Sustainable Sailing

Sustainable includes:
Environmental (low carbon footprint, low pollution, low impact)
Health (low stress, good exercise, good diet etc)
Financial (manageable costs, enough income)

Sustainable Sailing Logo

© Dave and Jane Warnock 2023

Introduction

Sustainable Sailing is both our vision and our journey. By "our" we mean Jane and Dave Warnock. We have been married over 35 years and are preparing for the next "stage" of our lives, one focused on Sustainability while sailing around about the world. For nearly 20 years Dave has worked as a Methodist Minister, that means we have lived in three different houses provided by the Methodist Church. We have had no control over these houses and they have all had high carbon footprints with: little insulation, old fashioned heating systems, no solar panels etc. We have tried to reduce our Carbon Footprint over the years but the houses have been the limiting factor.

We have enjoyed sailing together since we first got married but had a break for over 10 years as our teenage sons didn’t share that enjoyment. So now we are combining our passion for living sustainably with sailing and a little planning for retirement.

This journey started with the purchase of Vida, a 1977 Rival 38 Centre Cockpit sailing boat. Together we are looking to a future for ourselves which is:

  • Sustainable – Our total environmental impact
  • Sustainable – Our health and well-being
  • Sustainable – Our finances

As so often there is a long and a short story.

So here is the short version. We were prompted to look towards our retirement. We realised that one day living on a sailing boat might be possible. We looked at a few boats to check the dream. Vida appeared on a list and changed our expectations and our timetable. She motivated us to get on and sell a plot of land (our plans for that had fallen through). We made an offer, had a survey and bought her, signing the paperwork on Friday 23th August 2019, when we arrived to meet the previous owner and spend the bank holiday weekend on Vida, getting started on the jobs.

To support us so that we can update this book and move towards more Sustainability see Supporting Sustainable Sailing

Chapter 1: Sustainable is Attainable

Aiming for Sustainability can feel daunting and contradictory, a minefield where contradictions abound. However, despite this it turns out that there is good news for those of us trying to be more sustainable.

Many of the contradictions result from the the loudest voices coming from the privileged and wealthy, however, most of the contradictions that face them do not apply to everyone else and generally they have little to teach us about sustainability. That is good news because most of us can’t afford what they are selling whether it be electric super yachts or anything with luxury, new or innovative in the description.

Those loud privileged voices who are desperately trying to hold onto and increase their wealth and power need to tell us that you can’t do what people have been doing for decades. They want us to forget about the Hiscock’s, and the Pardey’s with their multiple circumnavigations (without the benefit of modern technology – including reliable diesel engines).

They need to tell us that our fantasies, our desires are essential needs (while selling what those fantasies are). That life without lightweight carbon fibre everything, without freezers, air conditioning, huge island double beds, space for large numbers of guests and always more, is impossible.

They try to pretend that “sustainable” is a poorly defined, somewhat nebulous term that they can throw around with impunity. They believe adding a solar panel or two to the options list makes hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on exotic materials, most often exploiting low labour rates and lack of rights, protections for labour and the environment, in some way sustainable.

Their business model depends on selling us more because they can’t compete on any other terms. Their only understanding of value is a lower sticker price on something that is massively overpriced. They run out of ideas other than bigger is better and most expensive is best.

Yet the reality is that none of what they are selling is sustainable, none of this is accessible and very, very few people can do it for long.

We want this book to be an encouragement to a different way of living. We want to show that living Sustainably is good, joyful and life-giving; not just for us but for the people we share with and the communities we visit.

What do we mean by Sustainable

At this point we should clarify what we mean by Sustainable, especially as we use multiple measures (although we believe they are interconnected):

  • Sustainable – Our total environmental impact
  • Sustainable – Our health and well-being
  • Sustainable – Our finances

Our total environmental impact

It seems sensible to adopt a standard measure (albeit with a myriad of ways of calculating it).

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions.

The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons, one of the highest rates in the world. Globally, the average carbon footprint is closer to 4 tons. To have the best chance of avoiding a 2℃ rise in global temperatures, the average global carbon footprint per year needs to drop to under 2 tons by 2050. The Nature Conservancy Carbon Footprint Calculator

Note that 2 Tons is approximately 1.8 Tonnes (metric).

In general our thinking is that if we adopt all The big wins we should be well on the way to achieving a personal footprint that fits with that average footprint required for sustainability - assuming that there isn't a big new SUV used for long distances hidden in the extras;-)

However, our environmental impact is much more than just our Carbon Footprint. Two other areas particularly concern us:

  • Pollution (particularly sewage, fossil fuel impacts, and plastic). See Sorting out your poop and Waste.
  • Destruction of fragile habitats (including damage from Anchoring in remote locations).

Our health and well-being

This is likely to be a more personal and individual goal. We have different starting points and different personalities. However, there are some common elements:

  • Stress is bad for us. For many this will be connected with struggling financially but also connected to overwork.
  • Anxiety (such as Eco Anxiety see The climate crisis and the rise of eco-anxiety BMJ)
  • Diet and Exercise are important
  • Meaning, purpose, hope and relationships are frequently associated with well-being.

For us, our Christian faith and discipleship is central to our well-being. We want our lives to be as coherent and consistent expression of our faith as we can manage, because that feels good for us and others. Central to that is care of God's creation and the Methodist Churches commitment to "Justice for all, Dignity for all, and Solidarity with all."

While expressing our Christian Faith through our passion for Sustainable living is so important to us, we recognise that:

  • Historically Christianity has a very mixed impact. Some great things but also some terrible things that have been very destructive.
  • Today there is a wide variety of Christian responses to Creation, to the Climate Emergency and to issues of justice. We are committed to using the influence we have to work for a positive future for all.
  • We celebrate that there are many people of other faiths or no faith who have been and continue to be wonderful examples of how to live sustainably who live with passionate care for the environment, for people and for justice.

Our finances

Again, very personal. Here we focus on the aspect of our finances that is generally ignored by the media, society and business which is cost reduction. There is a strong relationship between our suggestions for a lower environmental footprint and lower costs. Lowering costs is by far the best route to this being attainable by more people.

The beauty

The beauty, is that, now it is easier to find the stories from people who don’t control the media, who can’t buy exposure, who are not trying to sell us something we don’t need.

This is where we find the really inspiring stories of innovation in sustainability. Pretty much, all stories of rescuing old project boats. Here we see people choosing electric motors because the diesel wasn’t working and couldn’t be rescued. We see people needing to work their way round the world (as the examples from the past often did). Fixing things with local materials, supporting local economies, far from exotic resorts.

Look for the people who really engage with local people, watch for the way they refer to them and to their countries, customs, laws etc.

Look for the people who have bought boats for as little as $1. Who learn to be better sailors either because they don’t have much range with their electric setup or because they can’t afford to spend money on diesel – so they actually sail their boats.

There is plenty of good news. When we were looking for our boat, there was a huge choice of potential project boats to suit different preferences. There were boats whose sister ships have sailed around the world for under £5,000 (one was a Samphire 26 now being refitted (including an electric motor) by Sean in the same boatyard as us).

As I write this Mark on Wildling Sailing has had a series of videos covering his search for a new cheap project boat and settled on an essentially abandoned Wharram Pahi 42. Or follow the story of Sailing Melody with their abandoned steel boat. In fact there are dozens of YouTube channels covering major refits of project boats.

Of course you could spend more than 10 times that for a newish boat the same length (but with more space and less weight carrying ability). You could buy something new enough that the teak decks will look beautiful for a few years before you have to replace them. You can find boats with more spent on the electronics alone than the value of the whole boat. But if you want sustainability, then find the boats that need your love. Make sure it costs less than a new car to buy (good tip from Free Range Sailing).

Ignore the people who try to persuade you that time refitting a boat is lost compared to time working to pay for boat or that it is better to strive to pay for luxury for a couple of years rather than be looking for something you and the planet can afford.

If we allow the privileged and wealthy to get into our minds and sell us their dreams then they get to enjoy the fruits of our labour without us, and to add insult to injury they will do so at great cost to the planet.

Oh and you don’t have to be the typical young couple with beautiful bodies and successful YouTube channels. It works well for us oldies too. While we refit we get to stay onboard in a beautiful place and not have to pay for holiday accommodation or campsites. We can look forward to a more secure retirement through needing less, not worrying about finding more.

While Vida is right for us, when we were looking there were about 1/2 dozen project yachts within a few miles of Vida, ready and waiting for new owners to join the sustainable sailing revolution. Come on in, the water is lovely, accessible, affordable and you can help make it cleaner too ;-)

Chapter 2: The big wins

We suggest starting with a few big wins when looking to be more sustainable. In a way this is the opposite of Greenwashing which works from the idea that it is easier to pretend than to make change.

So far we have eight suggestions for big wins. This follows a combination of the low hanging fruit model ("the obvious or easy things that can be most readily done or dealt with in achieving success or making progress toward an objective") and the Pareto Principle ("The Pareto principle states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes (the "vital few").")

These are our top eight big wins:

Some gaps might surprise you, especially if you have been following our refit of Vida. We do not believe that switching to an electric motor should automatically be in the list of big wins (with some exceptions see Motoring) nor will another of our big changes which is to go for Dyneema Rigging (see Rigging and Sails).

Abandon New

The single biggest choice for more sustainability is not to buy a new boat. New boats create a huge new carbon footprint and that is true of even the "greenest" options. That carbon footprint will probably never be recovered through efficiency savings.

It seems very normal to kid ourselves that buying a new boat (especially remembering that new boats are typically larger and rarely local) is a sustainable option because they come with the latest in solar technology. However, the footprint of the materials, of transport, manufacturing, flights to visit and/or collect the boat is going to be enormous.

Contrast this with a used boat, especially if it is an older boat that is being saved from disposal or abandonment. The entire carbon footprint from production is now a sunk cost, it has happened and your purchase does not change it at all.

Refitting almost any project boat is going to require a fraction of the resources of a new build. Plus you are putting off (potentially almost indefinitely) the waste disposal issues when a boat can no longer be saved.

Typically, there is a lot more that can be done to update the interior and systems of a project boat than we expect. In part this is because so many of the refits have been done on a tiny budget. It is perfectly possible to end up with an excellent, attractive, safe, comfortable cruising yacht from an older boat.

Right sizing

The surveys that Jimmy Cornell has been doing for decades show a trend towards larger yachts and more multihulls (according to Practical Boat Owner from 39.8ft in 1978 to 49ft in 2022). This trend has been pushed by industry marketing and the hype of large YouTube channels they are continually spreading the message that we need bigger, faster and more spacious boats for safety (Sailing la Vagabond for example).

This large multihull trend is particularly challenging to follow if you look for a used boat because other than large racing multihulls there are very few used catamarans and trimarans that are in the 15m (50 foot) size range. Some are converting large racing monohulls to cruising (eg Sailing NV and The Duracell Project) but they are far beyond an "attainable" cruising budget and they have significant challenges such as draught (US: draft).

This was worth noting in the PBO article:

Quote

The most satisfied owners were in the 35-40ft range, of which there were a total of 25 boats, with average crews of either two or three. It was interesting there were many more complaints about size both from skippers of boats under 35ft (12) and those over 45ft (16).

Size for living aboard

When we look at the Sustainable footprint of living aboard a boat we believe that there is a sweet spot, which is around that 35-40ft range noted by Jimmy Cornell.

Too small?

There are practicalities that mean many of the smallest boats used for passage making or cruising are not great live aboard boats (especially for couples like us). Looking at the Wave Rover 650 for example we see a boat designed for Ocean passages but not for living aboard where significant time will be spent at anchor and where you would have most of your processions with you.

We believe that a boat that requires you to have another home to spend time in (eg where you can stand up and store stuff) fails on Sustainability. Maintaining two homes and travelling, probably by plane, between them, is more expensive and has a high carbon footprint.

So a sustainable sailing boat will as small as possible while providing enough space for it to be your only home all year round and especially allow you to avoid the need to fly elsewhere for a break, or for your extra stuff. Any flights will easily increase your carbon footprint (and your financial cost) by more than a slightly larger boat.

The way the size of the boat translates into usable space and weight capacity is also important for living aboard. We really value having a separate aft cabin as Jane goes to bed and then wakes much earlier than me. So it allows one of us to be doing things in the saloon while the other sleeps. Similarly for us, having two heads compartments means we can disturb each others sleep less.

Too large?

The costs of maintenance/repairs/refitting boats tends to be proportionate to displacement not length (with the proviso that you compare similar displacement/length ratios - a light high performance 30ft boat will need more expensive materials and systems than a heavy displacement 35 ft boat). This is identical for financial and carbon footprint costs. So there is a direct relationship between size (length and displacement) and sustainability.

As soon as you need to rely on systems such as electric winches for your sails the costs rocket (and so will time spent on maintenance). As the costs rise the carbon footprint does too.

Once cruising, the cost of moorings, marina berths, haulouts etc all increase with length. In the case of multihulls we see examples of even higher, unexpected costs such as Sailing Parlay Revival (a large Lagoon catamaran) who had to pay to go through the Panama Canal an extra two times so they could get hauled out for major repairs (only available on the Atlantic side).

Size issues during refitting

Having watched many people doing refits and now 4 years into ours there are some significant issues related to Sustainability and boat size during the refit project stage.

Obviously, as the saying goes "size matters" ;-) Generally, smaller boats are going to be easier and quicker to refit.

However, there is also the issue of where you live while doing the refit. Some people will be working on the refit full-time and of those many (at the lower range of financial security) will need to live on the boat. Others may live near enough to the boat to live in a different home. Smaller boats (or big refits where it is cost effective) can be moved to where you live for the refit.

We do not have space for the boat where we live (and it is a house provided by Dave's job rather than our own). We cannot afford to rent or buy accommodation close to the boat (and there are no suitable boatyards much closer to home than 100 miles where Vida has been since we bought her).

Therefore, whenever we go to work on Vida we need to be able to be able to sleep on her whatever tasks are in progress. For us a significant benefit has been that Vida has an aft cabin. With 3 cabins (forecabin, saloon and aft cabin) we have been able to have a sleeping space, big refit tasks space and a storage "garage" whichever area we have been working on. So it has been easier to keep our sleeping area more isolated from fibreglass dust.

A smaller boat would have been less comfortable during our often short weekend visits without that separation and the inconvenience would have slowed us down. A bigger boat would be outside our budget for purchase, refit and cruising.

Taking the ground

One huge potential for reducing the cost of refits and cruising is a boat that can dry out safely and do so reliably and frequently. There are three most common ways for this:

Of these our personal preference would be a catamaran as you can more reliably dry out level and do so in shallower waters giving much longer working times. The small number of cheap used catamarans suitable for ocean cruising is the key limiting factor (Wharrams are the obvious option, providing you can find one that was built to a high standard with Epoxy).

Sorting out your poop

Note

This is where we get really opinionated!

Just switch to a compost toilet (note that following the The Humanure Handbook we are not using the name Composting Toilet to recognise that the Composting process doesn't happen inside the toilet but afterwards). It is by far the best option for minimising your impact on the world around you. There is no alternative that combines

  • safety (no holes in the boat)
  • lowest maintenance (no smelly hoses or tanks or pumps)
  • least pollution into the sea of any toilet
  • cheap
  • nice to use
  • can be used in boatyards
  • can be used in all harbours, coastlines, protected areas
  • simplest to fit
  • adaptable (use it in the middle of the saloon when refitting the heads compartment)
  • can be left for months without any problems
  • never gets blocked
  • easy for visitors (although they won't be expecting that and might see it as weird or a big issue).

Alternatively there are hundreds of videos you can watch on YouTube of

  • people having to unblock traditional marine toilets
  • empty sewage out of holding tanks
  • use a bucket in a boatyard or walk to the boatyard toilets in the dark and rain
  • not be able to cruise the Jamaican coast because their older boat does not have a holding tank.
  • come back to the boat after a few months to find the marine toilet is disgusting and not working

Then get yourself a compost toilet.

Note that a PortaPotti (or chemical toilet) is a very different thing to a compost toilet. The solids and liquids get mixed together with chemicals and no "composting medium" (such as coconut coir or peat moss) which means you have raw, smelly sewage to empty. That means finding somewhere to empty it (often a messy business). The capacity isn't very large (which you will be glad of when you have to carry it ashore) but that means you will end up running out of capacity on even a short passage or after a few days at anchor in a remote place. PortaPotti's are not suitable for cruising boats, as our summer holiday with 5 of us on a Hirondelle Mk1 23 ft catamaran proved!

Which one?

Natures Head

We have two Natures Heads on Vida. They are great. We really like them. At one point during the Covid pandemic we left one of the toilets fairly full of solids and then were not allowed to visit the boat for 6 months. When we came back there was no smell, no problem and we just carried on using it. If it were not for price and availability in the UK after Brexit we would choose them again.

The only things to be aware of are:

  • you need quite wide doors as you need to carry full base unit to somewhere you can empty it. Our original heads compartment doors were too narrow (but that was for our shoulders as well as the Natures Head toilet).
  • the stirrer isn't brilliant, quite a lot of the starter compost never gets mixed in which is a bit wasteful.
  • the solids capacity is a lot, and if you only use it at weekends (such as when doing a refit) it will last for ages as it "composts" down when you are not there for a few days.
  • there is no warning when the urine bottle gets full. Don't let it overflow as it isn't very nice to have to clean up. We empty it about once every 48 hours with two of us not using any other toilets.
  • we buy dried out coconut coir bricks. Approx 1 brick needs to be moistened and then put into the base before it is used (approximately level with the stirrer when it is flat).
  • we have made a wood box exactly the same size as the base unit opening. We line this with a black rubbish bag and then strap it onto the base unit. We can then turn it over and all the septage (the solids from a urine diverting compost toilet) drops into the bag that is inside the box with no mess. We find that is more reliable and easier than just using a bag. Unless your bags are very strong you will need to double bag the septage. We currently take the septage home where we put it in Composting bins along with grass cuttings etc for at least 12 months.

DIY

Before buying our first Natures Head we built a really basic DIY compost toilet to try at home. It worked well but we decided that we wanted a toilet with a stirrer rather than needing to sprinkle something over the solids after use.

All you need is to build a box with a standard toilet seat (ideally it wants to have a reasonable seal to the box - a wood seat with a flat base that can be fixed to the box lid is ideal). Under the seat will be a diverter (or separator) and under that a container for solids and another for liquids.

We would recommend buying a urine diverter as a separating dry toilet produces much less compost (important if you don't have space for multiple large compost bins in a garden). Note that the Humanure Handbook does not recommend Urine Diverting Toilets as the urine can help the composting process - however, that does require a lot more space for extra cover material, creates more volume of compost and requires a couple of large compost bins - that isn't going to be possible on a boat.

Our preference would be to buy a container designed for the liquids as you want it to be reasonably sturdy and it is nicer to carry to a toilet ashore if it isn't transparent. About 5 litres is a good capacity.

You can use almost any container for the solids (a bucket will do), but you will need to add some compost or sawdust or coconut coir on top after each use to avoid smells.

You might want to add an extractor fan to the box, it will avoid any smells and will will speed up the composting process (it helps dry the solids more quickly).

Some useful suppliers:

Compoost Toilets

These are a UK company with a fairly new product Compoost Toilets. As Natures Head are now difficult to get and very much more expensive in the UK these look like a good option.

They look very much better with a really clean shape.

Boats will want the "Deluxe Compost toilet 12v self stirring with bottle" model.

They do need 12volt power for the stirrer and the solids capacity is much smaller than the Natures Head. However, the solids container lifts out and will be much easier to empty.

Compo Closet

Their compost toilet is called the "Cuddy", and are new to me (June 2023) Compo Closet. They look really tidy and compact, plus they are available in the UK (and the price is competitive in the UK despite being made in the US).

The solids container is removable and has a stirrer. The stir handle retracts into the front face so no side access is needed to the (very neatly cube shaped) toilet. The capacities look good with custom shaped containers to make the most use of the space. It has a warning light for a full urine container.

Compared to the Compoost they look as clean (although less curvy) but they don't need a 12volt supply for the stirrer and the capacity of both containers is larger. Plus they have a built-in "modesty cover" for the solids. They are quite a bit cheaper.

Compared to the Natures Head they have a removable solids container, more compact footprint, a urine full indicator light, they claim to be more available in the UK and are cheaper. However, the capacity of both containers is smaller than the Natures Head and so will need to be emptied more frequently.

Dealing with the waste

If you can find a way to not handle the solids until they have been "resting" for about 48 hours your life will be nicer. With two Natures Heads and two of us we are able to stop using one for solids when it gets full and leave it for a couple of days before emptying it.

If you have access to a composting bin then this is going to be the best option. After the 48 hour waiting period just empty the septage into the compost bin, it helps if you are able to cover it with something like grass cuttings and the bin should have a secure lid.

You will need to let the waste compost for 12 months before it can be used where anything is grown for food. After that it will be unrecognisable and can be used as compost anywhere.

We have been able to do this since September 2019, so far we have one 220 litre composting bin than we have "filled" (probably 50% poop and 50% grass). We started filling a second bin in Summer 2022. We will make sure that when we leave this house there won't be any poop in the compost bins that has not been fully composted ie for at least 12 months.

When cruising you are probably not going to be able to find a proper composting bin very often. So here are some links to further advice:

The liquids are not dangerous and can be poured down a toilet or somewhere on the ground well clear of people and food. When offshore they can be emptied into the sea (regulations vary by country as to when this is ok). You might need extra containers if coastal cruising.

When cruising we are planning to have several storage containers (initially 3) and accept that there will be a certain amount of active waste management to achieve best composting. That will include stirring and moving between containers. The composting will work better in warmer climates. We plan to use our aft lazarette locker with an extractor fan and vented containers. Fortunately, boxes that fit onto the Natures Head base for easy emptying, will also fit through the lazarette locker hatch. These plans are being updated at the moment. See Our Compost Toilet deadline

Adding more simplicity

Tip

If you don't have it, then it can't break and it won't cost you anything to maintain it.

Tip

If you don't have it, then it won't take any space or add weight to your boat.

Tip

If you don't have it, then it has not added to your Carbon Footprint.

We struggle with aspects of simplicity. Dave loves tech and gadgets. Jane loves an infinite range of sewing related crafts. We are slow to adopt simple, low tech "solutions" to challenges. Neither of us finds being tidy and minimalist easy.

However, we have watched many YouTube videos of people spending huge amounts of time and money fixing or maintaining "stuff" on their boats and are fully convinced that this is an area where we will experience huge benefits if we can learn to be better at Simplicity.

Simplicity supports both Sustainability (reduced resources used to purchase/install/maintain) and Safety (fewer things to fail, reduced dependencies, easier to repair).

We believe that not enough weight is given to the multiplier effects of gadgets on boats. For example it is becoming more and more common to add appliances such as Freezers and Washing Machines. We haven't seen any boat with these that hasn't needed to add a generator. Suddenly the maintenance cost and workload has increased significantly (watching Sailing SV Delos is great proof of this).

Here we can see how things can fit together. A Pareto Vegan diet will (with other benefits too) dramatically reduce the need for a Freezer. The way you choose to do Laundry can make a massive difference to your time and costs especially if Laundrettes and an electric washing machine can be avoided.

Switching to windvane self steering from an electric autopilot has the potential for a range of multiplier benefits but it does mean embracing a particular low impact cruising style with less motoring, slower passages and a less controlled timetable. We are hoping for a halfway option where we will use a tillerpilot on our windvane tiller rather than install an expensive electric/hydraulic autopilot to work with our wheel steering. A full electric autopilot has many multipliers caused by the energy consumption and the need for spares if you depend on a working system. See the SailLife YouTube channel for some of the challenges this presents.

The galley is another area where the trend has been towards complexity with implications for cost, reliability and sustainability. During the early days of our refit, when ashore with very limited galley space, we bought an electric "InstantPot". It was very convenient, we could prepare a vegetable stew at home in the pot and just plug it in when we got to the boat. Unfortunately, it has now failed after only 4 years. The latest trend is to offer even more cooking modes (pressure cooker, slow cooker, air fryer combined). However, the key problems we have had (LED display failing, thin pan bending so the seal fails, thin pan with coating losing non stick and impossible to clean) will only be worse with these trends. So instead we have gone more "old school" with a Stainless Steel "traditional" stove top pressure cooker that works on our induction hob. Comes with a 25 year guarantee and will work on any hob type (so we can use even if we don't have electricity to spare). More than that, it can be used as a regular saucepan which saves space & weight, it cooks at higher pressure and so faster, finally it is much easier to clean (saves water and time).

The same is true of coffee making, we have seen boats going for coffee pod machines which have plenty to break, poor sustainability and high energy use. Instead we get better coffee more reliably, at lower cost by buying roasted beans in bulk. We make our coffee using a hand grinder (I treated myself to a 1zPresso Ultra), normal stove top kettle and an Aeropress (I did go fancy with a digital scale/timer - a Timemore Nano - which isn't really necessary). For the technique see this video from the brilliant James Hoffman. We will need a different, safer solution for when we are on passage, one that does not require pouring boiling water onto a stack of things balanced on each other. That will probably be a basic electric filter coffee machine with a thermos flask (conveniently what we already have at home), that way you pour cold water in and the flask is sealed with a button press to pour. Yes this means we can't make a proper Espresso. However, instead of a poor quality semi Espresso we get a really high quality Americano when in harbour (and with the microwave and a small French Press we can make a pretty good latte). At sea an espresso seems overkill, a filter coffee makes a lot more sense (a longer drink to warm yourself up with).

In our chapter on Rigging and Sails we explore going for Dyneema rigging which allows for far more simplicity (plus Add more DIY and cost savings - especially if, like us, your standing rigging already needs replacing).

Sorting out your poop is another great simplification when the "industry trend" (electric flush toilets) is adding more complexity, more cost and higher energy usage.

Simplifying Plumbing and in the process increasing safety by getting rid of through hull fittings is another win-win as it increases safety and reduces pollution.

Add more DIY

With a few caveats (particularly about what you find stressful) doing more of the work on your boat yourself fits beautifully with Sustainable Sailing. It makes it feasible and economic to refit older boats. It means repairs can be made in more remote places.

Add more time

Going faster is always more expensive and almost always comes at an environmental cost.

Stop Flying

Warning

This is probably our most controversial suggestion for a big win.

The sailing channel who recently shared that to get to a destination involved 12 flights won't like this.

Flying has the largest carbon footprint of all modes of transport and, despite industry attempts at greenwashing, this is not going to change in the foreseeable future.

It will be almost impossible for anyone to reach the required carbon footprint for us to reach net zero with even one flight a year. Sustainable Sailing is going to require us to accept that flying will need to be restricted to family emergencies only.

Our experience is that friends and family find this voluntary restriction incomprehensible. Essentially our society is living in denial regarding the impact of flying on the climate. That has been exacerbated by huge amounts of greenwashing by the airlines, with their false claims that fossil fuel free fuel is imminent and ignoring both the impact of emissions high in the atmosphere and the numbers of empty flights.

Between 1988 and 2005 Dave did a lot of flying for work, often multiple flights per month. However, we have been able to choose not to fly since summer 2005. It is hard to completely rule out flying once we start cruising around the world, but our goal is to limit ourselves to really significant family events.

As with just about everything to do with Carbon Footprints and our impact on the Climate, there is huge inequality around flying. At the time of writing we are living in Wythenshawe, Manchester, UK in a community where there are many people who have never been even 50 miles from home. Yet at the same time the use of private jets (which make commercial flights look frugal) has seen massive growth. Recently, in a single afternoon our Prime Minister made a completely unnecessary return flight to near his own home with a carbon footprint of multiple times what we can afford per person per year.

This highlights one of the key challenges around any attempt to live in a Sustainable way. Compared to the impact of the top 10% of Carbon Footprints (both individuals and corporations) the difference we can make seems small. We are not suggesting that Climate Emergency will be over if every sailor doesn't fly. The problem is too huge for most individuals to have much direct impact. Unfortunately, for decades we were sold the myth that all we had to do was change out lightbulbs. It isn't really surprising that so many people have given up, or lurched into denialism.

So what are we about? For us this is about modelling, living what we believe, trying to challenge expectations and where we can influencing others. It is absolutely not about punishing ourselves or living a joyless life - for the reality is that we have been sold so many lies about what we need and what brings joy, hope and purpose. So we make the changes that allow us to live well but with a personal footprint, cutting out flying is both essential to a sustainable carbon footprint and one of the easiest ways to make a radical cut.

Pareto Vegan

I just invented this :-)

Most studies (apart from those from vested interests) show that a Vegan diet has a significantly lower carbon footprint than the alternatives (The Carbon Foodprint of 5 Diets Compared). However, it seems a huge challenge for many (for example we absolutely love cheese). It can also be difficult when travelling and eating out in many parts of the world.

Therefore, I suggest adding the Pareto Principle ("The Pareto principle states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes (the "vital few").") to the mix.

If we follow a mostly Vegan diet then it might be possible to get 80% of the benefit while avoiding 80% of the difficulties. With this meat would become a rare "treat" when eating out (and then choices made according to locality eg no Australian beef in the UK). We would replace a lot of dairy (which is difficult to store on passage) with vegan alternatives (home made oat or soya milk for example). We could eat fish that we catch (only fishing where it can be considered sustainable, avoiding fragile habitats). Our carbon footprint would be significantly reduced at minimal lifestyle impact.

Of course this assumes a Vegan diet is being followed for environmental rather than ethical/animal welfare reasons.

Chapter 3: Introducing Vida

In the Summer of 2019 we started looking seriously for a boat that we could prepare for a live-aboard retirement in around 2024 or 2025. When looking for a boat that we could afford (which meant one that needed a lot of work doing on it) geography was important. We were not in a position where we could move to where a boat was. So either we needed to find a boat near enough to Manchester, UK or we would need to be able to sail or ship it to somewhere close. The first option was going to be much cheaper.

We looked at a number of boats around North Wales as well as scouring the Internet. We only found Vida because, out of curiosity. I increased the maximum price for the search. Then Vida showed up in a boat yard where we were already planning to look at a Samphire 26 (for less than 1/4 the price).

Initially Jane wasn't at all interested in climbing an unsecured ladder onto the largest and most expensive boat we had viewed. Fortunately, I had a quick look and then persuaded her to come aboard. It was basically love at first sight for us both.

Compared to other boats we might have been able to afford and which might have been suitable for our dreams Vida was unique in combining a proper cruising sailing boat with the centre cockpit and a semi enclosed “wheelhouse”. The aft cabin with an ensuite head accessed via a "stoop through passageway" was a huge factor.

Rival Yachts had all the features we wanted (particularly proven Ocean crossing ability, a hull shaped for big seas and a full skeg for the rudder), and we thought the centre cockpit version had a much better layout (plus there were no aft cockpit versions available in our price range). We had known that Rival Yachts had produced a range of long distance cruising yachts that were recognised for their ability handle bad conditions, but we hadn't looked up the range enough to find one with a comfortable double bed for a live-aboard couple. In fact the Rival 38 with centre cockpit and ketch rig is one of the rarest. We believe only 5 or 6 were built. So we were incredibly fortunate to even find one for sale, let alone only 100 miles away from home (there are very few boatyards that can handle a 1.5m draught boat closer to us).

From Sailing Today

Mention Rival yachts and most sailors think of fairly heavy, pretty, bulletproof affairs designed for crossing oceans in safety, with high speed not featuring particularly high on the priorities list. Rival Yachts, in its first iteration, was started by yacht designer Peter Brett in 1967 with the Rival 31, the first one of which was popped out of her mould in 1968. This was quickly followed by the slightly extended 32 and then later with the well respected 34, 41 and 38. The first 36 was launched in 1980, making it the sixth and final Rival from the company in its original form.

The Rival 34 in particular had gained many admirers in serious yachting circles following Wild Rival winning the OSTAR transatlantic race on handicap in 1976. The race had been a windy one and the 34 had triumphed in the main due to an ability to plug relentlessly to windward in conditions that had caused many other crews to ease off and yachts to retire.

Our belief is that we have bought a boat that can sail adequately which means somewhat slow in light winds with performance in strong headwinds as a strong point (with a caveat that there is almost nothing written about the ketch rig as so few were built with it) (see the chapter on Rigging and Sails for how we are working to improve the performance using developments since the 1970's) and do so in more comfort (protected from the weather). Having a “proper” sailing boat is critically important for all three of our sustainability aims. It reduces our dependence on a diesel engine (our goal is be to end up nearly fossil fuel free). It saves money (the wind is free at point of use, yes we know gear/sails wear out but it is nothing compared to the cost of fuel). We find Sailing so much more pleasurable than motoring so focusing on this is key to sustaining our emotional well being.

With their “traditional” shape there isn’t a huge amount of volume in a Rival boat compared to many modern designs. So the 38 is the smallest which allows an aft cabin with “walkway” (more accurately a stoop & squeeze) access from the main cabin. That gives us a double bed (with the added and unexpected bonus of an en-suite head) that is separated from the rest of the boat. That means it can be kept further away from the salt and chaos during passage making so that it is more pleasant when at anchor (and an aft cabin is a much more quiet and comfortable place than a v-berth at the bow). It also helps during a refit as it is easier to have a place to sleep which is not filled with dust and mess. Finally, it gives that opportunity for a little more personal space whether that is when I stay up after Jane goes to bed or when she gets up before me.

What we don’t get is the huge cockpit so key to modern designs designed for high speed sailing (providing you avoid storms and loading the boat too much) and entertaining large numbers of people when moored stern to a quay in the Mediterranean (not something on our wish list anyway). The galley is also rather small compared to more modern designs (culinary expectations were perhaps lower in the 1970’s).

So what sort of condition is a 1977 year old boat in? Does that explain why she was for sale at a price we could afford?

The most obvious problem was that the toerail (in this case a rubber capping over an aluminium strip fixed on top of the bulwark that is the joint between the hull and the deck) is missing.

The survey showed the hull and deck to be in great condition. There were very few places needing any work (the davits have caused some crazing in the deck as has one stay). The standing rigging was also ok for a couple more years. However, all the running rigging needed replacing and the mainsail furling (added to the aft edge of the mast) had a lot of problems. The anchor, chain and manual windlass were all in very poor condition.

Inside the main need was for a huge clear out and clean. 42 years of stuff and quite a lot of mildew. All the cushions have passed the end of their usable life. The entire gas system (bottles, regulator, flexible hose, fixed pipe, tap to cooker, flexible hose and the cooker itself) were condemned. What we did not realise was how much all the cabin windows and hatches had been leaking (the foam backed vinyl headlining had soaked up water and moved it away from the leaks).

The engine was only a few years old and seemed sound. It needed a new seacock, the stern gland and cutlass bearing needed work, one oil filter was leaking.

Electrically, the system was essentially original. It needed new batteries, the grounding wasn’t complete, the autopilot needed a new on/off switch, the VHF was ancient, there was no chart plotter or AIS. The fridge and the hot air heating did’t work.

We thought the timber throughout was in pretty good condition with just some bits of mould, water damage and corroded screws.

We noticed that the headlining was coming away in some lockers but seemed adequate in the main cabins (we were very wrong).

The toilets were working but there were no holding tanks so they both direct discharge into the sea. The main heads had a sliding basin which was pretty dirty, didn't slide much at all and the taps were quite corroded.

So we thought we got a boat where the fundamentals were good (hull, deck, masts, engine). Naively we thought not too much needed to be done for her to be able to be launched. Lots to do to make her nice to live on but that can be done in stages. Nothing where things have been updated in ways we don’t like (apart from the mainsail furling, but that was now worn out anyway).

From this view (mostly written just after purchase) things changed quite quickly for three main reasons:

  • we discovered the extent of the leaks that have required us remove all the headlining, replace all the windows, remove very leaky dorade boxes, and rebuild two deck hatches.
  • we discovered that we needed to take the main mast down to have the main mast furling system removed, it had been riveted to the aft of the mast.
  • we discovered issues with the chainplates for both masts that were potentially very expensive to fix.
  • COVID 19 arrived and in total various lockdowns and restrictions meant that we were unable to get to Vida for a total of about 9 months.

Chapter 4: A Plumbing Manifesto

When we bought Vida the plumbing was a mess. We had three seacocks in the forward heads, two in the galley, three in the aft heads, two for cockpit drains and one for the engine cooling inlet (many very inaccessible). Plus an extra hole for the log impeller. All in very poor condition (although only the newest - engine cooling - was condemned by the survey). The galley waste was completely blocked by debris. Blocked galley waste pipe

All this meant we needed to make changes, we didn't want to simply update as that would mean we would still be:

  • pumping raw sewage into the sea (no black holding tank which is now illegal in many places)
  • draining all grey water in to the sea (starting to be illegal in some places)
  • still a safety concern with (according to some articles) 50% of all boat sinkings due to skin fitting failures.

Through Hulls

It is claimed (although I am a little suspicious that the sources are from those with an interest in selling stuff) that skin fittings with the seacocks and pipes connected to them are the most common cause of boats sinking (particularly when on a mooring or in a marina).

Draining sewage and other waste from boats is also one of the most significant ways that sailors pollute harbours and fragile ecosystems along our coastlines.

Therefore we are going to be very opinionated (again).

  1. No blackwater outlets into the sea
  2. No greywater outlets directly into the sea.
  3. All underwater skin fittings to be protected either by standing pipes (only possible in metal boats) or by coffer dams.

On Vida we need two skin fittings with seacocks for our cockpit drains (with a centre cockpit we can't drain out through the transom which is definitely the best option). These are close to the stern tube. We are adding one salt water intake (with branches for water maker, galley sink, deck wash) in the same area. Then all seacocks and the stern tube can be encased in a coffer dam that extends to above the waterline. In theory any failure will not cause us to sink.

We are using Trudesign composite skin fittings to avoid issues with metal fittings and galvanic corrosion.

At the time of writing we are building a thrust bulkhead for an Aquadrive. For us this achieves a number of different objectives beyond the immediate alignment and vibration benefits of an Aquadrive. Our Thrust bulkhead is just forward of the two seacocks for the cockpit drains. Therefore we are going to be able to use it as for forward section of a coffer dam that will enclose the stern tube (for the propeller shaft) and the two cockpit drains. Eventually we will add a salt water intake seacock in this area (for deck wash, watermaker etc). The aim is to ensure that if a seacock, hose or the dripless seal fails the leak will be contained within bulkheads that extend to above the waterline.

Waste Water

Drinking Water

Chapter 5: Anchoring

Chapter 6: Rigging and Sails

Chapter 7: Self Steering

Vida came with the original Necco self steering unit. The control panel was in poor condition (eg missing on/off switch) and the control is by setting a course by a dial which means you can't just turn on to hold the current course and tacking etc require you to first calculate the new course rather than choose the amount to turn to post or starboard.

Necco autopilot panel Necco autopilot drive unit

Our first choice is to use a form of Wind Vane self steering and a Hydrovane is the obvious choice as most other systems require control lines to the steering wheel which would be difficult with our steering at the forward end of the centre cockpit. There isn't enough space under the aft cabin berth for the other alternative which is a Cape Horn that connects internally to the steering quadrant).

However, we are ruling out the Hydrovane (at least for the present) as it is outside our budget and will be difficult to fit around the mizzen and our plans for solar panels.

Long term we would love to have a modern electronic autopilot (one with the drive unit under the deck for a long life directly working in the dry onto the steering quadrant) but these are also way outside our budget.

In deciding what to do we have found two resources particularly helpful:

Our Plans

We want to end up with a DIY self steering system that is approximately a combination of the Wave Rover Mk3 and a Hydrovane. However, we are going to work towards this in multiple smaller steps.

New External Emergency Rudder

We are going to add a transom hung rudder for emergency use and for use with self steering. It will look roughly like a diy version of the hydrovane rudder but with a full length tiller. We want to be able to lift this off for docking and we want it to be able to to tilt up if it hits anything. There are techniques from both Wharram Catamarans and Woods Sailing Catamarans that should help us do this ourselves.

The rudder supports will be integrated in boarding steps on our stern.

Once it is working we will be able to have cheap electronic self steering using a second hand tiller autopilot that we have bought.

Add vane steering

We are making plans for a variation of the Wave Rover Mk3. The key changes will be:

  • use a metal shaft inside the tower that the vane moves up and down (like a hydrovane). This will allow the tower to be rotated freely (not possible on the Mk3)
  • try directly turning our external rudder rather than a trim tab. That will simplify things but will require a well balanced rudder, a larger wind vane and a focus on low friction everywhere (if we cannot achieve this then we know we can make the system far more powerful by getting it to turn a trim tab).
  • add the ability to remotely turn the tower from the cockpit using control lines (helped by having the vertical shaft rather than the two control lines)
  • add an additional horizontal arm on cranks between the tiller and the tower so that (unlike the MK3 and the Hydrovane) the tower does not need to be mounted directly above the rudder pivot (to allow us more positioning flexibility around the mizzen and solar panels)

Chapter 8: Going Fossil Fuel Light

Motoring

Cooking

Hot Water

Heating

Chapter 9: Electricity Generation

Chapter 10: Galley and Food

Chapter 11: Accommodation

Layout

Watertight compartments

Berths

Tables

Cockpit

Storage

Chapter 12: An easier life

Laundry

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Change log

A list of the key changes made to this book (from 18th July 2023)

  1. 18/7/23 Added this changelog
  2. 18/7/23 Added first draft Self Steering Chapter (renumbered subsequent chapters)