On our last sailing trip, we saw the huge amounts of trash, especially plastic, floating around in the world’s oceans. An uninhabited island was recognizable by the mountains of trash that had accumulated on the beach. From plastic bottles and baby potties to mysterious single flip-flops. It wasn’t a pretty sight and definitely not good for nature and the creatures in and around the sea.
Even before purchasing „La Ola,“ we had already decided that we wanted to avoid single-use plastics on board as much as possible. Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to completely eliminate plastic from our lives, but we have been able to replace some products and would like to share them with you here. Even if you live on land, it definitely doesn’t hurt to avoid single-use plastics, etc.!
Shower gel and soap
I searched for a long time before I found the right solution. The first tests were carried out with solid shower gel, i.e., more or less traditional soap bars. However, these quickly led to sticky residue in the shower, and lathering up was not a particularly refreshing experience. We quickly rejected the idea of taking shower gel in a large canister and refilling reusable bottles because of the weight and space required.
The solution finally came in the form of shower gel powder that you mix yourself. During my research, I came across the products from „Seifenbrause“ https://www.seifenbrause.de/ and the first tests were very positive. The shower gel comes in individual paper sachets, each of which is enough for 200 ml of shower gel. A year’s supply consists of 12 sachets and currently costs €39.95. This works out at around €3.30 per 200 ml. Making the shower gel is very easy. You pour the contents of a sachet into a reusable pump bottle and fill it up with 200 ml of water. That’s it! Since we have water on board anyway and the shower gel sachets are very light and take up little space, we found this solution ideal. The shower test has also been very positive so far. We have tried different fragrances and find them all very pleasant and not too overpowering. The shower gel is pleasantly creamy on the skin thanks to the use of wheat proteins and, thanks to its pH neutrality, has been very well tolerated by us so far.
In addition to shower gel, Seifenbrause also offers hand soap, which we also took on board as a year’s supply. The hand soap can be mixed in the same way as the shower gel and is just as creamy and pleasant to use. According to the manufacturer, the products are biodegradable and reduce CO2 emissions by 90% compared to conventional products.
Unfortunately, I haven’t really found what I’m looking for when it comes to hair shampoo. I’m still searching for a sustainably produced, biodegradable shampoo that doesn’t turn my hair into a scratchy mop. If anyone has any tips, please let me know!
Deodorant
We also use deodorant every day. Whether it’s a pump bottle, spray, or roll-on, it usually comes in disposable plastic packaging. Of course, there’s plenty of debate about how effective it is and how much we use. I switched to crystal salt deodorant some time ago because I find it very effective and one stick lasts a long time. However, I was always bothered by the plastic packaging. So, when we moved on board, I did a little research and came across „Biork.“ Biork consists of a potassium alum crystal and is 100% natural, hypoallergenic, and fragrance-free. It comes in packaging made from the renewable raw material cork. According to the manufacturer, the crystal lasts up to a year with normal use. Since I’ve still been „working“ on my first crystal since moving on board, this statement seems to be accurate. I also like the fact that the cork packaging does not have to be thrown away once the crystal has been used up, but that you can buy a refill crystal. I also find it very effective. Even during strenuous activities on board, Biork works very well throughout the day.
Ziplock bags
Ziplock bags are an essential piece of equipment on board. They can be used for everything from storing food to tools. Anything that needs to be kept dry or protected from air and pests has been stored in Ziplock bags for many years. Since these are usually made of plastic and quickly lose their seal after repeated use, we have now switched to silicone Ziplock bags on „La Ola.“ The food-safe bags are made of environmentally friendly PEVA material and contain no PVC or BPA. The silicone bags feel stronger and are generally suitable for both the freezer and the microwave. The fact that they are dishwasher-safe is not so relevant for us on board. Thanks to their design, they are easy to fill and can be rinsed out and dried easily after use. We don’t have any long-term experience with the bags yet, but we hope that we will be able to reuse the silicone bags we purchased in spring 2024 without any problems for the next few years.
Water bottles
I prefer drinking water with plenty of carbon dioxide – classic, as it’s called today. I also drink between 2 and 4 liters of water every day, depending on the outside temperature. That’s in addition to other beverages. In most countries, however, sparkling water is very expensive or difficult to obtain. And sparkling water is only available in plastic bottles. This means that between 2 liters and 8 half-liter plastic bottles end up in the trash every day. This doesn’t have to be the case! So we bought a SodaStream carbonator so that we can drink our own sparkling water on board. To avoid the risk of damaging our health with poor-quality or bacteria-contaminated water, our drinking water is filtered four times. A coarse filter, a fine filter, a carbon filter – to remove chlorine – are used when filling up with water, and then a super-fine filter is used again before the water is bottled.
Energy management
When talking about sustainability, it is not just about avoiding plastic waste, but also about reducing CO2 emissions in general. On board a sailboat, CO2-neutral propulsion using wind is naturally already the focus. But of course, there are also calm periods and many situations in which the engine must be used. Added to this is the energy requirement on board, which is determined by many necessary, helpful or even just luxurious devices on board. Even though we have a diesel generator on board, we try to cover our energy needs as sustainably as possible with solar energy. To this end, we currently have 1,200 kW of solar panels on board, which we expanded in winter 2024/2025. To store the energy, we replaced the existing AMG batteries with LiFePo batteries. The capacities are designed so that we can manage without generator assistance for some time even when anchored and under gray skies, and we can also run the air conditioning at night.
Catch of the Day
Since Heligoland, we have been the proud owners of a fishing net/skimmer and use it to fish plastic waste out of the sea whenever we get the chance. Unfortunately, this is mostly when we are anchored or in the marina, as our high freeboard means we can hardly reach the surface with the skimmer. But even there, there is unfortunately plenty of rubbish floating around. The bottles, bags, and other items we fish out are then taken ashore and disposed of at the next opportunity, so hopefully they will no longer pollute the world’s oceans. Many thanks again to Bert and Marlene Fritsch from the „Heimkehr“ for giving us the net when we left!
There are certainly many other ways to live more sustainably on board. If you have any suggestions or tips for us, please send us a message so that we can improve even further!