The UK is an amazing place, with some stunning beaches, impressive views, and fantastic wildlife. But we're not looking after it! From cigarette butts to wet wipes to abandoned tyres, our home is overflowing with litter. And not only is it ugly, but it's causing significant damage to our oceans and wildlife.

So, we (Pippa, David, and our little boat cat Opie) are partnering with Sea-Changers to help do something about it! In addition to raising money as we sail our 28-ft yacht all the way around the country, we'll be committing to at least one hour of litter picking at each port.

On our way, we'll also be meeting up with some of the fantastic projects and organisations Sea-Changers have supported over the years, to find out what's being done to protect this beautiful world of ours.

Throughout our journey, we'll be keeping you updated here and on our Instagram page (@writingandsailing) to let you know where we are, how our litter picking went, and what we found in each place.

We'll also try to share ways you can get involved with local charities striving to improve our beaches, waterways, and more, and some of the stories we hear on our travels.

Want to get involved with a beach clean or just say hello? Our sailboat is called Sudana, and you can reach out to us on Insta @writingandsailing - we love meeting new people!

Where have we been so far?

2023 - Season #1

We started our lap of the UK on our sailboat in Emsworth, Hampshire, in July 2023 after completing a major refit with lots of fibreglassing!

After Emsworth, we visited Brighton, Newhaven, Eastbourne, Dover, Ramsgate, Sandwich, Burnham-on-Crouch, Sheerness, the Medway Yacht Club, Erith, London, Queenborough, and Brightlingsea, before settling in Ipswich for winter 2023.

2024 - Season #2

We left Ipswich in April 2024 and, after getting stuck in the River Deben with some engine problems, joined up with Sea-Changers and set off for our proper adventures in May.

During our 2024 sailing season, we visited Waldringfield, Woodbridge, Southwold, Lowestoft, Sea-Palling, Blakeney Point, Wells-next-the-sea, Hull, Spurn Bight, Bridlington, Cayton Bay, Scarborough, Whitby, Paddy's Hole, Hartlepool, Tynemouth, Amble, Newcastle, North Shields, Holy Islands, Eyemouth, Edinburgh (Fringe Fest!), Carlingpose Pier, Aberdour, Dunbar, and Berwick-Upon-Tweed, before returning to North Shields to spend winter 2024 in the comfort of Royal Quays Marina.

Where are we going next?

2025 - Season #3

For our third sailing season, we left Royal Quays in April 2025, and have already visited Berwick-Upon-Tweed, before sailing directly to Scotland. We were blown a little off course and spent a pleasant week in the little harbour town of Dysart, before successfully making it to Edinburgh on the 21st April 2025 (Easter Sunday).

From here, we'll be heading further North, before turning and cruising East-West across the Caledonian Canal. This will be our final season on the East Coast, and we're excited to see what awaits us on the West (and get used to some Scottish accents this year!).

What inspired us?

During our time in Ipswich, we realised that we wanted to get more out of our travels and give back to the local and wider communities. We started doing good deeds with GoodGym, and thinking more generally about how we wanted to spend our time and what we should do to make our lap of the UK more meaningful and beneficial - both to ourselves and to the wider world.

Then, what started as a throwaway comment, "We should work with a charity", became a concrete idea. And one that we couldn't believe we hadn't thought of sooner!

It felt inevitable that we would work with a marine charity. Travelling on a sailboat couldn't put us closer to the sea, and even in the 5 years we've been living aboard, we've noticed a decline in dolphin sightings and the changes in the water and shorelines. We also noticed that (second to town/city centres) anywhere near the water seems to be a hot spot for litter; something that's so easy to fix, yet most people just walk on by.

But although we knew we wanted to partner with a marine charity, we also knew that we wanted to do more than simply fundraise and litter pick. So, when we met with the co-founders of Sea-Changers and heard more about the projects and partner charities they'd funded, it felt like the perfect match. A way of us giving back, challenging ourselves, and also having the opportunity to learn (as well as do) more as we travel around the UK.

So, a partnership was born. And we're so excited to see where it takes us.

Who are Sea-Changers?

Sea-Changers believe that the best people to care for the UKs coasts and coastal wildlife are the people who live, work and play there. Their grants enable local people to preserve, clean up and raise awareness about the coastal environments they love. They award grants of between £500 and £1,200, twice a year, through an open application process. Your donation will enable them to enable more vital marine conservation projects can take place around the UK.

What Sea-Changers charities have we met up with so far?

Since joining up with Sea-Changers, we've been lucky to meet up with some incredible charities - sometimes just for a chat, and other times for a bit more hands-on experience!

Some of our favourites include:

LOWESOFT TIME BANK - Received a grant for a series of beach wellness courses with a goal of bringing people back to the sea and reminding them of the benefits of being close to the ocean.

We joined a couple of the LBT team (and their gorgeous dogs) for a walk along the beach and a long chat about ocean wellness, Time Banking, politics, and everything in-between!

THE DEEP, HULL - The famous aquarium in Hull was a wonderful stop. We received a guided tour and learned more about this charitable organisation's incredible marine conservation and education efforts. A real commitment to our sealife and environment here.

Their Sea-Changers grant was for a "litter pick library", containing grabbers, a bin ring, bin bags, and checklist. The kids grabbers were particularly cool! Obviously, we had to try them for ourselves, and even got recommendations on where to pick (finding some wonderfully weird litter items as we went).

JOURNEY BLUE NET - We met up with Alistair from Journey Blue in Whitby, and helped him with his stand at the brewery mini-festival while learning more about how JBN helps rid the ocean of fishing waste and ghost equipment by collecting the rubbish and transforming it into beautiful and functional items, such as sunglasses, coffee flashs, carabiner clips, and so much more.

WHITBY WILDLIFE SANCTUARY - We visited WWS just after they were awarded their second grant to upgrade their seabird rescue pool (funded by the first grant 5 years ago and in need of repair!). We loved looking around the site and learning about the impressive range of animals being cared for there, and were only a little intimidated helping out with feeding time for the gull chicks!

While there, we also helped out in the fox pens removing an overgrowth of stinging nettles. I immediately took an entire branch of stingers to the face - of course! - but it was worth it to lend a hand to such an amazing organisation and improve the quality of life for such beautiful animals.

CLEAN PLANET UK - A charity dedicated to removing ghost equipment from the ocean, we actually put Stephen in touch with Journey Blue, as it seemed like they have very compatible missions. We had hoped to help out with handling some of the equipment, but as the only missions they had at the time were incredibly dangerous, we didn't have the qualifications (and they didn't have the insurance) to allow us to help. Nonetheless, it was incredible and inspiring to hear Stephen's stories and all the hard work Clean Planet does to keep our oceans clean and safe for all - literal life savers, risking their own wellbeing to save others!

DUNBAR HARBOUR - Less exciting, but they received a grant to improve the bins and recycling around the harbour, including recycling for fishing equipment.

ST MARY'S SEAL WATCH - A popular dry-out spot for seals that is unfortunately popular with tourists, too. It's so important to give these animals plenty of space as they need their safe time out of the water, so the team at St Mary's do a fantastic job of keeping people away from the seals as well as creating safe vantage points so visitors can watch and enjoy the seals without disrupting them.

Unfortunately, St Mary's could do with some more support from the sea, as power boats especially can disrupt the animals, so I'm planning on working with them to help increase marine awareness and suggest some ways they can get in touch with water vessels accidentally causing harm.