented boat and the question of whether you need your own boat at all is one aspect - another is what happens during the trip. For example, if crews do not adhere to nature conservation rules, this is certainly anything but beneficial for the endangered flora and fauna there. Checks by the local authorities show that thousands of skippers on the Balearic Islands or around Corsica and Sardinia, for example, do not observe the ban on anchoring over seagrass beds. These meadows have been disappearing for decades due to the CO² stored in the grass and the many animal species that find their habitat there.
Check legal requirements before the cruise
In fact, there is now an EU-wide ban on anchoring in seaweed, but many countries have not yet implemented it consistently. However, crews should adhere to existing regulations. Because where the areas are strictly guarded, such as off Cabrera off the coast of Mallorca, the successes are impressive. Anchoring has been prohibited there for many years and the number of visiting boats is limited. As a result, underwater life has literally exploded. Fishermen are now even reporting that fish species that had long since disappeared are once again appearing off the island.
The following therefore applies to skippers: If there are references to nature reserves on nautical charts or in sailing guides, it is essential to follow the applicable rules. These may include no-entry zones, restrictions on anchoring, minimum distances from the shore, closed seasons, prohibitions on entering the beach or other regulations. Furthermore, mooring buoys are usually a sensible alternative to anchoring.
It should be a matter of course for water sports enthusiasts to be at the forefront of helping to protect and preserve the oceans and the climate. After all, we rave the loudest about crystal-clear water, an abundance of fish and pristine beaches. So let's take matters into our own hands!
Tips for boat owners
- Would you consider a berth that can also be reached by bus and train?
- Is a community of owners a suitable model? This would save resources. And perhaps you could also form car pools.
- Electric outboards are an alternative to combustion engines for smaller boats.
- How often will the boat be used? Perhaps chartering would be the economically and ecologically better alternative.
Tips for motorboat charterers
- If possible, avoid travelling by car or plane and instead travel by train or long-distance bus. Many charter destinations, for example in Croatia or Italy, are easily accessible from southern Germany.
- If travelling by car, form car pools or hire a minibus.
- Pay into carbon offset funds for flights (e.g. www.atmosfair.de).
- Instead of chartering a week twice a year, why not go on a 14-day cruise once? This saves one journey to and from the harbour.
- Instead of travelling far afield, try out charter areas nearby.
- Agree on environmental standards with the crew when booking the cruise, which should be adhered to during the holiday.
14 tips: Boating holidays with a clear conscience
- Avoid plastic packaging when shopping; bring your own carrier bags instead.
- Separate waste on board in the way that is possible and prescribed in the country of destination so that it can be disposed of correctly later.
- Do not throw anything into the water on the way, including fruit and vegetable waste.
- Use the faeces tanks on board and only empty them on the high seas. Better still, have the tanks drained in the harbour if facilities are available on site.
- Use biodegradable washing-up and cleaning agents (Frosch, Ecover, etc.).
- Use as little shampoo and shower gel as possible so as not to pollute the sea more than necessary. Only buy products without microplastics. There are apps that allow you to scan the labels and provide information about the ingredients. If in doubt, ask in the shop.
- Do not anchor in seagrass fields. Posidonia plants store a lot of CO² at the bottom and are an important biotope.
- Buy as few fleece products as possible. They release huge amounts of synthetic fibres every time they are washed.
- Pick up plastic waste on a walk along the beach. And take part in litter collection campaigns. Environmental organisations such as WWF, BUND, Nabu and the Ocean Conservancy regularly publish dates for such events. Clubs and associations also organise litter collection campaigns.
- Respect the nature conservation areas marked on nautical charts and in sailing guides. This includes obtaining the regulations, reading them and obeying any prohibitions on sailing or anchoring. In Mediterranean areas in particular, these are all too often carelessly ignored.
- Avoid plastic cups and straws in beach bars and cafés if possible. Tell the waiter this when ordering.
- Do not order endangered fish species such as tuna or swordfish in restaurants. Current lists of endangered and safe fish species can be found on the websites of many environmental organisations. For example here.
- When travelling, only scrub the deck and cockpit with clear water and as infrequently as possible. Do not use cleaning agents.
- Smokers should not throw cigarette butts overboard - birds mistake the filter stubs for food and die in agony.
