Spirit of Adelaide partner with Clean Sailors to highlight eco-friendly sailing

Ocean Globe Race 2023 entrant Team Spirit of Adelaide has partnered with the not-for-profit Clean Sailors to raise awareness of ocean conservation

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Spirit of Adelaide are collaborating with the not-for-profit Clean Sailors to promote eco-friendly sailing.

The Ocean Globe Race 2023 team are currently renovating their Baltic 55, Outlaw for the race, and are taking advice from Clean Sailors on the most eco-friendly way to restore the boat including antifouling solutions, recycling sails and even using environmentally friendly products onboard.

Outlaw was originally built in Finland to a Douglas Peterson design and Lloyds of London specification for the 1985/86 Whitbread Round the World Race, and was raced as Equity & Law.

A boat in a boat shed awaiting renovation

Outlaw is being refitted in Albany, New York State. Credit: Lucy Frost

The Ocean Globe Race is being held to mark the 50th anniversary of the Whitbread next year, with crews racing in similar boats and using only the gear available to those who took part in 1973.

The eight-month race will follow the route of the original 1973 race. Only approved fibreglass production yachts designed before 1988, and between 47ft-66ft, will be allowed to take part and there will be no computers, no satellites, no GPS, and no high-tech materials.

Lucy Frost from Spirit of Adelaide said the team needed to bring Clean Sailors on board at the beginning of Outlaw‘s refit project.

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‘We are planning to recycle the sails we’ve been left with for re-use during our race but when we sail across the Atlantic to bring her back to Europe, if the sails are no good, we then plan to have them made into bags and items that we can either use on the race ourselves or perhaps sell to raise funds. There are so many items to think about from the refit to the victualling, ocean friendly cleaning products that will ultimately end up in the sea, even normal toilet paper sheets are held together using plastic glue so all of this will be taken into account,’ she explained.

Through their partnership, Clean Sailors and the Spirit of Adelaide crew are aiming to demonstrate a successful clean sailing case study, without impacting the performance of the yacht.

A Baltic 55 boat being raced across an ocean

Equity & Law was designed by Douglas Peterson and was built in Finland. Credit: Dougie Mill/Spirit of Adelaide

The founder of Clean Sailors, Holly Manvell, said: ‘The Ocean Globe Race represents one of the most adventurous team journeys there is on our planet, traversing the 27,000 miles of our great global waters. As sailors, our waters are our passion and playground, and we are super excited to be joining our friends, the Spirit of Adelaide crew, to promote ocean health and to showcase opportunities for cleaner sailing.’

Team Spirit of Adelaide is led by two-time Clipper sailor, Campbell Mackie, and Clipper Race skipper, Mike Miller as first mate.

The 2023 Ocean Globe Race is being run by Don McIntyre, the founder of the 2018 and 2022 Golden Globe Race.

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