Sustainable Sailing as a Lifestyle

The vast majority of us follow ecologically friendly practices at home. However, what befalls those practices when we set sail? Sustainable sailing is the concept that is designed for that! Especially, ensure you sail carefully to lessen your negative effect on nature. Because each of us plays an important role in saving and caring for the oceans.

A Sustainable Way of Living: Sustainable Sailing ⛵️♥️

To travel by sea, opens many perspectives as far as seeing the beauty of the Mediterranean Coasts, and unfortunately how the undersea is so damaged by all plastics. Furthermore, the usage of synthetic ropes – lines by all the marine industry traveling through the sea and oceans creates an abundance of leftovers and debris onto our salty waters.

From the cruise ships, cargo ships, motor or sail yachts, fishing boats, to smaller leisure boats. Using synthetic ropes or lines, they all leave a footprint of microplastics into our oceans.

Why We Should Go for Sustainable Rope vs. Synthetic Rope?

Microplastics are emerging contaminants widely spread into the oceans. As they enter the aquatic environment the damages are irreversible. Fishes ingest daily microplastics due to line shredding, lines no longer used or abandoned into our oceans. It has become a global concern to human health from the fish we eat. Also, did you know that certain fish we eat contains microplastics? ?

Surely using microplastics lines has its advantages such as being waterproof, strong, durable. Therefore, our future oceans and environment deserve new alternatives to preserve our ecosystem from getting more damaged.

Hibiscus tiliaceus, a tree growing in the Philippines, South East Asia, and India. It is widely used throughout these countries due to its medical virtues. Researchers are studying the process of making rope/line from the Hibiscus bark tree grows up to 10 meters high.

To replace the synthetic rope by fiber obtained from the bark of hibiscus would be a fantastic sustainable solution. Let’s hope researchers will find successfully a solution to avoid the accumulation of microplastics into our oceans.

How Are Ropes and Nets Damaging our Ecosystem and The Turtles?

Turtles, one of the oldest and most vulnerable creatures in our ocean habitat. More than 4600 turtles die each year as they get entangled or eat synthetic line. Certainly, these cause immense and irreversible damage to our ecosystem. If ever sea turtle goes extinct, the rest of marine species would go in decline. Seagrass beds and coral reefs would be lost.

Over 1 million marine animals (including mammals, fish, sharks, turtles, and birds) are killed each year due to plastic debris in the ocean, seas, rivers. According to estimates, currently, there are 100 million tons of plastic in oceans around the world. Unfortunately, the production of plastic is not yet to stop. More is produced than it is recycled.

Take a look at “Plastic Waste Facts” on The World Counts website. You will find surprising and sad facts. You can see an example counter below.

We must change our daily routine habits and also, acquire more consciousness regarding reusing, recycling, renewing whatever we can. The damages to our wonderful traveling destinations must be preserved. We want our travel memories to be precious and unforgettable.

Hola there, Paola here! I am passionate about the sea, sailing, and photography, based in the Balearic Islands. Native Spanish, born in Malaga, Spain.

I always had a passion for the sea and will be living new sailing adventures to continue to raise awareness regarding the seas and oceans. Looking forward to new sustainable sailing traveling adventures to be shared through this beautiful community of travelers and adventurous souls. Also, we can meet on another guest post for Travelinsightpedia too!

For more, you can visit my Instagram @blackandwhitezeal or @sailingzeal. Fair winds!