My Message in a Bottle, Found

[Wendi]

I was reading another thread about garbage and what to dispose of offshore. It seems there are varied opinions about it. Part of the decision is what happens to the garbage you bring to shore, and many feel it ends up in some mangroves and gets swept into the ocean during big rains. Most islands don't have recycling, so the trash has to be burned which pollutes the air and leaves the remainder to go where it will.
Many cruisers say they toss the organic matter, tin and glass overboard when offshore. Others keep it all on board. Some feel it has less impact on the islands by sinking it, and a lot of garbage disposed of on islands ends up back in the ocean near the shore.
Not sure what the answer is, every choice for trash has a consequence including the kind of cleaning products you use on board.
And if there is recycling being done, that would help but how would you know it ends up there on an island? I understand that most of the garbage that the locals collect from you ends up dumped behind a tree somewhere.

[beneteau-500]

First of all wendi this not a personnel attack or have ago at you ok you through a bottle over board .

"BUT " what legal right does the CA/ ARC who run and organise these rallies Have to tell you . It is ok to throw the list of the following rubbish that you were given over board None they where totally in the wrong in doing so full stop

That's my point

[smj]

Originally Posted by Wendi

All of you who feel my bottle is littering, I have a question for you. How much plastic, fishnets, and other litter that was floating by have you picked up out of the ocean?

There's no feeling your bottle is littering, it is and it is illegal. Will it make a huge impact? No, but if everyone threw their bottles overboard with a cork in them..... I'm sure you get the picture.

[Wendi]

Originally Posted by mcerdos

Wendi,

I think this is great! It's amazing to think that bottle traveled over 1500 miles. I can't help but think where the others are and where they will show up. Also, congratulations on crossing the Atlantic.


On a side note, please do not let any of the negative comments diminish your excitement. Some folks on this forum feel the need to crap on everything. Their negativity is not worthy of any response.


Keep living the dream!

I am getting good at getting crapped on around here. Everyone's got opinions. When I bought my Lagoon last October and got on this forum (which I have been a member of for years) to express my excitement about getting into the ARC at the last minute, AND getting my dreamboat, I got a big old crapload of crap. Apparently I had no business buying a sailboat and crossing the Atlantic with the ARC. Sailors are so weird sometimes.

Everyone does things their own way, as did I. It all came together by the start date for the ARC. My bad luck however, was being on the hardest Atlantic ARC crossing in their 20 years of crossings. Hard. But good, because now there is not much that will scare me. At least not more than that.

[Wendi]

Originally Posted by beneteau-500

First of all wendi this not a personnel attack or have ago at you ok you through a bottle over board .

"BUT " what legal right does the CA/ ARC who run and organise these rallies Have to tell you . It is ok to throw the list of the following rubbish that you were given over board None they where totally in the wrong in doing so full stop

That's my point

Good Point. Well, this is how it came about. Ellie, my chef and provisioner, went to the provisioning workshop before the ARC. She made all the decisions about food, storage, meals and disposal of garbage. She gave us the list of acceptable items to toss overboard. I assumed that this was the result of her expertise and training from the ARC workshops.
So, there ya go. This may have some variables in the retelling.

[SailingwithSoul]

Originally Posted by Wendi

I am getting good at getting crapped on around here. Everyone's got opinions. When I bought my Lagoon last October and got on this forum (which I have been a member of for years) to express my excitement about getting into the ARC at the last minute, AND getting my dreamboat, I got a big old crapload of crap. Apparently I had no business buying a sailboat and crossing the Atlantic with the ARC. Sailors are so weird sometimes.

Wendi, I also want to say that I, in no way mean anything in this thread as a personal attack. Just expressing thoughts and feelings on the general topic being discussed.

To your quoted text, you have every right to buy and be on any type of boat you desire. Regardless on whether that boat is 10 feet of 100+ feet is size. If you want it, love it, can afford it and are confident with it, just do it. You dream is your own and no one else's to bring down!

Now about those bottles....

[Dulcesuenos]

Wendi dont feel bad. I had "one of those guys" on one of my posts give me crap for selling a boat to buy a bigger boat. His point was if everyone was happy with their boat then there would be less derelict boats etc etc and why do i need a larger boat..... there is always "that guy" chiming in on these forums, sometimes 3 of em. Either take it with a grain of salt or put em on ignore. "Those guys" are anti pollution yet , burn diesel,oil, have a fiberglass boat, add garbage to landfills, own cars, use aerosols, bottom paint- etc etc.
Unless they do non of the above they should stow it.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[SVTatia]

I hope all those environment conscious responders here are using either a composting toilet or a holding tank. They are not crapping on the little fishes are they? And topping it off with dirty tp. Oh my! Actually I wonder if any has ever been on an ocean with their boats...

[DaveC]

The point of this thread was a sailor was posting that they were excited that a message that they put in a bottle was found. It then got hijacked by a few self-righteous people that turned the simple, fun thread into political and legal BS.

First off, I'm quite certain that the organization's committee was simply stating the law about what was or was not legal to toss over so that none of their contestants would violate the law. I doubt they were trying to "authorize" or promote littering. Really??

Secondly, nobody likes to see litter in the water. Discarded waste? Who wants to see that? As sailors more than anyone I think that most of us despise littering and do our best not to, and to clean up other litter we see. But a bottle with a message in it isn't litter. It's serving a little purpose, to see if someone finds it. Kind of like all the plastic, wooden, and metal bottles that we are all floating around in with masts sticking up off of them. Are our boats litter? Why not?

And then someone said what would happen if everybody did it... lol! Relax, everybody doesn't do it.

All it would take is a little common sense and the world would be a much nicer place.

[Wendi]

Originally Posted by SailingwithSoul

Wendi, I also want to say that I, in no way mean anything in this thread as a personal attack. Just expressing thoughts and feelings on the general topic being discussed.

To your quoted text, you have every right to buy and be on any type of boat you desire. Regardless on whether that boat is 10 feet of 100+ feet is size. If you want it, love it, can afford it and are confident with it, just do it. You dream is your own and no one else's to bring down!

Now about those bottles....

The crappers did not bring me down... well maybe just a tad.
And the opinions about the bottles, it is all taken with the best of advise. I am learning more about this, and the opinions are varied on a message in a bottle. Lots to ponder.

[Wendi]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

Wendi dont feel bad. I had "one of those guys" on one of my posts give me crap for selling a boat to buy a bigger boat. His point was if everyone was happy with their boat then there would be less derelict boats etc etc and why do i need a larger boat..... there is always "that guy" chiming in on these forums, sometimes 3 of em. Either take it with a grain of salt or put em on ignore. "Those guys" are anti pollution yet , burn diesel,oil, have a fiberglass boat, add garbage to landfills, own cars, use aerosols, bottom paint- etc etc.
Unless they do non of the above they should stow it.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

So true. A question- why is owning a fiberglass boat bad? I see you have that listed along with all the other offending substances.

[Wendi]

Originally Posted by SVTatia

I hope all those environment conscious responders here are using either a composting toilet or a holding tank. They are not crapping on the little fishes are they? And topping it off with dirty tp. Oh my! Actually I wonder if any has ever been on an ocean with their boats...

So now we are not allowed to set our poo free when at sea?

[SaltyMonkey]

The bottle will make a nice little home for all the little shrimps on the bottom of the sea, and when the waves and sand grind it down, will make very beautiful pebbles to collect on the beach.

SaltyMonkey has spoken, that's me!

[sailcruiser]

Wendi I think it's a neat story. Sorry your happiness got stepped on with a few folks here. While I agree with them in principle this isn't the place to rant about it. I like to find sea glass but a message in it would be quite cool.

SC

[ontherocks83]

I just wish I had a bigger boat, more money, and enough time to have the opportunity throw a message in a bottle from the middle of the ocean and then subsequently get flak for it.

Good on you Wendi for living the dream. Wish I could be doing the same right now.

Now as a solution to the bottle "fiasco" how about to appease everyone, from now on instead of discharging waste over board you store it in the bottles, cap them off, and throw them out at their marinas. See problem solved