Why go sailing? Many of you will probably sail on your own or a chartered yacht because sailing means using the freedom to go wherever the wind takes you, becoming in tune with the elements, and enjoying pristine nature. Therefore, sailors naturally appreciate it when sailing grounds are clean and rich in biodiversity, and many are inclined to do their part to be sustainable sailors during their yacht charter.
When it’s time to provision, visit a town, or enjoy an evening out, berthing at a marina can be a convenient and comfortable alternative to swinging at anchor. However, we believe it’s essential to make an informed decision: which marina should I visit? While location and price will be important factors, you may also want to consider a marina’s environmental commitments and facilities. Both nature and future generations will thank you for it.
To help you decide, here’s our guide to choosing an eco-friendly marina:
1.) Look for the Blue Flag
An easy way to determine whether a marina is eco-friendly is to look for the Blue Flag accreditation. The Blue Flag is the global indicator that signals that a marina meets high standards for managing waste and water, protecting sensitive marine and natural areas, safety, and providing information about environmental issues to visitors. For example, you can be assured that the marina has separate containers for storing hazardous waste, adequate recycling bins and disposal arrangements, and toilet pumping facilities. In addition, the water in the marina will be clean, marina buildings and equipment will be well-maintained, and sewage will go to a treatment facility.
A Blue Flag marina should also be able to provide you with information about the local ecosystems, coastal zones, natural areas, and maritime protected areas. They can be a great source if you want to know more about the area’s nature, specific sensitivities, and rules for visiting protected areas. A marina may offer educational exhibitions or activities related to the area’s specific environmental features.
The Blue Flag is also used for beaches and boating tourism operators, so it’s always good to be on the lookout for it. Over 4,800 beaches, marinas, and tour operators worldwide fly the Blue Flag. They can be found easily on the Blue Flag website. Among all the countries with Blue Flag marinas, the Netherlands has the most - 130! Awarding the Blue Flag is an annual process, so if you see it flown, the marina (or beach or tour operator) currently meets the high standards for clean water and environmental management.
2.) Check environmental commitments
Instead of the Blue Flag, a marina may adhere to other regional or national standards regarding environmental protection. For example, look for accreditations on a marina’s website that prove that the marina meets high standards, such as France’s Ports Propres, New Zealand’s Clean Marina Programme, or similar awards. You may also want to ask the marina staff about their commitments when calling them to make a booking.
Even without accreditation from a third party, a marina may be committed to being eco-friendly. If that is the case, you will likely find their commitments when dealing with waste, water, and energy on the marina’s website, at their office, or in comments on sites where marinas are listed or reviewed. You can help other sailors and promote such marinas (and thereby their environmental practices) by leaving your review with specific information about the eco-friendliness of the marina where you stayed. This may also stimulate other marinas to become eco-friendly.
3.) Who doesn’t recycle?
Without certificates to reassure you, a good indicator of a marina’s eco-friendliness is its facilities for waste disposal. While reducing waste and reusing materials should be at the top of the list of a sustainable sailor, sometimes waste is difficult to avoid. In such instances, it is essential to separate waste on board into recyclable items such as paper, bottles, cans, and plastics on the one hand and non-recyclables on the other. But, of course, that only makes sense if there are recycling facilities on shore. Therefore, check a marina’s website, ask their staff, read online reviews, or talk to other sailors about recycling options at different marinas in your area.
4.) Precious water?
In many areas worldwide, clean, fresh water is a precious commodity. While you, as a boat owner or charterer, can do your part to minimize water pollution and waste of fresh water, so can a marina. Find out if the marina you intend to visit provides unlimited water on the pontoon or if water is priced per litre, encouraging sailors to use water sparingly. Are visitors reminded to avoid water spoilage, e.g. on the marina’s website or at its facilities? Are the showers timed? Although that may mean shorter showers than you were hoping for, it can save hundreds of litres of water each day and oil or gas to heat the water.
5.) Renewable energy, please!
Fossil fuel-based energy production causes significant carbon emissions, so it is worth finding out if your marina sources energy from renewable sources such as solar, wind, or hydropower. Some marinas will advertise this on their websites, but it will be necessary to ask the marina staff about it for others.
Suppose the marina has its own renewable energy supply, for example, because it has solar panels or solar heaters on the roof of its building. In that case, it will also have a lower energy bill. These savings may even mean that the rates charged to visitors for electricity are lower than elsewhere.
6.) Check the marina’s ownership model
The last criterion for choosing an eco-friendly marina is of a social nature. Some marinas are owned and operated by an association, such as a sailing club, or the community, such as municipal marinas. If you visit them, you often pay less and support the local economy more than if you berth at a privately-owned marina. This is because your marina fees will go towards maintaining the facilities of the association, which are frequently run by volunteers, rather than flow into the pockets of a handful of owners. When you use a public marina, you directly support the municipality and the infrastructure it is responsible for and which you, as a visitor, are also using.
Finally, never underestimate the influence you can have as a marina customer. Your questions to marina staff about their environmental performance may trigger positive change. Happy sailing!
This article was created in collaboration with Sailors for Sustainability: Floris and Ivar are two Dutch sailors who sail around the world searching for sustainable solutions. Their inspiring stories of positive change aim to accelerate the transition to a society where we live in harmony with nature and each other.
