For some time now the world at large that has even a modicum of concern for the environment has been reluctant to use plastic bags, but they do have some good uses.

Sailing yesterday up towards Benfleet after a beat eastwards against the flood we sailed past two moored craft with strings of supermarket bags strung around the rigging. On both it was clear that some of the plastic bags had disintegrated … depositing more plastic into the local environment.

Plonker!

In the week when restrictions in the way ‘we’ use plastic bags came into law in England, it seems to be crass of these owners to ignore the reasons for the change. Some of the bags on one of the craft were from the ‘giant’ in my area, Morrison.

Owner should fined…

Perhaps the RYA needs to take this up, never mind local clubs: this is a blatant act of environmental terrorism. If one is seen littering the street one could get fined. When I was a professional seafarer, littering of the oceans attracted huge fines latterly. It was nearly three decades ago that this sea-change took place, yet the coastal sailor, well some of them, seem to think these rules don’t apply to them.

It makes me angry…

But we had a grand sail…