To buy a boat that will enable me to clean the harder to reach stretches of coastline around the Isle of Skye
by Gill Houlsby in Carbost, Scotland, United Kingdom
This would allow us to consider a better quality second hand RHIB which would work out better value in the long run. It would also cover fuel for regular boat supported beach cleans, maintenance costs and annual insurance. We aim to use the boat at least once a month and hopefully much more often.
Skye is known for its incredible rugged coastlines and natural beauty. These shores are sadly increasingly covered in plastic. The geography of the island means that many of the worst affected areas are not accessible by road or even easily by foot.
A beach clean boat would allow me to:
* support community beach cleans on parts of the coastline that are only accessible by foot by picking up and transferring rubbish to a point where it can be disposed of appropriately
* clean stretches of coastline inaccessible by road or foot
I know from many years experience of organising beach cleans that within the community there is undoubtedly the determination, passion, local knowledge, willingness to volunteer and commitment needed to make a real impact here on the island.
One dedicated volunteer is a Chartered Marine Engineer and high speed boat specialist. He has agreed to support this venture by overseeing operations and ongoing maintenance of the vessel. Between us we have the necessary marine skills and experience of 'beach cleaning by boat' through other projects we've been involved in meaning we can operate safely and effectively.
We have also already had the kind donation of a white water raft which we can use to tow rubbish from affected areas to access points. This will increase the capacity of what we can do and ensure the longevity of our powerboat.
Our research shows that there are many suitable small RHIBs priced from £2000 (including engine and trailer). These are readily available in the secondhand market place so once we have the money we can go right ahead and get stuck in!
Thanks for taking the time to read about this project! If you have any questions please get in touch via the Skye Marine Matters facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/SkyeSurfersAgainstSewage/
Please note that while initially much of the marine litter we clear will have to go in skips to landfill. We are working on setting up a separate project that concentrates on how we can repurpose and recycle plastic removed from Skye’s coastline in our local workshop. www.skyemarineplastics.co.uk
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