Clean Sailors podcast

What happens to boats when they reach the end of their life? As thousands of vessels across Europe (and indeed, the world) face retirement each year, the marine industry is confronting an important question: how do we rethink waste, materials and the future of boat building?In this episode, we’re joined by Igor Kluin, Co-founder and Designer, and Nienke van t' Klooster, Co-founder of VAAN Yachts, a Dutch boat-builder taking a different approach to yacht design through circular thinking, recycled materials and a commitment to reducing environmental impact.We talk about the challenge of end-of-life boats, the opportunities that come with designing differently, and what it means to build sailing catamarans with sustainability at their core. From recycled aluminium to changing perceptions around luxury and performance, this conversation explores how innovation and environmental responsibility can work hand in hand.

We are obsessed with the weather. This obsession has served us very well over thousands of years - ultimately for the purposes of survival - food - crops, grazing, water, safety etc. The weather shapes our days, our moods, our plans - often without us noticing.At sea and on the water, it’s a different story. Weather is our focal point. Every decision, whether cruising or racing, flows from the wind, cloud patterns, pressure, the waves and swell - however localised. The weather is something you read, you feel, you live in and optimise for. The weather can be predictability and uncertainty, and in many ways, us sailors and seafarers have front row seats to the magnitude and at times, the extremes, of the weathers that governs our planet. In this episode we’re speaking with sailor and meteorologist Tom Harrison, to explore what the weather can teach us if we know what to look for and how to read it.

Connecting young people to water, the sea, is a topic so close to our hearts. As the bodies of research around ‘Blue Health’ in particular have grown, we better understand that time spent on or near water has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, promoting emotional resilience and improved mental well-being.For children and young people - it can be teamwork, confidence-building, inclusion and self-esteem and bigger still - dreams, hopes and ambitions. Here’s Greg Bertish, Founder of The Little Optimist Trust & Sailing Therapy Academy in Cape Town, to help us understand more.

PART 1/2This sailor and podcast guest needs no introduction, but he deserves one.Sir Robin Knox-Johnston made history in 1968-69 as the first person to sail solo and non-stop around the world, an achievement that secured his legendary status in the sailing world. He then co-founded Clipper Ventures, established the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 1996, transforming ocean racing by making it accessible to everyday people with no previous sailing experience. Through the Clipper Race, he has introduced thousands and thousands of people to offshore racing —an accomplishment he considers among his greatest achievements.Beyond Clipper, Sir Robin's personal sailing achievements continue to be extraordinary. At 68, he became the oldest yachtsman to complete a solo round-the-world voyage in the Velux 5 Oceans Race; he won the Jules Verne Trophy with Peter Blake in 1994; at age 75, he finished third in the Route du Rhum solo transatlantic race in 2014, proving that his competitive fire and seamanship has remain undimmed.As a life-long ocean appreciator, Sir Robin's strong penchant for high latitude sailing, namely around the reaches of the Arctic Circle, continues to expand his lifelong, exceptional insight into our changing oceans and climate.

We've explored the changing Arctic in a couple of our our Clean Sailors podcasts to date, but what about Antarctica and the Southern Ocean; what is it like and how is it changing?There is no other sailor to ask than Skip Novak - from Antarctica, Patagonia, South Georgia, the Northwest passage, Falklands, Atlantic, Pacific to the South Sandwich Islands, Svalbard, Spitsbergen: you name it, Skip has sailed it, and has sailed the most sea miles of any other sailor, alive or dead.Tune in to this episode to hear more on Skip's lifetime of sailing and, importantly, how the southern-most, at times most-formidable region of our planet, Antarctica, has been shifting.

Doyle Sails is one of the most competitive sailmakers on the planet. With the likes of SailGP as one of the main classes they serve, it's fair to say they've got some of the coolest clients and coolest technology around.How are the team addressing sailmaking in our modern world, in view of sustainability?In this multi-million dollar market, what are the stakes as new rules and regulations slowly arrive regarding end-of-life?Tune in to hear Harri Wren, Global Operations and Brand Manager talk us through sustainability at Doyle Sails.

Like most things sailing, our kit has undergone massive transformation over the centuries, evolving from heavy, water absorbent natural fabrics like wool and canvas and leather to today's lightweight, high-tech synthetic materials designed ultimately for waterproofing performance and comfort. But at what cost?Our highly engineered, highly advanced laminated and membrane fabrics do undergo intense waterproofing processes to become such, and as a result, over the years have contained plenty of forever chemicals like PFC's, perfluorochemicals.So how can we be thinking about high performance and sustainability in our modern kit? Podcast host, Holly, is joined by two pros of Team Henri-Lloyd to find out.

Based in Brussels, European Boating Industry represents the European leisure marine industry in Europe. Over 6 million boats are kept in European waters, and we’ve over 10,000 marinas - the industry is HUGE.As Secretary General, Philip Easthill is responsible for running the showSo what do they stand for and what are their current priorities?Let’s find out!

So far, the 'clean' in Clean Sailors has meant challenging ourselves and the sailing marine industry to become more environmentally aware and sound.For this podcast, we are looking at ‘clean’ from another perspective...Food at sea is very much fuel and certainly morale - hot, filling, long-burn energy loaded and as quick as possible to cook. When racing, well, let’s talk freeze-dried bags and a kettle of hot water!But how can we become more nutritious at sea, and how can we satisfy all the above, without relying on bowls of pasta, tinned beans and in the extreme cases the Pot Noodle…?Tune in to hear sailor, nutritionist and coach, Sarah Powell, on clean cooking and eating on a boat.

As we know, sails are strong and durable, built to withstand some of Earth’s toughest environments; UV light, saltwater and wind.Made from complex synthetic materials, sails aren’t formally recycled anywhere in the world with over 97% of them heading to landfill or incineration.But what if we used these huge sheets of hardy textiles for good?What if we used spent sails to help shelter refugees, the homeless and those displaced by politics and natural disasters?In this episode we are joined by Angela Abshier, founder of Sail to Shelter, achieving just that.A worthy listen, I'm sure you will agree.And, if you've an old sail remember to head to our ReSail by Clean Sailors platform to find your closest drop-off. Old sails can be made into new things 👍

Now, we know since the 1950’s, GRP and FRP hulls – glass and fibre reinforced plastics, became the go-to for boat building.These materials were revolutionary, not just for maintenance, cost and performance, but also increasing the accessibility of boats to a much wider audience. Fast-forward several decades, and these materials; meaning thousands and thousands of boats, are at end-of life, with no formal recycling opportunities anywhere in the world….So, what currently happens to boats when they die? And what impact are they having on the environment?Listen in to hear Dr. Corina Ciocan - Principal Lecturer in Ecotoxicology/Marine Biology at the University of Brighton speak about her somewhat alarming research on our choice boat-building materials and our marine environments, plus our human health...

Now, the golden rule when spending time in the sun is to cover up and sunscreen up. These tips are generally the best when it comes to protecting our skin from potentially harmful UVA and UVB rays and any secondary health impacts they can cause such as skin cancer. These tips are well known, however perhaps less known is the harmful effect that personal care products including sunscreen can have on our marine environment. In this episode, hear Stuart Knowles, Founder of ocean-minded sunscreen, Himaya, speak about the health of our oceans, building an environmentally focussed business right through the supply chain, and the best sunscreen to be using (*clue in the title!).

What exactly is seagrass and why is it important? How do we sailors impact the seabed, and what can we do about it?Tune in to hear a conversation of experts around our joint #ProtectOurBeds campaign - why seagrass is an instrumental species for our planet, how it's threatened and how we sailors can find out exactly where it lies, when out on the water.With the Ocean Conservation Trust, savvy navvy and Falmouth Harbour.#ProtectOurBeds