The art of eco-friendly sailing

Adopt a responsible behaviour

The sailboat remains the most responsible way to navigate and explore the coasts and islands. It requires a very modest use of the engine and generates low CO2 emissions, (the NEEL 43, NEEL 45, NEEL 47 consume 1 litre per mile at a speed of 8 knots, which is very low). The sailing boat is also a silent means of transport, no noise pollution.

Sailors must, of course, also adopt environmentally friendly behaviour to preserve marine biodiversity and ensure its sustainability.

The sea is a rich space to be preserved. The seabed is fragile and anchoring can damage certain protected species. Choose an anchorage area according to the bottom and drop your anchor on a light-coloured sandy area.

Limit your landings in protected areas and if your engine is on, remember to turn it off as soon as you have completed your manoeuvre.

On board as at home, it is possible to sort your waste, avoid packaging and prefer bulk. You can provide a container for organic waste, which can be disposed of at sea from 12 miles off the coast. Take a bin bag for cardboard and plastic, and a box for glass. When you return to port, you can dispose of this waste in the containers provided.

This approach to waste reduction is easy to remember and is called the 4 R:

• Reduce at source (less packaging)
• Reuse (recyclable packaging)
• Repair (and reuse)
• Recycle (avoid single use).

The right reflexes to apply also on the boat:

• I pick up plastic bags and other objects floating in the water
• I do not throw any non-biodegradable waste overboard
• I use environmentally friendly cleaning and hygiene products
• I sort my waste and bring it ashore for disposal
• I adapt my consumption of fresh water to what is necessary
• I respect authorised anchorage areas
• I respect the speed limit near the islands and in the access channels
• I fish in the authorised zones, respecting the mesh size of the fish by species and by zone.

NEEL-TRIMARANS, manufacturer of NEEL trimarans, is committed to the planet

• The very favourable ratio between the weight and power of NEEL trimarans allows them to be sailed from the first reef.
• The NEEL 43 is made up of 30% biosourced and recyclable materials.
• On board the NEEL trimarans, solar panels have been installed to be autonomous in energy. Air conditioning, which is particularly energy consuming, has been excluded and natural ventilation has been optimised.
• NEEL-TRIMARANS works constantly and assiduously to reduce the ecological impact of its boats by conducting test campaigns to try out new materials that are more environmentally friendly. As an example, NEEL-TRIMARANS uses a French brand gel coat with a low styrene content, its emissions are 5 times lower than those of classic gel coats used in other shipyards.

Sail eco-responsibly this summer aboard a NEEL trimaran while protecting our precious marine environment. Sail away, have the privilege of discovering places inaccessible by land, such as wild creeks and uninhabited anchorages, and take the time to live.