photo contest - Yacht Essentials

The crew drank filtered water, saving on the masses
of plastic that accumulates with bottles. They used far
less diesel than a similar sized motor yacht.
The yachting industry as a whole is by no means green,
often at odds with the pristine cruising grounds we
explore. Even Pete’s well-run schooner will never truly
be green on a fundamental level. It can’t be. From the
building of a superyacht down on through to its daily
maintenance and provisioning requirements, a substantial
amount of resources, human and industrial,
monetary and mental, go into it. A truly green yachting
industry could never exist in the first place. Unlike
plantains, yachts do not come with their own biodegradable
packaging.
And yet in a place where it
would be so easy to be “green,”
the island is threatened with
environmental ruin.
But it’s not a lost cause. In the Caribbean, Dominica
represents perhaps the starkest example of a thriving
natural environment and the sad consequences of its
neglect. Before-and-after photographs of the island are
not necessary to make the point — one simply need to
glance towards the coast to get a perfect picture of both,
and simultaneously. But it hasn’t been ruined yet. For us
in the yachting world, the island is an untapped resource,
a gorgeous cruising area rife for exploration; we are precisely
the ones who can destroy it, and interestingly, the
ones who can save it.
As Pete’s experience has shown, we can set the tone, not
just for other yachts to follow, but also for the people in the
places that they visit, right on up through the governments
and the regulations they set. It’s a fine line, but a walkable
one. In many places, Dominica especially, the environment
is still salvageable. Let’s not ruin the view.
Andy Schell is a professional yacht captain and freelance
writer. He and his new bride, Mia Karlsson, are setting
sail across the Atlantic, bound for Sweden in their yawl
Arcturus, before returning to the Caribbean next winter
to continue working on yachts. Visit his website at www.
fathersonsailing.com.
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Shelter Island Marina: 619 223 0301
Island Palms Hotel: 619 222 0561
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