Sailors Creek has been a safe haven for boats for centuries, and once even held a community of sailors and floating homes. However, in recent years the area has been on the decline, while concerns over environmental issues have only increased.

Dating back to at least the 16th century, before Falmouth or Flushing resembled what they are today the creek was utilised for beaching and berthing boats but the surrounding areas became overrun and the creek itself turned into a boating graveyard.

Although the creek had always been used as a final resting place for boats, it was normally wooden and steel boats that were stripped of their parts, and the wood was left to rot without having a lasting impact.

Since the 70s and 80s, there has been a huge increase in the production of glass-reinforced plastic (GPR) boats that won't break down and are now coming to the end of their life. Due to the cost of getting rid of a boat, many are left to be abandoned as they have been in Sailors Creek.

Anna Butler is part of the Sailors Creek Community Interest Company that has been working since 2021 on clearing the area and creating a community space with a forest Garden.

Anna reached out to Nub News as she felt it's an issue that is not being spoken about enough and one that could have serious consequences for the country in the future.

While talking to Anna she explained that it wasn't only removing boats that were an issue but there was also old pontoons made out of polystyrene and concrete that were equally expensive to dispose of.

Just an example of what the team has been clearing up at the creek (Image: Sailors Creek)

To remove a boat it costs money to not only transport them but then to also destroy or 'bin' them. Anna explained that this is often the reason for boats being abandoned, she said: " You can pick a cheap boat up online for let's say £100, but not everyone will have the knowledge or skill to maintain it and then when it comes to getting rid it can cost around £450 a ton to do so."

Anna also said that there wasn't really any way to track who had abandoned the boats and it will be happening up and down the country with nobody even addressing the issue.

One potential way Anna says they could combat this is by looking at the government regulation for end-of-life vehicles. This covers all cars and small vans and tries to limit the environmental impact of their disposal.

This can be done by forcing manufacturers to create cars that are more recyclable or even offering free vehicle takebacks. Although there has been discussion within boating associations there is no similar regulation in place.

Reading this you may be starting to think that all hope is lost but the Sailors Creek team is still committed to completing their project and has launched two fundraisers to help get the funding needed and raise awareness.

The first fundraiser aims to support their core projects which are to clear up Sailors Creek and establish a food forest with and for the local community around the Penryn River.

Anna said they aim to create a community space with forest gardening which is a low-maintenance and regenerative farming process that will allow people to come and pick apples and other food as they please.

The second fundraiser focuses on two flagship projects for 2023, the first being labeled Innovating with Waste. Sailors Creek CIC wants there to be a zero-discharge policy at the Creek for boat users, although sewage outflows are regularly discharging mains sewage into the Penryn River, and leisure boat users are regularly and legally pumping out grey and black water they want to create a low impact mooring solution.

The idea is to build a floating reed bed system for the processing of grey water and to offer compost loos and a bunded composting system for black water. Sailors Creek says they are working with top experts to develop the project.

The second part of this fundraiser is to help create community workshops focusing on arts and science.

You can find both fundraisers here which include more information and a video explaining their story:

Core Projects: Sailors Creek CIC - Support Our Core Projects

Flagships Projects: Sailors Creek CIC - Flagship Projects for 2023

You can learn more about the creek's history here: Moorings | Sailors Creek CIC | Flushing

Social media: Sailors Creek