We often think of sailing as a naturally green sport. It does not burn fossil fuel. Uses the natural power of the wind and brings us close to that most precious of natural resources, water. There is more sailors can and must do to assure that joys of sailing are available for generations to come. The America's Cup World Series has partnered with Sailors for the Sea to raise awareness of the state of the world's oceans to to be good stewards of our waters through Clean Regattas, as seen in the clean-up day held earlier this week at the AC World Services event in Cascais, Portugal.
As I reflect back on my little restoration project, I see that it too small contribution to sustainable sailing. By fixing up an old boat, I kept a large volume of waste out of a local landfill (the likely destination of the boat, if I had not undertaken its restoration). The production of a new vessel would have consumed far more energy and produced far more waste, than my restoration efforts. I encourage others to look around their neighborhoods for neglected boats and under take the clean and restoration effort yourself. It is incredibly rewarding, cost-effective and good for the environment.
This is the story of the second life of a sailboat. A 1973 Tanzer 16 that has spent the last 12 years out of the water, much of it collecting leaves and debris as the wheels of the trailer slowly sank into the earth. I acquired the boat on Aug 27, 2008 and this log will chronicle the cleanup, repair and refit of "Quick Silver" over the coming months.
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