Last month members of the local yachting community got together with Brad Robertson from Save The Med Foundation at a gathering hosted by Astilleros de Mallorca to share ideas about how the yachting sector can contribute to the regeneration of the mediterranean marine ecosystems. Spending countless hours at sea, what better community is there to help scientists gather information from such an extensive area?
Save The Med works to help the Mediterranean Sea recover its rich biodiversity. Needless to say, this immense task cannot be done by the team alone. In Majorca, school communities, town halls & local businesses are working to reduce plastic waste and pollution. However, marine regeneration is much more than reducing waste and this reunion was to push a new initiative into the yachting sector with all participants receiving a presentation then encouraged to propose opinions, thoughts and ideas through a survey on how the marine industry could be part of marine regeneration.
Reporting observations of wildlife at sea, recovery of ghost fishing gear, turtle rescues, organisation of coastal clean up actions with crew and/or guests and the gathering of information about waste management systems in ports and marinas were some examples of how yacht captains, crew and guests could get involved and help make a difference. Other examples included financial support through Corporate & Collective Partnerships donations of materials or time to the Foundation such as boat equipment and support with boat maintenance and repair.
The latter was a challenge taken on by captain Jeremy Hill who volunteered to coordinate the repair of Save The Med’s 7,5m rib, R.V. Ondine’ together with a group of amazing people, all experienced in different aspects of boat maintenance, repair and refit. The works performed ranged from servicing the outboard motors, rewiring the electrics, re designing the bilge pump set ups, replacement of the Bimini and more.
Save The Med would like to give a big shout out to STP for lifting the rib out of the water and providing space to have her on the hard, Absolute Boat Care for providing direction and materials to repair the pontoons, MacGlide Baleares for our new more ecologically friendly anti-foul, Loft Customs for the new Bimini, Universal Nautic Superyacht furnishing and upholstery for the seat covers and the amazing team of individuals who helped in different ways - Akin Lake, Todd Speed, Rory Gillard, Omar Salva, Heather Mcintosh, Eric Uranga, Haydn Nicholson, Robin Crous, Kevin Bonnie & Rachel Lewis!
The rib allows the STM-team to conduct research expeditions with a high degree of autonomy and flexibility. It has enabled the majority of the surveys done by the organisation for the creation of coastal Marine Protected Areas in the Balearics, recurrent coastal and underwater clean up actions, research dives and multimedia expeditions, and is crucial for expeditions planned throughout the 2020 season. It is thanks to the knowledge, skills and expertise of everyone who contributed, and the material support from supporting companies, that Save The Med can now eagerly look forward to begin a safe and successful expedition season!
The Yachting community is in a perfect position to help organisations like Save the Med to preserve the very environment they depend upon, and the sector has much to offer. Whether a boat owner, crew member or in a yachting related business, there’s always something you can do and Save The Med encourage would like to encourage everyone to join the movement for a positive change, whether it’s with Save The Med, or any other environmental organisations in your local area.
Can you donate an annual amount or a percentage of profits to help ensure the continuity of the environmental projects being done? Can you donate materials that you no longer need (lines, fenders, buoys, shackles, a motor, boat batteries, dive gear, you name it!)? Space for repair work? Do you or does your company have skills that can be of help? Can you help raise awareness by involving your crew and/or guests in educational activities? Can you report your wildlife sightings at sea? Can you provide information about waste management systems in the ports and marinas that you visit? Do you have ideas of your own? We’d love to hear about them! Contact brad@savethemed.org to discuss your ideas and involvement!
Seeing the yachting community getting together like this is about much more than “getting a boat fixed.” It’s about taking a stance and demonstrating that when we join forces and come together, great things can happen, and that this is only the start! With this small example of a ‘collaboration for the sea’, we hope to set the stage for future, larger collaborations where we all work together for what unites us; our love for the ocean and all its beings!
We wish to thank everyone who joined the event and want to share a special thank you to Port Adriano who provide a birth for our RIB, to all who helped us to bring it back to life, and to Bindi Restaurant for giving us a place for holding our planning meetings, in order to get it ready for the adventures that await in 2020 and beyond.
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