In an endeavor led by Cornwall-based non-profit organization Clean Sailors and social enterprise Waterhaul, a concerted campaign has been initiated to prevent the disposal of 200 spinnakers into landfills this winter. The initiative involves the collection and repurposing of these spinnakers into Waterhaul’s highly sought-after beach cleaning bags.
Local sailors are being encouraged to contribute to this cause by donating their end-of-life spinnakers to the designated drop-off point in Newquay.
Alarming statistics reveal that as much as 97% of all end-of-life sails are either incinerated or end up in landfills. To address this pressing issue, Clean Sailors introduced ‘ReSail,’ an online global platform connecting sailors willing to part with their old sails with projects that can grant them a second lease of life. With a network of over 33 partners worldwide, ReSail stands out as the sole global initiative striving to address end-of-life sail material on a large scale. It is through ReSail by Clean Sailors that Waterhaul continues its mission to enhance the recovery of end-of-life spinnakers, which have been transformed into beach cleaning bags since 2022.
Despite no longer being suitable for sailing, spinnakers represent an invaluable resource of robust and durable materials. When repurposed into clean-up bags, these spinnakers prove to be exceptionally lightweight, durable, repairable, and reusable. Waterhaul has demonstrated their effectiveness as an ideal solution for collecting litter, eliminating the dependence on single-use plastic bags during litter picks and beach cleans.
Moreover, Waterhaul’s upcycled spinnaker bags are ingeniously designed to seamlessly fit their 100% recycled fishing gear bag hoops. These hoops, constructed from 330 grams of recycled fishing nets and ropes, keep the bag open for convenient litter picking.
Kieran Hill, Head of B2B Sales at Waterhaul, expresses pride in the initiative, emphasizing the transformation of end-of-life spinnaker sails into durable and reusable bags. These bags, when placed in the hands of the community and partners, are poised to address the broader issue of plastic pollution in the environment. The goal is to collect 200 spinnakers this winter with the valuable support of Clean Sailors and their ReSail campaign, thereby rescuing these spinnakers from landfills and providing them with a renewed purpose.
Holly Manvell, founder of Clean Sailors, underscores the significance of ReSail as the only global platform promoting the use of end-of-life sail materials. She expresses enthusiasm for launching another campaign in collaboration with Waterhaul, a team dedicated to the reuse and recycling of ostensibly ‘waste’ materials. Manvell looks forward to demonstrating that sail material can maintain its integrity for decades, in a new form and beyond its original purpose. She extends gratitude for the robust support from local sailing communities in initiating Project Spinnaker.
For those interested in contributing, the drop-off point and postal address for donating spinnakers are as follows:
ReSail x WATERHAUL 9a Seabase Units Treloggan Industrial Estate Newquay Cornwall TR7 2SX UK
Additional drop-off points for canvas, sails, jibs, and genoas around the UK and beyond can be accessed at https://resailbycleansailors.com/.