A Special Tribute to Sailors on Earth Day

Sailors are a special breed. More than most folks, they watch the weather, watch for a puff of breeze, look for current lines in the water, watch amp hours on their batteries, or make sure the hull is clean to move easily through the water. It’s why today’s April 22 Earth Day resonates with so many sailors. When out sailing, sailors try to understand, harmonize and utilize the forces of nature to get where they’re going. The act of moving a boat with just the power of the wind is one of the things that makes it so pleasurable and endlessly fascinating. 

Today is Earth Day, the day we try to view the world like the astronauts who recently returned from the moon. Like a sailboat at sea, they saw the whole planet as a tiny ship in the vastness of space. The perspective of the astronauts is one shared by many sailors when they see Mother Nature, not as something to battle, but as a partner in our species’ survival. Like the saying goes, “You can’t change the wind, but you can adjust your sails.” Unfortunately, human-enhanced climate change may actually, inadvertently change the wind. 

We know most sailors are trying to work with Mother Nature, not against her. Anchored in a quiet cove on the Sea of Cortez sailors are watching their amp hours, keeping their solar panels clean, making sure their wind generators are spinning freely, limiting the use of their Starlink, and making sure the refrigerator is insulated and the watermaker is operating efficiently. These habits are in a sailor’s DNA whether afloat or ashore.

Anyone who faced the past chilly Maine winter knows that they can turn up the thermostat to get more heat. They also know to close the doors and windows to keep that heat in. That’s really all Earth Day is about. Despite a temperate local climate, California is a leader in managing climate change and is hosting SF Climate Week in San Francisco this week, from April 18 – 26. They report 50,000 attendees and over 650 events. The Bay Area is on the leading edge of all of it with companies like Tesla that led the EV revolution. Politics aside, Tesla and numerous other California companies are transforming the economy to get it on a more sustainable track. 

Yes, we know no one lives on the planet with zero impact. Every human activity, including sailing on plastic sailboats with diesel auxiliaries, has potential negative impacts. But the act of sailing inspires sailors to think differently about their interactions with nature, and how to minimize the impact while maximizing the benefits. 

Using solar, wind and sailing for recreation also provides freedom and independence from the world’s energy choke points. The closing of the Strait of Hormuz has driven fossil fuel prices higher and driven demand for EVs and solar panels higher along with it. We hope that carries over to sailing (though without the higher prices). California’s climate and reliable winds make it possible to be on the water for endless hours without the use of fossil fuels. Freedom from the price at the fuel pump gives sailors the liberty to bask in the pleasures of the Bay while worrying less about geopolitics and the price at the pump. 

In the big picture, Earth Day is about respecting Mother Nature and preserving a sustainable planet for the next generation. We noted in our article on the Sailing4Parkinsons race that most cases of Parkinsonss are preventable — according to research, up to 80% of the cases of Parkinson’s are caused by chemicals such as paraquat in our environment. Sea-level rise could be reduced with reductions in the use of fossil fuel. A cleaner Bay with more salmon fishing could result from eel grass restoration and the reintroduction of the native oyster population. 

Luckily, it’s not just sailors. The Port of Los Angeles, the largest port in the US, is aggressively pursuing ‘zero emission shipping’ to prevent and mitigate the impacts of climate change. We think the connection, care and respect for the planet are more easily taught to anyone in a small boat with their hand on a tiller. Working a small boat in shifting breezes, watching the tide rise and fall, or seeing a porpoise surface nearby connects you to something bigger than yourself.

We wish a Happy Earth Day to sailors and all organizations and individuals who connect the freedom and spirit of sailing to create a healthier planet.