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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.

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

Ask Lauren: How Do I Know Which Sunscreen is Ocean-Friendly?

Sunscreen is a sailing essential any time of year, but the upcoming summer rays mean it’s time to break out the good stuff. There’s nothing like relaxing on deck with some good music and lathering up with tropical scented potions to get that sun-kissed glow. But what happens once we shower off or go for a dip? Our goos and

This Earth Day, Treat the Planet Like It’s Your Boat

I first learned about the art of sailing when I was nineteen years old. I had signed up for a semester abroad with a program that teaches students marine biology and oceanography courses, as well as sailing and coastal navigation skills. After a year of scraping together money and filling out forms, I spent my sophomore winter on an 88’

Plastic Items You Can Stop Bringing Onboard Today

Maybe our last article about plastic in the ocean scared you a bit, but now that you know what’s going on, it’s time to get motivated. The good news is that little changes in our day-to-day lives can have a big collective impact on reducing the plastic flowing into the ocean, and you’d be surprised how easy it is to

Your Boat’s Spring Cleaning

The wait is almost over…it’s just about time to pull off those winter boat covers and set sail into the warmer season! Whether you’re just getting started in the ASA 101 course or you regularly cruise in your own vessel, learning to properly care for a sailboat is an important and necessary skill to have.

Our Plastic Problem: A Remarkably Brief Overview

I don’t need to waste a sailor’s time by telling you there’s plastic in the ocean. If you’re out on the water, you’ve seen it by now. Some places are cleaner than others, and in some parts of the world it has reached an extreme that is truly surreal: As we’ve mentioned before, this is not an “ocean problem.” This

Are We Still Trying to Clean the Ocean?

How is the enviroment reacting to COVID-19? There are a lot of changes and some appear positive.

Green Boating with Sailors for the Sea

No sailor’s education is complete without an understanding of our impact on the oceans. It’s my honor to introduce you to the single best resource for ocean-friendly sailing there is: Sailors for the Sea.

Beach Cleanups 101

Sailors don’t rely on robots and engines to clean up the ocean. We make the biggest collective impact by cleaning up our own communities ourselves. Here’s what you need to know to get started with beach cleanups.

Young Sailors: Are You an “Ocean Hero”?

Introducing 5 Gyres: Sailor Scientists Fighting Plastic Pollution

Could Algae Save the World?

Ask Lauren: What Do I Do If I See an Animal Tangled in Plastic?

Filmmaker Soraya Simi Talks To ASA About Where The Water Takes Us