S2. Ep.11 - When Washing Boats Might Be Breaking The Law, with Sarah Wallbank - August Race

About this episode

The episode discusses the environmental implications of routine boat cleaning practices and their compliance with pollution regulations.

There’s a quiet contradiction at the heart of modern sailing. We head out onto the water because we love the ocean - its freedom, its beauty, its power. And yet, in the most routine moments, whether washing down a deck or cleaning a hull, we may be contributing to the very damage we care about. Not through negligence, but through habit and through products labelled “marine safe” or “eco-friendly” without really questioning what that means. Because the reality is this: many everyday cleaning practices in leisure boating could already be non-compliant and most of us sailors have no idea. This all comes back to International Maritime Organisation and MARPOL, the global convention designed to prevent pollution from ships - not just major spills, but the small, cumulative impacts of daily life on the water. And that raises an uncomfortable question: are we cleaning our boats…or polluting our oceans? Tune in to hear host Holly Manvell speak with Sarah Wallbank, CEO of August Race, a MARPOL-aligned marine cleaning brand.

People in this episode

Host: Holly Manvell

Guest: Sarah Wallbank

Topics covered

• sailing
• marine cleaning
• environmental impact
• pollution prevention
• eco-friendly products

Keywords

• sailing
• boat cleaning
• marine pollution
• MARPOL
• eco-friendly
• environmental regulations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: August Race, International Maritime Organisation, MARPOL

More episodes of Clean Sailors podcast

• Boats, Waste and the Future of Circular Design with VAAN Yachts · May 15, 2026 · 57 min
• S2. Ep.10 - Whatever the Weather with meteorologist Tom Harrison · March 9, 2026 · 1h 4m
• S2. Ep.9 - The Wetsuit Waste Problem (And Who's Fixing It) with Circular Flow · February 9, 2026 · 43 min
• S2. Ep.8 - Building Futures with Small Boats, with The Little Optimist Trust · December 27, 2025 · 1h 2m
• S2. Ep.7 - with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (Part 2) · December 16, 2025 · 35 min
• S2. Ep.7 - with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (Part 1) · December 16, 2025 · 47 min