Positive Impact Spotlight: Diamond Waters Sailing
Georgian Bay at Parry Sound is considered by many to offer the best freshwater sailing in North America. The main reason is that, once the sun rises and hits the rugged coastline out of the main harbour, an almost-guaranteed wind kicks up, delighting sailors in all types of vessels, from yaghts to Sail Parry Sound‘s flying skiffs. As many will also attest, there’s something profoundly exhilarting about navigating a boat that’s powered by solar energy and nothing more.
“Sailboats are, after all, perhaps the oldest and finest human made solar energy machines,” says Larry Woolner, owner and lead instructor at Diamond Waters Sailing, which offers touring and instruction packages in Parry Sound. For Woolner, it’s not a big leap from that statement to embracing an all-encompasisng sustainability approach for operating his company on the bay.
Woolner also believes sustainability is all about caring for humanity, for one’s community and for the environment. Commitment to these principles earned Diamond Waters Sailing a Silver Certification from the Green Step Sustainable Tourism Program. Here are some of the initiatives Woolner’s company underakes to ensure a positive impact for the people, planet and prosperity of the region.
Zero Waste
Whether you’re just learning to sail, improving your existing skills, or learning coastal navigation, when you embark on a Diamond Waters Sailing course (“Discover Sailing” is a great way to start), you will be asked to leave food packaging at home. The boats are kept as waste-free as possible to lessen the chances of polluting the pristine waters of Georgian Bay, and to keep the boat free of clutter.
In addition to generating as little waste as possible on excursions, Diamond Waters Sailing is also committed to leaving the places they visit in a better condition than when they arrived. To this end, they encourage guests to pick up any litter they come across along they way, and the company has a commitment to dispose of it properly.
A Management System and Policies
While not headline grabbing or flashy, the sustainability management system and its accompanying policies are what make the positive impacts at Diamond Waters Sailing meaningful. It’s their ‘North Star’, if you will. The Health & Safety, Sustainability, Purchasing and Privacy policies all lay the ground work for conducting business in a way that serves the people who sail with them, as well as the surrounding community, economy and environment.
Better Paint is No Paint
Typically, the bottom of sailboats are coated with an ablative paint to keep barnacles and slime from accumulating. However, they are full of chemicals that constantly leek into the water. Diamond Waters Sailing is an early adopter for discontinuing the use of these paints on their vessels. Instead, they opt for some extra scrubbing to remove aquatic growth and keep their fleet clean.
Land & Wildlife Interactions
“Take only photographs, leave only footprints” is the motto for the policies that Diamond Waters Sailing has developed around their interactions with the natural environment. The waters near Parry Sound are part of the traditional territory of many nations including the Anushnabeg, Mi’kmaq, Ojibwe, and Cree peoples, who have a rich history of caring for the land and its inhabitants. Diamond Waters Sailing strives to follow their good example of caretakers of the air, land and water.
Along with specific policies for wildlife viewing, animal interactions, and bird and fish interactions, the defines respect for the environment as refraining from feeding, catching, killing, petting, or touching wildlife or picking any plants, in recognition of the latter being an important part of the ecosystem of Georgian Bay.
The policies that guide Diamond Waters Sailing activities on the water set the stage for a positive impact on environment and community and an enriching experience for sailors and guests. They’re the lens through which the company conducts every area of business, and great examples of how sustainability and tourism intersect to benefit everyone.
For more information on touring with Diamond Waters Sailing in Parry Sound on Georgian Bay, click here.
