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Plastic pollution is a global challenge, but for sailors, it’s one we witness first-hand. In this episode of the Clean Sailors Podcast, host Holly speaks with Nike Steiger, sailor and co-founder of IN MOCEAN, an organisation tackling plastic pollution through practical recycling solutions and community action. We explore the story behind IN MOCEAN, what Nike has learnt about plastic and waste through her life at sea, and the simple ways we can all reduce our impact onboard. And, of course, we talk sailing - from Nike’s own adventures and life afloat to the unique role sailors can play in protecting the places we love to explore. A conversation about adventure, plastic, practical action and doing things differently.

Bilge water, grey water, cleaning products, microfibres – the everyday impacts of our life at sea. As our industry evolves so do expectations around sustainability, stewardship and the impact of our life onboard. Today we are exploring a question every boat owner, captain and crew should be asking – what’s really entering our waterways from our vessels, and how can we do better? In this conversation, host Holly speaks with Paul Gullet of Wave International to discuss what’s really coming off our boats, the innovations to reduce our impact and how we sailors, boaters and wider industries can be playing a role for a cleaner future.

Few events in sailing need an introduction quite like The Ocean Race. First launched in 1973 as the Whitbread Round the World Race, it has evolved from a pioneering test of endurance and seamanship into one of the world's most iconic offshore sailing competitions. Today, The Ocean Race is not only pushing the limits of human performance, but also using its global platform to champion healthier oceans through science, education and advocacy. In this episode, Holly sits down with Lucy Hunt, Ocean Impact Director at The Ocean Race. Lucy leads the race's sustainability and impact agenda, helping ensure that one of the world's most recognised sporting events creates a positive legacy long after the finish line. Together, they explore how sailing can become a catalyst for environmental change, the responsibility of major sporting events in protecting our oceans, and why collaboration, education and storytelling are essential if we are to leave the marine environment healthier for future generations. Whether you're a sailor, ocean advocate or simply passionate about the future of our planet, this conversation offers an inspiring insight into how sport can help drive meaningful change.

What happens to boats when they reach the end of their life? As thousands of vessels across Europe (and indeed, the world) face retirement each year, the marine industry is confronting an important question: how do we rethink waste, materials and the future of boat building? In this episode, we’re joined by Igor Kluin, Co-founder and Designer, and Nienke van t' Klooster, Co-founder of VAAN Yachts, a Dutch boat-builder taking a different approach to yacht design through circular thinking, recycled materials and a commitment to reducing environmental impact. We talk about the challenge of end-of-life boats, the opportunities that come with designing differently, and what it means to build sailing catamarans with sustainability at their core. From recycled aluminium to changing perceptions around luxury and performance, this conversation explores how innovation and environmental responsibility can work hand in hand.

There’s a quiet contradiction at the heart of modern sailing. We head out onto the water because we love the ocean - its freedom, its beauty, its power. And yet, in the most routine moments, whether washing down a deck or cleaning a hull, we may be contributing to the very damage we care about. Not through negligence, but through habit and through products labelled “marine safe” or “eco-friendly” without really questioning what that means. Because the reality is this: many everyday cleaning practices in leisure boating could already be non-compliant and most of us sailors have no idea. This all comes back to International Maritime Organisation and MARPOL, the global convention designed to prevent pollution from ships - not just major spills, but the small, cumulative impacts of daily life on the water. And that raises an uncomfortable question: are we cleaning our boats…or polluting our oceans? Tune in to hear host Holly Manvell speak with Sarah Wallbank, CEO of August Race, a MARPOL-aligned marine cleaning brand.

We are obsessed with the weather. This obsession has served us very well over thousands of years - ultimately for the purposes of survival - food - crops, grazing, water, safety etc. The weather shapes our days, our moods, our plans - often without us noticing. At sea and on the water, it’s a different story. Weather is our focal point. Every decision, whether cruising or racing, flows from the wind, cloud patterns, pressure, the waves and swell - however localised. The weather is something you read, you feel, you live in and optimise for. The weather can be predictability and uncertainty, and in many ways, us sailors and seafarers have front row seats to the magnitude and at times, the extremes, of the weathers that governs our planet. In this episode we’re speaking with sailor and meteorologist Tom Harrison, to explore what the weather can teach us if we know what to look for and how to read it.

For most of us around the world, wetsuits are a necessity to getting out on and staying in or under the water. There’s an emotional element too - these slippery suits allow us to spend hundreds of hours doing what we love - our pleasures and past times - surfing, supping, diving, snorkelling, foiling, kiting, body-boarding and sailing. But like many modern textiles, neoprene doesn’t come with an easy end-of-life solution. Our old wetsuits are rarely recycled, often burned or ending up in landfill. So what happens when someone decides that isn’t good enough? Let’s speak with Emma and Peter from Circular Flow — a team working to crack one of the watersports industry’s toughest waste problems by collecting, recycling, and re-using old wetsuits with the aim of creating a genuinely circular material. In this episode, we’ll dig into why neoprene has traditionally been so hard to deal with, what it takes to build a closed-loop system, and how we, us sailors, surfers, divers etc, can get involved.

Connecting young people to water, the sea, is a topic so close to our hearts. As the bodies of research around ‘Blue Health’ in particular have grown, we better understand that time spent on or near water has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, promoting emotional resilience and improved mental well-being. For children and young people - it can be teamwork, confidence-building, inclusion and self-esteem and bigger still - dreams, hopes and ambitions. Here’s Greg Bertish, Founder of The Little Optimist Trust & Sailing Therapy Academy in Cape Town, to help us understand more.

PART 2/2 Sir Robin Knox-Johnston made history in 1968-69 as the first person to sail solo and non-stop around the world, an achievement that secured his legendary status in the sailing world. He then co-founded Clipper Ventures, established the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 1996, transforming ocean racing by making it accessible to everyday people with no previous sailing experience. Through the Clipper Race, he has introduced thousands and thousands of people to offshore racing —an accomplishment he considers among his greatest achievements. Beyond Clipper, Sir Robin's personal sailing achievements continue to be extraordinary. At 68, he became the oldest yachtsman to complete a solo round-the-world voyage in the Velux 5 Oceans Race; he won the Jules Verne Trophy with Peter Blake in 1994; at age 75, he finished third in the Route du Rhum solo transatlantic race in 2014, proving that his competitive fire and seamanship has remain undimmed. As a life-long ocean appreciator, Sir Robin's strong penchant for high latitude sailing, namely around the reaches of the Arctic Circle, continues to expand his lifelong, exceptional insight into our changing oceans and climate.

PART 1/2 This sailor and podcast guest needs no introduction, but he deserves one. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston made history in 1968-69 as the first person to sail solo and non-stop around the world, an achievement that secured his legendary status in the sailing world. He then co-founded Clipper Ventures, established the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 1996, transforming ocean racing by making it accessible to everyday people with no previous sailing experience. Through the Clipper Race, he has introduced thousands and thousands of people to offshore racing —an accomplishment he considers among his greatest achievements. Beyond Clipper, Sir Robin's personal sailing achievements continue to be extraordinary. At 68, he became the oldest yachtsman to complete a solo round-the-world voyage in the Velux 5 Oceans Race; he won the Jules Verne Trophy with Peter Blake in 1994; at age 75, he finished third in the Route du Rhum solo transatlantic race in 2014, proving that his competitive fire and seamanship has remain undimmed. As a life-long ocean appreciator, Sir Robin's strong penchant for high latitude sailing, namely around the reaches of the Arctic Circle, continues to expand his lifelong, exceptional insight into our changing oceans and climate.

When it comes to sustainability, sailing and marine has faced scrutiny like most other industries, notably on the topic of end-of-life materials. Since 1996, Quantum Sails has been working on sail design, technology and production, now with more than 60 sail lofts around the world. Tune in to hear Lara Poljšak, Director of Sustainability at Quantum Sails discuss the progress and obstacles in being a sustainable sailmaker today.

We've explored the changing Arctic in a couple of our our Clean Sailors podcasts to date, but what about Antarctica and the Southern Ocean; what is it like and how is it changing? There is no other sailor to ask than Skip Novak - from Antarctica, Patagonia, South Georgia, the Northwest passage, Falklands, Atlantic, Pacific to the South Sandwich Islands, Svalbard, Spitsbergen: you name it, Skip has sailed it, and has sailed the most sea miles of any other sailor, alive or dead. Tune in to this episode to hear more on Skip's lifetime of sailing and, importantly, how the southern-most, at times most-formidable region of our planet, Antarctica, has been shifting.

The marine industry, and superyachting in particular, is renowned for cultivating exceptional skills and high standards. In this episode, Holly sits down with Sam Stewart, founder of the Relief Crew Foundation. After a successful career in superyachting himself, Sam began bridging the gap between skilled yacht crews and impactful humanitarian and environmental projects around the globe. Discover how a life-changing experience inspired Sam to create incredible opportunities for sailors and superyacht professionals to give back with purpose.

Doyle Sails is one of the most competitive sailmakers on the planet. With the likes of SailGP as one of the main classes they serve, it's fair to say they've got some of the coolest clients and coolest technology around. How are the team addressing sailmaking in our modern world, in view of sustainability? In this multi-million dollar market, what are the stakes as new rules and regulations slowly arrive regarding end-of-life? Tune in to hear Harri Wren, Global Operations and Brand Manager talk us through sustainability at Doyle Sails.

What happens to Royal Navy liferafts after they’re retired? This episode explores their surprising second life and a mission to keep them out of landfill. Tune in as we speak with Bob Field of the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity and professional sailmaker, Pablo Madrid, about their unique collaboration to transform decommissioned liferafts into something new — making waves in their industries as they go.