Boat International - June 2018

http://www.boatinternational.com | June 2018

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES; ADOBE STOCK

CHECKLIST

CEAN

use porcelain plates and when it comes to

decorating tables I take inspiration from

the sea, such as shells or driftwood. Guests

are always delighted by such thoughtful

and natural touches.”

Rules for flowers follow those for food.

Choose local, ethical growers and suppliers

and get the lowdown on how they operate: are

the flowers grown sustainably using natural

pesticides? Is flower waste composted? Do

they use biodegradable plastic and cellophane

and natural ties rather than elastic bands and

string, both of which can cause injury and

death to marine life? As an alternative, use

potted arrangements as table centrepieces.

They can be gifted to g uests to take home

or restyled to extend their life on board.

CLEAN YACHT, CLEAN OCEAN

Keeping yachts immaculate is a 24/7 job, so

if you’re not using marine-friendly products

that means a lot of harmful chemicals

being released into the ocean. Antibes-

based Environmental Yacht Services (EYS)

supplies MARPOL-compliant cleaning

products worldwide, meaning you can be

marine-friendly from deck to galley. “Just

by changing your dishwasher and laundry

products you can make a 60 per cent

improvement on your yacht’s ocean-pollution

impact,” says EYS owner Sheila Goddard

(environmentalyachtservices.com).

Entertaining generates a lot of waste,

which needs careful management. Ocean

Changemakers (oceanchangemakers.com/

maritime) has some good advice on waste

disposal. To a large extent it comes down

to awareness and planning – think before

you buy, be creative in repurposing things,

donate costumes or linens to charity and

make an extra efort to recycle. It can be a

challenge to find proper facilities in some

ports but they often do exist, even if it’s not

immediately obvious. If in doubt, ask the

port authority and raise awareness of the

need for solutions.

Ocean advocate Emily Penn stresses the

need for owners and crews to collaborate.

“The yacht industry is in a unique position to

bring about real changes to the health of our

oceans. It’s about working together, sharing

learnings and getting the word out. We all have

an opportunity to be part of the solution and

even the smallest changes count.”

Thanks to MARPOL reg ulations, onboard

waste systems have improved. Innovations

such as Tony Team machines (tonyteam.co.uk)

mean many types of waste can be compressed

to 14 per cent of the original size so it can be

stored cleanly and compactly until it can be

disposed of responsibly. Chefs can also lower

environmental impact with blast chillers and

shock freezers. Some models use up to 30 per

cent less gas than traditional methods and

their fast-chill facility makes them perfect for

catering at volume.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Parties inevitably mean lots of people coming

and going, so consider how to transport

guests to and from the yacht with minimum

environmental impact. Electric tenders,

such as Mylne Yacht Design’s Bolt 18, do the

job in style with pollution-free, all-electric

propulsion (mylne.com). Take care to also

research the location of your party, steering

clear of sensitive areas – at all costs avoid

“I love entertaining

and am conscious

of the need to be

natural. I avoid the

use of any plastic

on our yachts”

dropping anchor on a seagrass meadow, coral

reef or other fragile marine habitat.

If an event or party means investing in

new furniture or interior accessories, look

to companies with an ethical approach, such

as Summit Furniture (summitfurniture.com),

which uses sustainable plantation-grown teak

for chairs and tables, and Nature Squared

(naturesquared.com), which uses only natural

materials that are not endangered. Even better,

if your yacht is yet to be built or due for refit,

rethink all the materials – right down to the

decks of entertaining areas. Natural cork,

for example, is a more ethical alternative to

traditional teak.

Companies such as Clear Group

International (clearyachtinteriors.com) put

sustainability at the heart of your entertaining

spaces. “There are new advances all the time,”

confirms CEO Joyce Clear. “We already have

textiles that generate energy from the sun, and

wind and wave energy being used to operate

electronic devices and lighting. In addition, we

are always employing chemical-free interior

solutions and never use plastic when possible –

it’s all helping to make mindful entertaining

a great deal more realistic.”B

Orchids on board

Amaryllis, top left;

samples of Nature

Squared’s style,

left; the Seafood

Watch app; Mylne’s

Bolt 18 tender;

a potted flower

arrangement

on Here Comes

The Sun, below;

recycling in

port, above; eco

cleaning products

Decanter,

£360,

artemest.

com

Above: Nautilus

vase, £1,750,

katharinepooley.

com

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