Flora, fauna and junk
Sail power is making a comeback, as shown by the recent example of the cargo ship that docked in Torquay bringing wine, coffee and olive oil from Portugal. Nordlys (pictured) was built on the Isle of Wight in 1873, which could make her the oldest vessel of her kind still operating. But that’s not all …
Porpoises, whales, dolphins, sturgeon… any of these within three miles of the UK coast technically belong to Queen Elizabeth II, and she’ll have you in the Tower for a swift height-reduction operation if you bother them. Well, maybe the punishment isn’t really that extreme – but anyone who harasses, injures or kills a cetacean in …
Read more “Environment: don’t disturb the dolphins (or the Queen will be very angry)”
Amid lockdowns, travel restrictions and other COVID-19 curbs, many boat owners won’t have had an opportunity to get their boats out of the water and lavish a little TLC on the hull. We’re among them, so we started looking at issue of antifouling with a view to finding a compromise between the needs of Amneris …
Sail power is making a comeback, as shown by the recent example of the cargo ship that docked in Torquay bringing wine, coffee and olive oil from Portugal. Nordlys (pictured) was built on the Isle of Wight in 1873, which could make her the oldest vessel of her kind still operating. But that’s not all …
Do you give much thought to what’s below your boat (apart from rocks) when you drop anchor? Do you know where to find your nearest pump-out location? How can you minimise risk to the environment when removing/applying anti-fouling, or simply cleaning your boat? The Green Blue is an excellent place to start if you want …
Sailors are among those perfectly placed to witness the extent of marine life in UK and Irish waters. That includes sharks of various species, of which there are at least 21 permanently resident, 11 deep-water visitors, and several more than might drop by once in a while. Of all shark species that do put in …
Read more “Environment: fancy sailing with sharks? British Waters might be a good place to start”
Thought plastic bottles or shopping bags were the biggest source of trash pollution in our seas and oceans and on our beaches? Discarded cigarette butts outnumber both of these combined. If you enjoy a quiet smoke on board, that’s your business. Though you probably already exercise good practice such as puffing away downwind and refraining …