My name is Daisy and I am a twelve year old eco-enthusiast on a mission to help the world of yachting become green. I have grown up sailing, surfing, swimming and kayaking around the beaches of Cornwall, New Zealand and Hampshire. My dad’s company, Tim Haynes Ltd, rigs superyachts so the sea and our coast are places that I love dearly and want to protect.

I have a company called Eco-Daisy which started from a school project where I assessed how eco-friendly my dad’s superyacht rigging company Tim Haynes Ltd is.  My project was “highly commended” in the finals of the recent DEFRA Climate Change Competition and I also posted it on my dad’s website.  I got so many positive responses so I decided to set up Eco-Daisy, a company designed to introduce the idea of being eco-friendly to superyachts and provide high quality, ecologically sound products for the yachting world; from boat cleaning products to crew gear, skincare, sunscreen and lots more.  To find out a bit more visit www.eco-daisy.com

I recently went to the Superyacht Cup in Palma to find out more about the green life of a superyacht. I was going to achieve this by creating and handing out eco surveys to each captain containing questions such as ‘do you recycle/reuse any items/products on board?’ and ‘What is your average motor to sail ratio?’

I realised at the start it was going to be a tough challenge but the results were very helpful and all the captins and crew showed that they were eager to help and keen to know more!

Going to Palma was a really fantastic experience. I enjoyed meeting new people and talking to those who work along side my parents. Superyachts are wonderful things, but sometimes not the most eco friendly (but that is why I went).

When I first arrived at the super yacht cup I started giving out my questionnaire and explained a bit about myself and how I was hoping to learn more about the eco-friendliness of super yachts. I got some very quick responses from all 12 of the superyachts that entered this year.

Recycling: It is interesting to note all boats knew about recycling but sometimes found it difficult as not all marinas have recycling facilities. The most frequent recycled objects were plastic and paper though some boats also regularly recycle other things such as metal, glass and drinks cans/bottles. Gliss are very good at recycling things as they recycle over four different types of products on board. I think an improvement factor on recycling/ re-using on super yachts would have to be the      re-using side. Reusing is simple and easy, it just takes a bit of imaginative thinking. I like re-using as it makes certain things individual and wacky. Easy ways are following procedures like using strong plates and glasses to minimise having to dispose of them due to breakage, also things like milk bottles can .be used as cleaning instrument along with old t-shirts turned into cleaning cloths which www.eco-daisy.com will now be selling.

Also, another ideas is for each boat to have a designated person to clean up the litter and debris in the water that collects around their superyacht. This would not only make the water better for marine life but a much pleasanter environment for people too.
                  
Oil spill kits: I was pleased to see that all boats had an oil spill kit on board and realised the environmental impact of not having one!

Cleaning: When the question was asked about using environmentally friendly cleaning products I was surprised when nearly all boats used at least one eco-friendly product. Ameena was top of this category as it uses six different eco products to clean the interior and exterior of the super yacht. Different items were used to clean the boats such as environmentally friendly boat soap, ecological washing up liquid and Ranger uses techniques such as a vinegar solution for cleaning purposes. An important point to note is that you should always try to avoid detergents that contain ammonia, bleach, sodium hypochlorite, petroleum products or lye. These chemicals are toxic, and any amount discharged into the water can burn and kill plant and animal life. Also it is a good idea to learn which ingredients a harmful to the environment- and always read the labels when you buy products. If they contain toxic substances, don’t buy them. As an alternative you could use riptide a company who create various cleaning products which are all environmentally friendly. My website  www.eco-daisy.com sells these different products and also gives information about our entire product range.

Electrical appliances: I was glad when I found that every boat turns all appliances and switches off when not in use. Most boats use energy efficient light bulbs and other energy saving appliances. Next time I visit the super yacht cup in Palma I hope to find that every boat has these energy saving appliances. There are many ways to save electricity but an easy way is to purchase these light bulbs which use only the amount of electricity they need to stay alight or a smart charger/metering similarly to Salpertan (present but not a regatta participant) who use Mastervolt products. Another good way to be more energy efficient, like the surveyed superyachts, is to simply just turn all electrical items off when you do not need them!

Renewable energy onboard: Obviously all of the super yachts make use of one type of renewable energy and that is WIND as Tiger Lilly pointed out! This may seem apparent but it is a very important thing to remember. I understand that it difficult to add different renewable energy contraptions to a superyacht however one has managed to place solar panels on his boat.

Motor to sail ratio: The thing most environmentalists ask as their first boat related question ‘how much do you motor compared to sail’. If you ask some people their initial reaction will be ‘well, surely sailing boats always sail’ however that is not completely true as the most common ratio (motor: sail) was 75% to 25% though this was closely followed by a 50% ratio. I would be thrilled if the ratio could drop down to Scorpio dei Mari’s average daily hours of motoring to sailing which was 15% to 85% – I feel this was a fantastic achievement and would make a significant difference if every super yacht could accomplish this!

Wildlife: All wildlife should be treasured so I was happy to see everyone has/knows where to find information about sensitive environmental anchorages and areas also most of the boats including Open Season are aware of how best to approach the wildlife in the area.

The conclusion: Thank you very much too all the superyacht captains and owners who took part in my eco-survey and to Kate Branagh who organised the Superyacht Cup and introduced me to everyone. It has been very useful and extremely interesting project. I was amazed by the eco-friendliness of the boating industry, it is a much higher standard then I had ever imagined; though there is room for improvement. I was also impressed by the amount of interest shown and eagerness to become as environmentally friendly sailors as possible. I would love to hear from anyone else who is keen to know more you can contact me by email at daisy@eco-daisy.com or you could visit my website www.eco-daisy.com .