The Triton
www.the-triton.com
TRITON SURVEY: Plastic water bottles
January 2015 C11
Comments: Yachts can set precedence and save cash We asked captains and crew if the use of bottled water on yachts should change. About half had an idea. l
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Definitely should change, and it’s the captains responsibility to make that change. As someone who works on the ocean every day, how does seeing something plastic float in the ocean not make you sick to your stomach and want to help in any way you can? l
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It is unreasonable for crew to spend the owners money to consume a resource that comes out of the tap for free. Bottled water is a wasteful convenience of the spoiled and pampered. l
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Add chilled water dispensers througt the yacht and even promote this as a build standard feature. Market it for yacht builders to show they are environmentally conscious. If there is a crew following/movement, then yacht builders would meet the demands for the publicity. l
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Captains and crew should definitely be the lead in reducing their use. Owners and guests will accept the
good, logical reasoning behind the reduction in use of plastic bottles if you make the effort. l
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It is up to the crew to help conserve. Owners will do as they please, but crew can make a difference. l
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We provide hard plastic refillable bottles for all crew. Because that’s the standard on board, there’s no argument or complaint about it. Once crew get in the habit, it totally makes sense. l
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With the current technology available, water bottles are no longer needed. Unfortunately, water bottles are still asked for by guests out of habit and maybe fear. They do not know if the water is safe to drink. It is up to us to educate the owner and guests. l
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Bottled water is too convenient. We have point-of-use charcoal water filters that all persons on board drink from. For less than $75, any competent engineer can install one in 30 minutes. l
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We work on the ocean, and every year I see more and more plastic bottles floating in. It is our responsibility to
manage our waste, not to mention the thousands of dollars we spend a year for plastic water bottles and garbage bags to dispose of them. l
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Yes, the beauty of the ocean is what calls to many. Let’s work to keep it clean and safe and free of plastic. l
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I remember going to Asia in the early 1990s, seeing bottled water and thinking how strange. But no one could drink the tap water as it would make you sick. I can see why bottled water has become a trend and the preferred method of taking water. Also, the younger generations expect water all day. Young adults and most crew expect a good steady supply of bottled water. Good or bad, it will be hard to change the trend. l
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People are lazy; it is easier to twist off a cap then get a glass, fill it, wash it, and put it away. l
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It has become habit, and has only more recently come to light the impact water bottles have on the environment. Most water bottles
can easily be crumpled into smaller pieces which allows them to be stored more efficiently. We run two garbage receptacles, one for recycle, the other for trash. I would guesstimate that we recycle 2-3 times as much as goes in the trash. We are based in the Pacific Northwest and recycling is well known and practiced here. l
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Funny that the water from watermakers is probably as clean or cleaner than the bottled water but no one drinks it. I think boats could better inform guests of this fact and sell the quality of water the boat makes and also sell the environmental impact that has on reducing (in a small way) the amount of plastic waste generated by guests and crew. l
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The culture is hard to change. Bottled water is way too handy. But we must keep reminding the crew and passengers about the use and disposal of the bottles and encourage using reusable bottles. The problem in boats is the water is not the best being stored in tanks. But with proper filtration one cannot tell the difference between the two.
Plastic bottles fill designated spaces as well as extra storage spots water bottles, from page C10 you stock? We were surprised to discover that the numbers here were more evenly split, resulting in more bottles being purchased and stocked than appear to actually be used. Slightly more than a third said 6-12 cases; slightly more than a quarter said 1-6; and slightly less than a quarter said 12-24. Nearly 12 percent
of respondents stock 25 cases or more for a week’s trip. We looked at those numbers more closely to match those provisions with yacht size and discovered exactly what we expected: as vessels got larger (and presumably carried more crew and guests) the number of cases they provisioned grew larger. The bulk of our respondents are on yachts 160 feet and less.
Yet about half of the yachts that provision 25 cases or more water were 120-140 feet. Given that the bulk of our respondents tend to fall in the middle range of yacht sizes, we asked Do you have a problem storing bottled water and other single-serve beverages? More than half said “Somewhat. We have adequate storage but end up
putting cases of water wherever we can.” “It’s the same old story,” said the captain of a yacht 100-120 feet. “You have designated areas to store but those get filled up easily. Then you start stashing bottled water wherever you can on the boat.” About 31 percent more said “No. We
See water bottles, page C12