Environmental Awareness for Sailors - Flags & Etiquette

Prerequisites

The RYA Competent Crew course has no formal entry requirements and is open to complete beginners. The standard certificate is issued from age 16. Before this lesson you should have completed:

• Mooring and anchoring: how an anchor is lowered, how scope is chosen, and how to tell whether an anchor is dragging. This lesson adds where, environmentally, to put it.
• Living aboard: how the marine toilet (heads), holding tank, galley and water system work, and how the seacocks are used.
• Navigation basics: reading chart symbols, including the seabed type (S for sand, M for mud, R for rock, Wd for weed) and the boundaries of restricted areas.
• Fire, flooding and abandon ship: why oily rags and fuel spills are a fire hazard as well as pollution.

At Competent Crew level you are not responsible for the skipper's legal compliance, but much of the environmental impact of a yacht comes from the crew's daily habits: what goes in the bin, what goes down the heads, where the anchor goes, how close you go to a seal. This lesson gives you the knowledge to get those habits right.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you should be able to meet the Environmental Awareness item of the RYA Competent Crew syllabus (awareness of MARPOL, the Green Blue and responsible behaviour afloat), and the matching Day Skipper expectation that the skipper plans and briefs the crew on environmental good practice:

• Explain what MARPOL is and the main rules for oil, garbage (including plastics) and sewage discharge from yachts.
• Sort and store waste on board correctly and know what may and may not go over the side.
• Manage bilge water and small fuel or oil spills without polluting the sea.
• Use the heads and holding tank correctly, and know what must never be flushed.
• Choose an anchoring spot that avoids sensitive seabed habitats such as seagrass and maerl.
• Behave responsibly around seals, dolphins, whales and seabirds.
• Describe practical ways to reduce your environmental impact on board, and explain how invasive species are spread by boats.
• Explain why local bylaws and protected areas must be checked before arrival.
• Recognise the legal duty to report pollution and know whom to call.
• Describe the effects of antifouling, noise, wash and microplastics, and how to limit them.
• Brief a new crew member on the boat's environmental rules in a few minutes.

Why the Environment Matters to Sailors

Sailors depend on clean seas more than almost anyone. A single yacht seems too small to matter, but there are hundreds of thousands of recreational boats in UK waters, and they gather in the same few sheltered bays. Fifty boats anchored in a small Cornish or Scottish bay on a summer night, each discharging a toilet or dragging an anchor across a seagrass bed, make a visible difference.

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The other reason is legal. International and UK law, local harbour bylaws and protected-area rules apply to yachts. Breaking them can bring fines and, in some protected areas, prosecution. The RYA, together with British Marine, runs The Green Blue, an environmental programme for recreational boating, and its advice is the basis of much of this lesson.

MARPOL: The International Rules

What MARPOL Is

MARPOL (the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973/78) is the main international law against pollution from vessels. In the UK it is applied through Merchant Shipping regulations. It has six annexes; the four that matter to a yacht are:

The diagram gives an overview of the three main areas.

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Oil (Annex I)

Discharging oil or oily water into the sea is forbidden. "Oil" includes diesel, petrol, engine oil, gearbox oil, hydraulic fluid, and the oily water that collects in the bilge under the engine. Large ships use an oily-water separator; a yacht normally does not have one, so the rule is simple: no oil, and no oily bilge water, goes over the side. See the section on bilge management below.

Garbage (Annex V)

Annex V applies to every vessel, including dinghies and yachts. The basic rule is that discharge of all garbage is prohibited except for a few listed cases. The most important rules for a yacht are:

Note that the UK coast lies within or next to the North-West European waters and North Sea Special Areas, where the rules are stricter. For most coastal sailing, the practical answer is retain all garbage and take it ashore. Even food scraps thrown over the side near the coast are illegal, wash up on beaches and attract gulls and rats.

Vessels of 12 metres or more must display a garbage placard telling crew the disposal rules. Many training yachts have one by the galley.

Sewage (Annex IV and Local Rules)

The toilet on a yacht discharges either straight to the sea through a seacock or into a holding tank that is pumped out ashore or emptied at sea. Although MARPOL Annex IV does not legally apply to most UK yachts, good practice (and the law in many places) follows the same pattern:

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Rules vary by country. Many European countries, many Mediterranean harbours, and inland waterways such as the Norfolk Broads and the River Thames, ban toilet discharge altogether, and some (for example parts of Scandinavia and the Baltic) require holding tanks. Always check before you arrive.

Using the Heads Properly

A marine toilet pumps everything through a narrow pipe and a small valve. Nothing should go into the bowl that has not been eaten first, except a small amount of toilet paper:

• Never flush wet wipes (even those labelled "flushable"), sanitary products, nappies, cotton buds, paper towels or food. They block the pipe and, if the heads discharges overboard, they end up on the beach.
• Put a lidded bin with bags beside the heads for anything that cannot be flushed.
• Know whether the heads is set to discharge to sea or to the holding tank, and change the valve in harbour.
• Pump enough strokes (often 10 to 15) to clear the pipe completely, then close the seacocks if that is the boat's rule. That stops smells and the risk of flooding.

Waste Management on Board

Sorting the Rubbish

Space on a yacht is tight, so waste needs a system. The diagram shows the main categories.

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• Black water is toilet waste: holding tank, shore pump-out, or offshore discharge as above.
• Grey water is from the sink and shower. Most yachts discharge it to sea, so use as little detergent as possible and choose phosphate-free, marine-safe products. In sensitive anchorages, wash up ashore or use a bowl and pour the water into the holding tank or ashore.
• Oil and fuel: never overboard. Collect in containers and take to the harbour's oil disposal point.
• Recyclables: rinse and flatten plastics, cans and glass, and keep them separate for marina recycling bins. Crushing a plastic bottle and cutting tins flat saves a lot of space.
• Food waste: bag it separately and take it ashore. Keep it sealed, because it smells quickly in a warm cabin.
• General waste: everything else, bagged, stowed and taken ashore.

Reduce What Comes Aboard

The easiest waste to deal with is the waste you never bring on board:

• Remove excess packaging (boxes, cardboard sleeves) ashore before provisioning.
• Use refillable water bottles and a large water container instead of single-use bottles.
• Carry reusable containers for leftovers and reusable bags for shopping.
• Never let anything blow overboard. Crisp packets and bottle tops are lost easily in a breeze, so keep the cockpit tidy and stow rubbish immediately.

Rope and fishing line are a particular hazard. Lost ropes and lines trap seabirds and seals, and they foul propellers (including your own). Take frayed rope ends and old whipping twine ashore.

Oil, Fuel and Bilge Management

Keeping the Bilge Clean

The bilge under the engine collects drips of diesel and oil. If the automatic bilge pump runs, it pumps that oil straight into the sea, where it leaves a sheen on the water. To prevent this:

• Keep an oil-absorbent pad (a "bilge sock" or pad that soaks up oil but not water) in the engine bilge. Replace it when it is dark and saturated.
• Look at the bilge before pumping. If there is a rainbow sheen, do not pump it overboard. Use absorbent pads first, or pump into a container and take it ashore.
• Report any new oil in the bilge to the skipper. It may be a fuel leak, which is also a fire risk.

Refuelling

Most fuel spills happen at the fuel pontoon:

1. Close the boat's cockpit drains if possible, or put an absorbent pad around the filler.
2. Make sure you are filling the fuel filler, not the water or holding tank filler. They look alike and the mistake is very common and very expensive.
3. Fill slowly and stop before the tank is full. Diesel expands as it warms, and a full tank may overflow through the breather vent.
4. Keep a pad or a rag ready to catch drips from the nozzle.
5. No smoking and engine off while refuelling.

Dealing with a Small Spill

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1. Stop the source: release the nozzle, close the valve, or set the container upright.
2. Contain: put absorbent pads on the spill to stop it spreading or reaching the water.
3. Clean up: put used pads in a sealed bag or container and take them ashore as oily waste.
4. Never use washing-up liquid or detergent on a spill on the water. It just breaks the oil into tiny droplets that sink and spread into the water column, which is worse for marine life, and it is illegal in some harbours.
5. Report any spill that reaches the water to the harbour master. A significant spill must be reported to HM Coastguard.

Remember the fire risk: oily rags and pads can heat up and catch fire on their own. Store them in a sealed metal container, away from heat.

Anchoring Responsibly

What Is on the Seabed?

Much of the shallow, sheltered seabed that makes a good anchorage is also valuable habitat:

• Seagrass meadows (eelgrass in the UK) shelter young fish, including commercially important species, and are home to protected seahorses. They also store large amounts of carbon and stabilise the seabed. An anchor and chain dragging across them rip up the plants, and the scars can take many years to recover.
• Maerl beds are made of slow-growing, chalky red seaweed that looks like gravel or coral. They grow about a millimetre a year, so a bed may be thousands of years old. Once destroyed, they do not come back in a human lifetime.
• Coral reefs (in warmer waters) are equally fragile.

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The photographs below show what you are protecting. The first is a seagrass meadow (Zostera marina, or eelgrass) growing on a sandy bottom in shallow water: long green ribbon leaves, often dark in appearance from the surface. The second is maerl, which looks like pink or beige coral gravel and is made of living and dead calcareous seaweed.

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Image: Sofia Sadogurska, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Image: Totodu74, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Choosing the Spot

1. Read the chart and pilot book. Look for S (sand) or M (mud). Some charts and apps show seagrass beds and voluntary no-anchor zones. Pilot books and The Green Blue's information list them for popular anchorages.
2. Look at the water. In clear water, seagrass shows as dark patches; sand is pale. Anchor in the pale patch.
3. Use an eco-mooring or visitor buoy if one is provided. Many sensitive bays (for example Studland Bay in Dorset and some Scottish lochs) have advanced moorings designed to avoid seabed damage.
4. Lower, do not drop. Lower the anchor to the seabed under control, then let out the chain as the boat drops back, so the chain does not pile on top of the anchor or sweep the bottom.
5. Use enough scope, but not excessive chain in sensitive areas. As the boat swings, the chain lying on the seabed sweeps a circle; a shorter scope (where safe) means a smaller circle of damage. Never compromise holding for this: a dragging anchor causes more damage and is a safety risk.
6. Raise the anchor by motoring slowly up to it so it breaks out vertically, rather than dragging it out.

Worked Example

Scenario: Eco-Conscious Anchoring

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You are crew on a yacht arriving at a popular Dorset anchorage on a summer afternoon. The skipper asks you to help pick a spot.

1. Check the chart and pilot book. The pilot book says the bay has extensive seagrass in 2 to 5 metres, with a voluntary no-anchor zone marked by yellow buoys, and sand further out in 5 to 7 metres. The chart shows "S" in the outer bay.
2. Look at the water. From the bow, you see dark patches inside the yellow buoys and pale sand outside. You point the skipper to a pale area in 6 metres outside the zone.
3. Lower the anchor. The skipper uses a scope of about 4:1 (24 metres of chain) for 6 metres of depth in a moderate breeze. You lower the anchor until it touches the seabed and pay out the chain as the boat drifts back, so the chain lies out straight.
4. Check the swing. After setting, you take transits to check you are not dragging and that the boat will not swing over the seagrass.
5. At anchor. Wash up in a bowl with a little phosphate-free detergent. The heads goes to the holding tank (you are within 3 nm). Rubbish is sorted and stowed.
6. Wildlife. A pair of seals are hauled out on the rocks at the end of the bay. Nobody takes the dinghy within 100 metres of them.
7. Departure. You motor slowly up to the anchor so it breaks out vertically. As it comes up, you wash off the mud and any weed with the deck hose before stowing, so nothing is carried to the next anchorage.

Wildlife

UK waters are home to grey and common seals, bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises, minke whales, basking sharks and huge seabird colonies. Watching them from a yacht is one of the joys of sailing, but disturbance can harm them: a seal pup separated from its mother, birds driven off their eggs, or a dolphin hit by a propeller.

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The Wildlife Safe (WiSe) Scheme and the Scottish Marine Wildlife Watching Code recommend:

The photograph shows grey seals hauled out on a sandbank. Seals on a haul-out are resting, digesting or, in autumn and winter, pupping. A seal pup that is frightened into the sea can be separated from its mother and may die. A yacht that passes at a distance and does not stop is much less disturbing than one that creeps closer for a photograph.

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Image: Claire Pegrum, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In law, it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb or harass protected species including whales, dolphins, porpoises and basking sharks in UK waters, and to disturb nesting birds (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the habitats regulations). Seals are protected by separate legislation in each UK nation, for example the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. The detail differs across the UK, so the safe approach is simple: keep your distance, slow down, keep noise low and leave quietly.

Never feed wildlife. It changes their natural behaviour and can make them dependent on, or aggressive towards, people.

At sea, keep a lookout for animals as well as other boats, particularly for basking sharks and whales feeding at the surface. If an animal approaches, put the engine in neutral.

Protected Areas and Local Rules

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The UK has a large network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), including Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas for birds (SPAs) and, in Scotland, Nature Conservation MPAs. Most allow sailing, but some have:

• Voluntary no-anchor zones to protect seagrass or maerl.
• Seasonal restrictions near seabird colonies or seal haul-outs.
• Speed limits to reduce wash and disturbance.
• Byelaws on fishing, landing or the collection of shellfish.

Harbours and marinas also have their own bylaws, for example on speed, toilet discharge, washing hulls, and the use of antifouling in hull scrubbing areas. Check the almanac, pilot book, harbour authority website or local notices before arrival, and ask the harbour master if you are unsure.

Invasive Species and Biosecurity

Boats can carry plants and animals from one area to another, either attached to the hull (fouling) or in water held on board. Non-native species such as Pacific oyster, carpet sea squirt and wireweed have been spread around the UK partly by leisure boats. Once established, they can crowd out native species and clog marinas and moorings.

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Simple steps, often summarised as Check, Clean, Dry:

1. Keep the hull clean with regular antifouling and cleaning, especially before moving to a new region. Clean it ashore on a hard standing with a wash-water collection system, not in the water.
2. Check and clean the anchor, chain, warps and fenders of weed and mud before leaving an anchorage.
3. Empty and dry buckets, dinghies, wetsuits and equipment before moving on.
4. Do not discharge bilge or tank water picked up in one area into a different area.
5. Report any unusual species to the harbour master or a local recording scheme.

Antifouling, Noise and Wash

Antifouling

Antifouling paint stops weed and barnacles growing on the hull, but it works by releasing biocides, usually copper compounds, into the water. In busy marinas and harbours this builds up. Practices that help: choose the lowest-biocide paint that works for your cruising area and speed, apply it only to the areas that need it, never scrub or pressure-wash the hull in the water, wash down only over a hard standing with a collection system, and collect the sanding dust. Hard (matrix) antifouling is better for boats that move often. Use silicone or foul-release coatings on a propeller or saildrive. Crew should never be asked to scrub the hull with anything abrasive in the water, since this releases a cloud of biocide and paint particles.

Microplastics

Rope, fenders, fleece clothing and glass-fibre dust all shed tiny plastic particles. Rinse synthetic fleece in a washing bag, keep rope ends whipped and cut off frayed ends, put fenders on a regular inspection list, and never sand GRP or old antifouling over the water. A sail bag or a shopping bag lost overboard can become thousands of fragments.

Noise and wash

Boat engines and echo sounders emit noise that travels a long way underwater, and affects cetaceans, fish and seals. Reducing noise: sail instead of motoring, use the engine at moderate revs, switch off echo sounders and depth sounders if not needed in deep water near wildlife. Wash from boats erodes banks and disturbs nesting birds in estuaries and rivers. Observe speed limits (usually 4 to 6 knots in harbours and rivers) and make no more wash than needed. Cut your speed and wash near moored boats, small craft, swimmers, kayakers and bird nesting areas.

Air and engine emissions

A well-serviced engine, a clean hull and propeller and a proper load reduce fuel burnt and smoke produced. Black smoke indicates poor combustion. Idling at the dock to charge batteries wastes fuel. A full tank filled slowly and closed correctly prevents spills. Use shore power in marinas where available.

Reporting Pollution and Incidents

Anyone who sees or causes marine pollution should report it.

• A spill of oil or fuel that reaches the sea: tell the harbour master or marina office straight away (they have containment equipment) and, if it is more than a very small amount or it reaches a shore, call HM Coastguard by VHF Channel 16 or by telephone (999 and ask for the Coastguard). Spills must be reported promptly, and the skipper is responsible for doing so.
• Spotting a pollution incident: give the position, the time, what you see (sheen, slick, debris, dead animals), the size and the direction of drift.
• Entangled, stranded or injured wildlife: do not handle it. Contact the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) hotline, the Scottish SSPCA or the local wildlife rescue. Report whales and dolphins to the Sea Watch Foundation or the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust.
• Lost gear or fishing nets in the water: note the position and report it to the Coastguard if it is a hazard to navigation.
• Illegal discharge by another vessel: note the vessel name or number, time and position and report to the Coastguard or the MCA.

Penalties for pollution can be heavy fines and prosecution, and responsibility rests with the skipper. As crew, you are not legally responsible for decisions that you did not make, but you can be asked to help and you should speak up.

The Green Blue and Good Practice

The Green Blue is the joint environmental awareness programme of the RYA and British Marine. It publishes free guidance, posters and eco-advice for boaters, including leaflets on clean boating, anchoring and wildlife. Typical topics are pump-out stations, antifouling choice, biosecurity (Check, Clean, Dry), anchoring around seagrass and wildlife disturbance. Many clubs and marinas follow its guidance, so ask the harbour master or your club for local information.

Briefing a new crew member

The skipper should include the environment in the safety brief. A short checklist:

1. Where the rubbish goes and what is recycled.
2. How the heads work, what not to flush, and whether it goes to a tank or overboard.
3. No oil, fuel, plastics or food scraps overboard.
4. How to wash up and with what soap.
5. Where the spill kit and absorbent pads are, and what to do if there is a spill.
6. How close we go to wildlife.
7. Anchoring rules in sensitive areas.
8. How we clean the anchor and gear before moving on.

Sustainable Practices on Board

Beyond the legal rules, every crew member can reduce the boat's footprint with simple habits.

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• Eliminate single-use plastic: water bottles, cling film, plastic cutlery, plastic bags.
• Marine-safe cleaners: use phosphate-free, biodegradable cleaning products, and use them sparingly. "Biodegradable" means they break down eventually, not that they are harmless when they enter the water.
• Conserve water: a 10 m yacht may carry only 200 to 400 litres of fresh water for everyone. Wash up in a bowl, use seawater for the first rinse, take short showers, and turn the tap off while brushing your teeth. Less fresh water used means less grey water discharged.
• Sail more, motor less: sailing is quieter and cleaner. Avoid running the engine at idle just to charge batteries, and keep the engine well serviced so it burns cleanly.
• Save power: switch off unused lights and instruments, and use solar or wind charging where fitted.
• Antifouling: when the boat is in the yard, use the least toxic antifouling suitable, never scrape or wash old antifouling into the water, and collect the scrapings.
• Leave no trace: take all litter home, including organic waste such as fruit peel. Leave anchorages and beaches cleaner than you found them, and pick up litter you see.

Worked Example: A Week on Board, Waste Planning

A crew of four is sailing for seven days with a harbour stop every two days. The skipper asks you to plan the waste.

1. Before leaving: remove cardboard and plastic wrap ashore, decant dry goods into reusable boxes, and bring a 20 litre water container to refill.
2. Rubbish: you set up three bags: recycling (rinsed cans, bottles and plastic, flattened), food waste (sealed, in a lidded bin in the cockpit locker) and general waste. At about one bag a day for four people you will have around seven bags, so you plan to drop them at a harbour with recycling bins every second day.
3. Heads: you are never beyond 3 nm from the coast, so everything goes to the holding tank. The tank holds 40 litres. If each flush uses about 1 litre and the crew make 16 flushes a day, the tank fills in about 2.5 days, so you plan a pump-out every second day.
4. Bilge: you check the engine bilge each morning and renew the oil-absorbent pad on day four.
5. Wildlife: a pod of dolphins approaches. You hold your course and speed, put the engine in neutral and enjoy them without altering course towards them.
6. Reporting: a small diesel sheen from a fishing boat at the quay is reported to the harbour master.

The plan costs little extra effort and makes the week cleaner and tidier.

Examiner's Expectations

At Competent Crew level the instructor will ask simple practical questions: what goes over the side and what does not, how you would deal with a small fuel spill, where you would anchor in a bay with seagrass, and how close you would go to seals. Good answers are short and practical, refer to the law (MARPOL Annex V; 3 and 12 nautical miles) and to common sense. At Day Skipper level you will be expected to brief your own crew on these points and to include the environment in your passage planning, for example by checking for marine protected areas and no-anchor zones.

Common Mistakes

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• Throwing "biodegradable" soap or food scraps overboard close to land. Both still pollute, and food scraps within 12 nm (3 nm if ground up) are illegal. Hold them and dispose of them ashore.
• Anchoring in seagrass or maerl because it is closest to the beach. Anchor in sand or mud, or use a visitor buoy.
• Flushing wet wipes or sanitary products. Bin them, whatever the packet says.
• Pumping an oily bilge overboard. Look before you pump; use absorbent pads.
• Using detergent on a fuel spill. It makes the damage worse. Use absorbent pads and report it.
• Putting diesel in the water tank or water in the fuel tank. Check the filler cap labels before you open them.
• Approaching wildlife too closely for a photo. Keep 100 metres from seals and whales, and let dolphins approach you.
• Feeding gulls or seals. Observe only.
• Not checking local bylaws. Research toilet discharge rules, anchoring restrictions and seasonal closures before arrival.
• Scrubbing the hull in the water with antifouling on it.
• Speeding through anchorages and moorings, creating wash and noise.
• Not reporting a spill because it looks small.
• Letting rubbish blow overboard from the cockpit. Stow it straight away.

Summary

• MARPOL is the international law on pollution from vessels. Its garbage rules (Annex V) apply to every boat, however small.
• Never discharge oil, oily bilge water, or any plastic. Take paper, glass, metal and cooking oil ashore.
• Food waste may only go over the side more than 12 nm from land (3 nm if ground up to under 25 mm), and in practice it is best taken ashore.
• No untreated sewage within 3 nm or in harbours and anchorages. Use the holding tank. Never flush wipes or sanitary products.
• Keep oil out of the bilge with absorbent pads, refuel carefully, and never use detergent on a spill.
• Anchor in sand or mud, avoiding seagrass, maerl and coral; use eco-moorings where provided; lower the anchor and raise it vertically.
• Keep 100 metres from seals and whales, do not chase dolphins, and avoid seabird colonies in the breeding season. Never feed wildlife.
• Check local bylaws, MPAs and seasonal restrictions before arrival.
• Prevent the spread of invasive species: check, clean, dry the hull, anchor and gear.
• Report pollution to the harbour master or Coastguard, and do not handle injured wildlife.
• Keep antifouling, microplastics, noise and wash to a minimum.
• Reduce plastic, save water and power, sail more and motor less, and leave no trace.

Check Your Understanding

1. You are 2 miles off the coast and someone wants to throw a plastic bottle overboard. What does MARPOL say?

Answer: Plastics may never be discharged into the sea anywhere, at any distance from land. The bottle must be kept on board and taken ashore for recycling.

1. How far from land must a yacht be before it may throw unground food waste overboard?

Answer: More than 12 nautical miles from the nearest land, while underway. If the food is ground up to pass through a 25 mm screen, more than 3 nautical miles. In practice, near the coast, it is best taken ashore.

1. You lift a floorboard and see a rainbow sheen on the water in the engine bilge. What should you do?

Answer: Do not pump it overboard. Tell the skipper, soak up the oil with absorbent pads (or pump the water into a container for shore disposal), and dispose of the pads ashore as oily waste. Check for a fuel or oil leak.

1. Why should you never use washing-up liquid on a diesel spill on the water?

Answer: Detergent breaks the oil into tiny droplets that mix into the water and sink, spreading the pollution and harming marine life. It is also banned in many harbours. Use absorbent pads and report the spill.

1. You are anchored in a bay 1 mile from the shore. Where should toilet waste go?

Answer: Into the holding tank (or use shore facilities). Untreated sewage should not be discharged within 3 nautical miles of land, or in harbours and anchorages.

1. The water in an anchorage shows dark patches and pale patches. Where should the anchor go and why?

Answer: On the pale patch, which is likely to be sand. The dark patches are probably seagrass, an important habitat that anchors and chain damage, and which takes years to recover.

1. A group of seals is hauled out on rocks. How close should you go, and how do you know if you have disturbed them?

Answer: Stay at least 100 metres away, more in the pupping season. If they lift their heads to watch you, you are close enough; if they move into the water, you have disturbed them and should move away.

1. What does "Check, Clean, Dry" mean and why is it done?

Answer: Check the hull, anchor, chain and equipment for plants and animals, clean them off, and dry gear before moving to a new area. It stops boats from carrying invasive non-native species from one area to another.

1. Give three ways a crew member can reduce the yacht's environmental impact during a week's cruise.

Answer: Any three of: bring refillable bottles and avoid single-use plastic, remove packaging ashore, sort and take all waste ashore, use phosphate-free cleaners sparingly, conserve fresh water, use the holding tank near land, never flush wipes, keep lights and instruments off when not needed, and sail rather than motor where possible.

1. Before arriving at a new harbour, what local rules should be checked?

Answer: Bylaws on toilet discharge and holding tanks, anchoring restrictions and no-anchor zones, speed limits, seasonal restrictions near wildlife, and any Marine Protected Area rules. Sources include the almanac, the pilot book, the harbour authority website and the harbour master.

1. A small amount of diesel is spilled while refuelling and reaches the water. Whom do you tell, and why?

Answer: The harbour master or marina office straight away, since they have containment equipment, and the Coastguard if the spill is significant or reaches a shore. Prompt containment limits the damage, and the skipper is responsible for reporting.

1. Why should you not scrub the hull of a boat in the water?

Answer: Antifouling paint releases biocides, and scrubbing releases a cloud of paint particles and biocide into the water. Hull cleaning should be done ashore on a hard standing where the washings are collected.