For the Boaters Amongst Us - A Clean Marina

[Chris]

I'm quite familiar with the Turks and Caicos Islands and received this from a friend.

"An Eco-Marina

The TCYC will be one of the world's first eco-marinas, designed to protect and preserve the pristine water in which it sets. In addition to exceeding all 22 Guidance Notes to the Blue Flag Marina Criteria, an eco-marina must be designed, built, maintained and operated to be protective of the ecology beneath the waters in which it sets."

Can the DR follow?

[pelaut]

Study after study shows that even in crowded yacht harbors the PPM e-coli count comes from outflows off the land. The press, however, goes to mob-distracting "rich yachties".

Even the EPA catalog of polluters acknowledged that one medium sized city fart farm's LEGAL, Permitted release of raw sewage exceeds in one day all the effluent from all the yachts in the U.S. over a year. And that can be several times a year for hundreds of cities.
Furthermore, a single manatee can void more in one day than a couple on a 35' sailboat does in several months.

You're barking up the tree planted by politicians to avoid their jobs of making policies for healthy infrastructure -- "Oh, look over there! Quick! Those 'rich guys' on yachts are doing it".

The DR has more to do with its resources than gear up a force of thugs to check Y-valves on sailboats. The Moms and Pops that come here are spending their retirement income while they're here, and 100% of it stays here as opposed to a small percentage of the AI tourists', and the money is spent on the streets of the smaller port towns that can use it.
The DR should use their scarce resources to promote better family septic systems while they lay pipe for sewers.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by pelaut

Furthermore, a single manatee can void more in one day than a couple on a 35' sailboat does in several months.

OK, let's keep it light. The issue is that the manatee is supposed to void in the water. It is fitting And manatees are vegetarians, so, the voiding is not bad you know. It is basically seaweed already composted. Excellent stuff for the underwater environment.

And we're not talking about a couple on a sailboat, we're talking about many couples on many boats. I do think there are more 'couples' on boats these days than manatees voiding in the water. In Punta Rucia, there are about 7 to 11 manatees left at the most. In the various marinas, there are many more boats than that. So, the analogy of a couple on a 35" sailboat voiding, and a manatee voiding is not really comparing apples to apples. Now if you take a full marina with say 200 couples on 35" sailboats and 2 or 3 manatees, it would make more sense. The scales would balance.

Have you spent any time in any Caribbean marina? Or even on the Miami river where there is a little marina every 5 paces? Around little Havanna perhaps? Watched the 'banana boats' go up and down spilling stuff? Sometimes matresses and busses fall off, but sometimes oil and sewage fall out. Have you watched the uncaring and uninterested spill just that little oil or fuel in the water? because it is easy to do so and harder to lay down oil soaking rags? Let's wait for nighttime and quickly empty those tank when no-one will see us?

I think it is a good thing to have eco marinas constructed in the Caribbean. I have spent much time on the water in boats sailing to islands and this is a good thing, whether it makes good press or not.

[Conchman]

All one has to do is look what comes down the rivers into local marinas. Thats where the problem is. Ocean World Marina has pump out service for boats, however, every time it rains hundreds of tons of garbage and sewerage flow into the marina from the river.

[Lambada]

Originally Posted by Chris

Have you spent any time in any Caribbean marina?

Err..........about 30+ years by my reckoning This guy has GOT to be one of the Caribbean's best known & most experienced sailors.

You've met him, Chris, & you called him 'the undisputed sailing and boating guru of our waters'. Ring any bells?

[Chris]

He may be a sailing and boating guru and if he is who I think you're referring to, I have a tremendous respect for his knowledge and ability around boats, sailing weather and water stuff. I don't know he knows anything about green marinas though.

I'm just astounded that the marina folks on the board say that it is 'all from upstream'. Yes, sure, a lot from upstream, but should that stop anyone to clean up their environment? Is everything not from 'upstream'?

[Keith R]

The Bahamas, Jamaica and Martinique all have Blue Flag certified marinas. Getting and maintaining the certification is not nearly as hard or expensive as some would have you believe, so I have always wondered why the DR does not boast at least one.

P.S. To see which beaches and marinas in the Caribbean are Blue Flag certified, check out this page.

[Ken]

I was once boarded by the US Coast Guard in a harbor in Puerto Rico and written up for not having a holding tank in use. Far more waste was going into the water from shore locations, including from the marina where I was going to haul for bottom painting, etc. When the tide was high, the toilets in the marina backed up. Otherwise all the waste went into the harbor.

[fightfish]

Environmental stewardship is something that everyone can and should strive for. it´s better for everyone on land and at anchor. Having said that, in the D.R, as in many other places, a single liveaboard in a harbor(such a Luperon) contributes equally to the organic matter entering the harbor. 1 person afloat equals one on land with the creek running into the town. The problem with marina certifications is that, as in every case, the environment of the marina is not disconnected from the the surrounding environments, and vise versa. Pump outs, oil depositories(especially) and the like are helpful and neccesary, but I think the most significant gain from an eco-friendly certified marina is the mentality that it may create in the marina and surrounding communities. And that is true worldwide with the attitudes that we see changing this very minute regarding our footprints and the effects that they may have on ourselves and our neighbors, human and otherwise.

[fightfish]

As an addendum to my previous post: After fishing and traveling in multitudes of fishing grounds worldwide, the practices of the local communities in which I have travelled says much about how they view their resources. I´m a fisherman foremost, and to watch guys bring in their catch tells me how they value their local environment, as well as their local economics. An abundance of undersized fish in a tourist marketplace says they are spearing fish to satisfy the tourist market, and not without consequences. Anyone who wishes to vacation eco-friendly on the north coast please PM me and I will give my bet guidence. Thanks