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Clean and Green-Up Your Sailboat’s Bilge

While it’s definitely not many boaters’ favorite places on their boat, it’s one that can have direct contact with the marine ecosystem: the bilge. With much of my life spent messing about in boats, I’ve seen a range of bilges, from pristine and orderly to dark, smelly, and grimy. While it goes without saying that the clean bilge is more pleasant to work in and be around, did you know that it’s also better for the environment? Here are 6 tips to make your boat’s bilge better for both you and the ocean.

Look Good While Doing Good: American Sailing Partners with 4Ocean to Combat Plastic Pollution

American Sailing has partnered with 4Ocean, a premier ocean cleanup company committed to tackling the plastic pollution crisis head-on. Together, we are launching a new "Buy One, Pull One" campaign, a remarkable initiative designed to make a tangible impact on the global cleanup efforts. Now you can help clean the ocean through the American Sailing partnership with 4Ocean. For each apparel item purchased through the American Sailing store, one pound of plastic will be pulled out of the ocean.

How to Manage Trash Aboard

We at Sailors for the Sea get asked a lot about how to deal with trash, and what’s “ok” to throw overboard. And the simple answer is, in a perfect world… nothing. That banana peel, glass jar, or soda can take a lot longer to biodegrade in the marine environment than you might think.

The Ocean Race Sails Into Newport with a Warning About the Health of the Seas

The Ocean Race stopped over in Newport, Rhode Island in mid-May 2023 with a message about the health of the seas and an exciting outlook toward the future of sailing. Sail Newport raised $2M in sponsorships to bring the race to the area with a focus on sharing the sport and raising environmental awareness.

Earth Day 2023: American Sailing Launches Sustainable Membership Cards

As part of American Sailing’s ongoing commitment to our environment through the Plastic Pollution Purge Initiative, beginning this Earth Day, we are no longer issuing plastic membership cards. We are releasing newly designed, sustainable, print-at-home membership cards to reduce our use of plastic and so that our members and instructors can still enjoy the benefits of carrying a physical card

Can Overboard!

Scenario: You crack open a cold one after a long day of sailing. Your buddy Jim finishes his first beer (rather quickly) and tosses the can overboard. When prodded about the environment, he confidently responds, “It’s just metal- it will break down naturally.” A debate starts, and you want it to stop so you can enjoy the sunset and your

Plastic-Free Provisioning

Over the years American Sailing has promoted our Plastic Pollution Purge campaign. We have asked our fellow sailors to “bring back more plastic than you take to your boat”, and to have fun practicing your crew overboard drills as you recover trash on the water. But to break the vicious cycle of plastic pollution in the water we must prevent

World Ocean Day: Ocean Facts You Need to Know

We all know that most of our planet is covered by an ocean. Often referred to as the world ocean this massive body of water covers upwards of 70% of the surface of the earth. While most of us have that fact in our arsenal of tidbits to talk about at dinner parties the ocean is a much more

Social Media and the World Ocean

Social Media and the World Ocean

8 Ways To Foster Environmental Awareness

Captain Jeremiah Swetel of Erie Islands Sailing is This Month’s Featured Instructor Jeremiah started his journey with boating at the age of ten in Cleveland. He has extensive experience sailing and boating in all parts of Lake Erie. Jeremiah also enjoys racing at his yacht club and sailing with friends and family. Jeremiah holds his USCG 25T Master Near Coastal license with

7 Things Sailors Can Do to Make for a Healthier Environment

A sailor’s task is to keep watch over the oceans & waterways and it’s our duty to be responsible and not leave it in worse condition than when we found it.

Ecology Tips For Sailors

ASA is committed to helping its members, students and partners obtain knowledge about environmental issues.

Where Is All the Plastic Going?

We all know there is a plastic problem and we come in contact with the issue on a regular basis. Sailors commonly see plastic floating on the surface and beachcombers pick up their fair share of marine debris on the sand. ASA continues to support the Plastic Pollution Purge as we encourage sailors to refrain from using single-use plastics and

The Science of the Ocean

The ocean is a vast space, and sailors inhabit just the surface. Below us, around us, and even above us, we are all affected by what goes on in the oceans. The ocean is where we sailors yearn to be. After all, if you had a choice, would you rather be at your desk or on a boat? While many

7 Ways to Sail Greener and Protect Your Local Waters!

Sailing is an amazing sport, powered by wind and so close to the water – it’s impossible not to feel connected to nature – and that’s why we love it! This wonderful feeling comes in sharp contrast to the fact that whether you sail on a lake, river, bay or the open ocean, your waters are not as healthy as

Join Us In Celebrating Coastal Cleanup Day

In the 1980s, a small group of volunteers in Texas rallied their community together to take a day to clean up their coastal area. They organized a team and trekked a couple miles of beach to remove a few bags of trash from the shoreline. Thirty years later, over 100 countries will be participating in an effort now known as

The Ocean Quiz

Do we really know how much plastic is on our ocean? We love to sail but do we know enough about what is beneath the surface of the water that we enjoy? Take this quick quiz on what lies beneath the surface as well as what gets into the ocean.

World Ocean Day

World Oceans Day is held every June 8 to spotlight, celebrate and work to raise awareness about the health of our world ocean. When seen from space, the earth looks like a giant blue marble. It is said that earth day was created because that picture from space of the tiny sphere known as earth made it obvious that the