Sustainability and Eco-Tourism
Dreamcatcher Sailing is committed to the practices of sustainability and eco-tourism
(see below for our definition). Sailing is a natural for this because it uses
the wind. We have added to this recently with a quiet, clean electric motor
which will eventually be powered by a combination of wind and solar(the diesel
is still used for backup because of its reliability). We also try to reduce
waste wherever possible in our food service. Even using our diesel whenever
necessary last year, we used only 50 gallons of fuel and went over 3000 miles
with over 1000 guests. That is over 90% wind power! Our goal this year is
to cut that further. Bayfield and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is
a pristine area, which we all love and wish to protect for generations to
come. We believe in doing our part by offering access to the water and the
Islands that can go on indefinitely without polluting or using limited resources.
We also believe that global warming is caused by human actions and that a
little change from everyone can greatly reduce the severity of this disastrous
impact.
Buying Locally: We are committed to purchasing local products and using local services whenever possible. Our lunches come from Wild by Nature Market in Bayfield and use locally grown fruits and vegetables when available and most or all of the ingredients are organic. We buy most of our marine and other supplies from local stores as well to promote a healthy community and cut down on the use of fuel for transporting the goods.
Travel Green Wisconsin: 
Dreamcatcher
Sailing has been certified by Travel Green Wisconsin as part of their program.
Several other Bayfield businesses are participating.
Sustainability: No one seems to be able to define it, so here goes--A system that operates in a way that greatly decreases environmental impacts while supporting the community and businesses that allow the system to exist. The savings from energy conservation and a decrease of other inputs into the system, along with spending money locally more than offset the additional costs associated with operating in a way that lessens the impact on the earth. The results of Sustainability are more profitable and efficient for businesses, households, governments and institutions within that system.
Eco Tourism: "Eco-tourism - travel that preserves the environment and promotes the welfare of local people," Michelle Higgins in "Buzzword of the Year: Eco-tourism" New York Times 1/22/06
Eco-Tours: Eco-tours are tours that highlight the local eco-system, culture, history and people while operating in a way that does not alter or harm them.
Our Electric Motor Experiment, 2006: We fit Dreamcatcher with electric motors in 2006 as an experiment, using trolling motors for a fishing boat. They wore out during the season, so the immediate result was that we needed some more durable motors, which are currently quite expensive, but the other lessons learned were far more valuable. We often think that technology is the key to changing our future. Because battery power is limited and the speed of the boat greatly changes the effeciency, we had to figure out how to motor less and sail more to make it work. We used to think that the best site-seeing was many miles out into the Lake. This required either a perfect wind or a lot of motoring. We found that some of the inner islands, with their slightly smaller caves, were equally captivating to our guests as long as we quietly get in close and take our time. With less motoring, smell and noise, the overall experience greatly improved and guests were more satisfied. Also, some improvement in the sails and our light wind sailing skill let us sail when we may have motored before. Again, more satisfied guests. We did like the quiet electric drives and would like to invest in a re-powering of our fleet to electric with solar recharging capability when it becomes commercially viable. However, we have cut down our fuel use so much by using common sense and a change of perception, that we may just buy another boat and make her sail fast, instead! Sometimes, the simple solutions are the best ones.
Food Service Reductions. We have greatly reduced our packaging and food waste, while improving the quality of our lunches. Rather than individual box lunches with lots of wrapping, packaging and cardboard, our provider quarters a variety of sandwiches and they come in a dishwashable container. Guests can take only what they wish to eat, which cuts down on overall food waste. The savings of this method allowed us to raise the quality of the lunches greatly without additional cost to the guests. Another packaging reduction we have made is providing lexan water bottles to our guests as a gift, rather than buying bottled water. The water bottles are durable and dishwasher safe and can be used for years. The water requires no diesel trucks to haul it from somewhere like Ohio to Bayfield. Bayfield's water from the city well is as good as it gets, anyway. These bottles are much more expensive than bottled water, due to their quality and durability, but our logo on the bottle is a reminder of their vacation and our guests are a lot better advertising than money can buy.
John Thiel
Dreamcatcher Sailing
Bayfield, Wisconsin
Contact us:
Dreamcatcher Sailing
88265 Happy Hollow Road
Bayfield, WI 54814
(800) 682-1587 or (715) 779-5561
dreamcatcher@wolfsongadventures.com