The following blog comes from the sailing experience of Christina Archer and her team from "Sustainable Sailing Greece" project. A project that Kiriacoulis Mediterranean group supports from its beginning. Christina and her team highlight a series of sustainability issues that we should take under consideration for the future.
As you know…we love the Ionian! But from the start we have wanted Sustainable Sailing Greece to be a resource for all sailors across the country, so a year after our launch we are starting to venture to new sailing grounds. This summer we wanted to see how other areas are adopting sustainable practices, and hear from local sailing communities what they see as the key issues to be tackled. So off we set sail for a few days in June, cruising around the Saronic Gulf, thanks to Kiriacoulis Yachting. They were one of the first companies to ‘jump on board’ and help with the development of the Sustainable Sailing Greece guide, and we are really pleased to have their continued support as we embark on our new journey.
The Saronic Gulf is a busy sailing area, with thousands of charter boats sailing out of the 5 marinas dotted along the Athenian coast. In Kiriacoulis’ home at Alimos marina, we were told there were 1000 charter boats out during the week we were there in mid June - and that is not even the height of the season. With that many boats with a minimum crew of 2, multiplied by 5 marinas, for more than 20 weeks every year… and you have a huge potential impact. The Saronic Gulf is facing the same issues as the Ionian, but on a much larger scale it would seem.
Boat provisioning was one of the first areas of concern. We heard from sailors that many charter boats don’t have a starter pack of basics, so guests in their thousands are buying washing up liquid, cleaning pads, dish cloths, salt, pepper, olive oil, shower gel, and more every week; most of this gets thrown away at the end of the holiday, contributing to a vast amount of food waste. Those who have seen our Guide will know that one of our top tips is ‘buy local and buy sustainable’ - Greece has so many delicious products (like olive oil of course!) that could be part of on the board staples provided. The cost could be incorporated into the charter price - and we would be supporting local producers. Also it would be great to see charter companies supplying an environmentally friendly cleaning products for guests as standard, for example with eco-friendly washing up liquid (like Greek brand Planet) to help minimise pollution.
Ocean friendly sunscreen is vital for any sailor. Part of the joy of sailing in Greece is jumping in for a swim at anchorages, but unless we’re wearing the right suncream, we’re damaging sea life in the waters we adore. We were really happy to find a good range of ‘ocean friendly’ or ‘marine safe’ (there are a range of labels and claims) products in Greek supermarkets and chemists, such as local brand Apivita, and others such as Avene, and some ranges of Hawaiian Tropic and Carroten. It may cost a bit more but it does protect marine life.
It won’t come as a surprise that plastic water bottles are the largest, most worrying issue in charter sailing abroad. We saw hundreds of bottles being bought by customers for their charter week, which adds up to literally millions across the combined Greek sailing areas every year - but the recycling infrastructure on the majority of Greek islands can’t support that number. Sadly we saw quite a few bottles floating on the sea as we sailed around the islands, and we fished out a number to recycle when we reached a main port. We’d love to see harbours installing potable water fountains - like those at airports - with charter companies providing easily stored 5 litre containers that can be filled up at each port. Something must be done about this issue, and urgently.
On the plus side, it was great to see recycling facilities on the island of Poros, and at Alimos marina. We did wonder if we need more sites and clearer signposting to them. After all, recycling is now the norm for many sailors back at home. We were also reminded in a conversation with the vice mayor of Hydra how small islands really struggle to cope with the huge influx of waste tourism (including charter boats) creates – so we made sure we kept as much of our rubbish and recycling as possible to dispose of back at base in Athens.
Greece is a haven for wildlife and one of the highlights was to see several pods of dolphins on our cruise. Following Sustainable Sailing Guide tips, we put the engine in neutral as soon as we spotted them and kept a safe distance away. We also quickly scanned the QR code in the Guide to report the sighting to local NGOs who are increasingly using citizen science to monitor these gorgeous creatures. Such a joy to see them leaping around!
Also on a ‘protect nature’ theme, our number one aim this year is to raise awareness about not anchoring in seagrass, one of the world’s most precious carbon stores. Environmental organisations we have worked with over the past few years across Europe and the UK have stressed the urgency of getting the sailing community to take care when anchoring, as it is causing immeasurable damage to seagrass meadows. Our anchor crew wore polarised sunglasses to spot Posidonia seagrass on the seabed, directing the skipper where to steer to anchor in sand instead. With hundreds of thousands of charter boats in Greek waters, this simple action can really help protect this vital resource. We are developing a short video with some good reminders on how to do this, so watch this space!
Following a suggestion from a participant at our Sustainable Sailing Greece 2024 season kick off meeting in Lefkada, we spent some time thinking about how stickers on charter boats could remind guests about these simple ways sailors can make a difference in maintaining beautiful Greek waters:
A ‘mind the seagrass’ sticker on the electric windlass.
A ‘reduce your speed by 10%’ sticker on the helm (to lower carbon emissions and save money!)
A ‘leave no trace’ sticker in the cockpit to prevent litter going overboard.
And of course having physical and online Sustainable Sailing Guides for guests to read as they sail around the islands. We would love to hear from readers if you think these would be helpful!
The Saronic Gulf has beautiful islands to explore like Hydra, Poros and Aegina; we loved our time there. But seeing the increasing numbers of boats now cruising around these islands brought home the significant pressures we are adding to small islands and their coastal ecosystems. Many of you will have seen the catastrophic results on Hydra of the mindless actions of some visitors. The sailing community plays a vital role in maintaining Greece’s beautiful waters for generations to come, and our mission is to support that every step of the way.
Find out more info on how to sail more sustainably when chartering a yacht here
