Newsroom

Your Outback Guide to Green Boating

“Our past, our present, and whatever remains of our future, absolutely depend on what we

do now.”

— Sylvia Earle, Oceanographer

If you’re like most boaters, you crave the peace, beauty, and abundant recreational activities available when you’re out on the water.

You’re not the only one. In the United States alone there are more than 12 million registered recreational boats sharing your passion for the sea. Working together, we can make a lasting and significant impact on the oceans we love.

As you plan and provision your next Outback adventure, we urge you to think about these alarming facts, and look for ways you can reduce your impact on the cruising grounds, wherever your adventures take you.

• More than 80% of the plastic manufactured since 1907 is currently circulating in the environment. That plastic makes its way from landfills, streams, and rivers into our oceans. More amazing, nearly half of the plastic ever produced in the world – nearly 40% of it used only once —  was manufactured within just the last 20 years. And in the U.S., we recycle less than 9% of the plastic we use.
• Every single minute, all over the world, people buy nearly one million plastic bottles. We Americans purchase a staggering 111 billion plastic bottles every year all by ourselves. The plastic bottles we carelessly toss will still be in the environment  450 years from now.
• National Geographic estimates that nearly 18 BILLION pounds of plastic accumulate in the world’s oceans every year. If we could somehow collect it all, it would represent five grocery bags full of plastic trash sitting on every single foot of every single coastline worldwide.
• More than 100,000 marine mammals die as a result of plastic pollution every year, according to UNESCO estimates. You’ve no doubt heard news reports about Increasing numbers of fish, birds, turtles, dolphins, whales, and other marine species  washing up dead on beaches with bellies full of plastic.
• Even though it’s the biggest polluter of all, plastic isn’t the only thing fouling our oceans. Oil, diesel, or gas spills and contaminants like cleaning supplies, paint, solvents, even some cosmetic products that contain microbeads are literally poisoning the ocean and threatening not only marine life, but our own as well.

What we’re talking about isn’t an ocean problem, a plastic problem, or a habitat problem. What we’re talking about is, quite simply, a people problem that’s exploded beyond just the necessity to clean up after ourselves.

People created this problem. People can solve it. And it is our hope that as responsible boaters, we can lead the way.

If each one of us makes just a few basic changes in our boating behavior and sets the example for our guests, crew, and fellow boaters, we can create the momentum to preserve our rich marine environment.

Here are just a few simple ideas to incorporate.

First, dispose of all your waste responsibly.

Know the regulations:

1. Plastics: Under State, Federal, and International Law, it is illegal to dispose of plastic into the sea at any time for any reason.
2. Garbage: If you are within 3 miles of shore, it is illegal to dump any trash or garbage, or discharge sewage, at any time for any reason. If you are beyond 3 miles, you may discharge ground food waste and empty your holding tank.
3. Oil and other hazardous substances: It is illegal to discharge oil or other hazardous substances into the water at any time for any reason.

Follow the rules:

• Separate your garbage into four containers or bags: food waste, plastics, cans, and paper trash. Stow everything aboard until you can properly recycle them ashore.
• If space is an issue, tear or shred paper, crush cans, and cut up plastic. For longer voyages, consider buying a portable hand-held trash compactor to save space.
• Stow all hazardous materials (oil, oily rags, paint, batteries, solvents, etc.) in a bucket or container onboard until you can dispose of them appropriately, either at a marina or local hazardous waste disposal site. In case of a spill, contact the USCG National Response Center (800-424-8802) and notify the State authorities where you live.

Choose “durable” over “disposable.”

• Resist the convenience of paper, plastic-coated, or Styrofoam picnic ware, drink cups, or cutlery. Instead, furnish your galley with a set of washable, re-usable permanent dishes and cutlery. Include personal thermal mugs, steel or glass water bottles, and steel or silicone drinking straws – and encourage your guests and crew to bring their own.
• Use cloth napkins, dish towels, and tablecloths instead of paper to both reduce onboard trash and create a more elegant (and environmentally responsible) experience for your family, guests, and crew.
• Use your own durable canvas, hemp, cotton, or bamboo shopping and food storage bags at the grocery store, and refuse to use those plastic single-use bags in the produce aisle or at the checkout counter.
• Use a large-capacity refillable jug for drinking water, instead of buying single-servings of drinking water by the case. If you’re concerned about the quality of the tap water available, there’s an abundance of filtering systems for everything from refillable bottles and pitchers to your entire boat or home.
• Instead of buying cases of commercially produced soft drinks and mixers, consider using a countertop soda cartridge machine. While there’s a large assortment of flavor syrups available commercially (in plastic bottles), it’s easy to make your own flavored syrups at home– even root beer and ginger ale – without all the sugar, preservatives, or chemical additives you typically find in popular soft drinks.

Shop and cook responsibly.

Nearly everything we consume — from cookies to engine oil—is available in single-serve, single-use packages that increase the price and contribute untold tons of trash to local landfills. Let’s face it. We’ve become lazy and spoiled, addicted to “convenience.” But we can make just a few changes in the way we shop and cook that add up to a significant reduction in waste.

• Examine the “product-to-packaging” ratio of the things you typically use, and buy larger containers to reduce plastic waste.
• A stroll through the bulk bins at your local supermarket will present an amazing variety of products you can buy in bulk and repackage for your provisioning and onboard storage. Store your bulk items and dry goods in mason jars or washable, re-usable stackable food storage containers.
• Buy fresh, rather than canned or packaged foods when you can, then prepare and package your “convenience food” yourself, using reusable containers.
• Buy meats and cheeses by weight at the deli counter instead of individually wrapped and plastic-packaged slices. You can ask at the counter to wrap your purchase in paper, or bring your own storage containers.

Cruise respectfully.

Dolphins, porpoise, green sea turtles and manatees are delightful cruising companions, and it’s illegal to harass, hunt, or kill any of them or damage their habitats.

State and Federal law protects all marine life, manatees, in particular. Please respect the manatee protection zone requirements marked on your charts, and watch your speed and depth near those zones. If you disrupt a manatee’s normal behavior, you can expect to pay a fine of up to $50,000 and spend up to a year in prison.

Along with respecting the animal life of the sea, it’s important to preserve the plant life as well. Healthy sea grass is essential to the survival of many species, serving as a food source for manatees and green sea turtles, and a protective haven for other marine creatures who depend on it for food, shelter, shade, and rearing their young. Check your navigation charts or program to avoid cruising through or anchoring in those sea grass beds marked in green (or as “grs”) on the chart.

The best way to avoid damaging sea grass and destroying habitat is to know your boat’s operating depth (down to the propeller), stick to the main channels when cruising, and drop your anchor in bare patches of sand only.

And please, don’t’ remove anything from its marine environment. The mandate is, “Take only pictures, leave only footprints.”

Get Involved

“Many of us ask what can I, as one person, do, but history shows us that everything good and bad starts because somebody does something or does not do something.”

— Sylvia Earle, Oceanographer

It can seem overwhelming to consider how much effort restoring ocean habitat and protecting unique species is going to require from us. But if each of us takes a few small steps to change our own habits, we can share the burden and create extraordinary momentum.

There are plenty of ways to get involved with thoughtful and committed boaters, divers, and surfers who are active in education and cleanup efforts locally, state-wide, nationally, and internationally.

1. Make cleanups a regular part of your boating activities.

Encourage your family, guests, and crew to pick up any trash they see – particularly plastics – during every adventure on your Outback. Responsible boating includes making sure to leave the cruising grounds in better shape than you found them.

2. Get together with others for a community beach cleanup. It’s a great way to meet neighbors, make friends, and make a difference.
3. Support environmental organizations that make a difference. Governments, NGOs, businesses, and non-profit organizations are stepping up to find ways to combat pollution at its source as awareness of the increasing threat to the world’s oceans grows. Donate. Volunteer. Participate.

Outback Yachts is committed to doing whatever we can to preserve and protect the waterways we all share, and our hope is that we can all continue to enjoy the richness of our oceans for years to come.

Please contact us either by phone or in person with any questions you might have about how we can add to your boating experience. We’ll look forward to meeting you.