Pick a Pier sees surge in Blue Flag marina sign ups

Pick a Pier, founded in 2017 by a team of passionate boating enthusiasts using technology solutions to connect boaters and marinas, has gained over 15 Blue Flag marina-sign ups to their AI-driven platform in 2022, offering hundreds of marinas on their platforms.

Marinas from across Europe have signed up to the Pick a Pier platform, including Blue Flag Italian-based Marina degli Aregai, Port de Saint-Cyprien from France, the Spanish Club Náutico de Águilas, and many others across the continent.

Pick a Pier’s digital transformation of the recreational boating industry is generating actionable data that helps get a clearer picture of boating’s impact on the environment. They use machine learning to monitor sailing traffic in real-time, and leverage user-generated input to understand and predict when, where and how people are sailing. They also optimise the utilisation of the existing berth supply so that marinas can do more with the resources they have, while protecting the ocean. Furthermore, in partnership with Blue Flag, Pick a Pier is asking new boaters to take the Sustainable Boating Pledge and adhere to eco-friendly practices at sea and on-shore.

Pick a Pier also launched an exclusive boater loyalty program - Popeye® Sail Club, the most advanced, rewarding and sustainable boating club. With a club membership, boaters earn points for online berth reservation and for reporting that their own berth will be vacant. They can redeem these points for discounts on future reservations through Pick a Pier. The earlier boaters take action, the more they earn points and discounts. Popeye® Sail Club promotes sustainable sailing, and allows marinas to reward their annual berth holders with best-in-class incentives at no additional cost. An additional benefit of the Pick a Pier platform for marinas is the inclusive payment service that makes the lives of both boaters and marina staff easier and enables the marinas to provide fast and smooth service.

Pick a Pier’s CEO Idan Cohen comments:

“Our mission is to make boating more accessible, convenient, and sustainable. Marinas using Pick a Pier are able to offer an increased level of customer communications and service, resulting in maximised profitability. It also allows Marinas to provide boaters with quick responses, excellent customer service and easy access to berthing.

We are excited to have new marinas onboard with Pick a Pier and know they will instantly benefit from optimised operations and unlocking berths to accommodate boaters. By joining Pick a Pier, these marinas have access to boaters and berth holders in real-time using our intuitive platform that provides a new level of transparency, communication, and profitability.”

The Pick a Pier platform is the innovative tool marinas need to make the most of their resources and embrace environmentally-minded business practices while providing a simple and effective option for boaters to plan their voyages.

About Pick a Pier

Pick a Pier was founded in 2017 to make sailing more accessible, enable boaters to get everywhere, and connect boaters worldwide. Optimising the use of marina berths through sharing economy principles to reduce the need for construction of additional berths, promote maritime tourism, and increase the profitability and sustainability of the marina industry. For more, visit https://pickapier.com a highly connected network of marinas and boaters. For additional information about Popeye, visit Popeye Sail Club.

Biodiversity webinars open to all Blue Flag members

As part of the Foundational for Environmental Education (FEE) GAIA 20:30 strategy for the next decade, a series of webinars focused on Biodiversity will be organised by the Blue Flag and Green Key teams in April and May.

Launched by FEE in 2021, the GAIA 20:30 strategy represents the organisation’s commitment to contribute to a more sustainable world. As part of this strategy, FEE will be focusing its resources for the next decade on three critical environmental increasing threats to our planet – climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution.

In 2022, the GAIA 20:30 will protect global biodiversity through different actions: promoting sustainable management of the coastal zone, combating pollinator and insect loss, preserving existing and creating new natural areas, and finally raising awareness of efforts to remove invasive alien species.

Several initiatives will be held within the year dedicated to Biodiversity, including a Biodiversity Competition, a course, and four webinars, conducted in April and May. The webinars, developed in partnership between Green Key International and Blue Flag International teams, will focus on different aspects of biodiversity. The first webinar will be held on April 5th and the last one, conducted in May (date to be confirmed), can be particularly relevant for the Blue Flag national operators and members since they will explore the importance of biodiversity for coastal areas.

Focused on the Importance of Biodiversity to the Tourism Industry, the first webinar hosted on April 5th will raise questions as such:

• What is biodiversity?

• Why is it important for tourism?

• What are the negative impacts of tourism on biodiversity?

More information will be shared in the upcoming weeks on the Blue Flag page and social media on how to sign up for the Biodiversity webinars.

Blue Flag and Pick a Pier partner to launch exclusive Popeye® Sail Club

With the increasing demand for berth space, industry leaders are finding new ways to sustain our marinas while continuing to adamantly protect the ocean. Blue Flag’s digital partner, Pick a Pier, is at the forefront of this mission and has just introduced an exciting new initiative — the Popeye® Sail Club.  

Pick a Pier is a leading online platform that connects boaters and marinas, streamlining the berth reservation process and simplifying communication. Now it’s becoming even stronger with the launch of Popeye® Sail Club.

Popeye® the Sailor Man, the tough, loveable seafarer from the comics is now more helpful, more intelligent, and even stronger with technology — the perfect mascot to champion an international sustainability initiative.

 “We’re excited by the incredible opportunity to engage directly with boaters to promote sustainable boating practices,” said International Blue Flag Director Johann Durand. “With Popeye at the helm, we can make the message of responsible sailing far more memorable.”

 Here’s how it works

 For every sail, boaters earn points, which can be redeemed at participating marinas as credit towards reservation fees. By reserving berth space in advance on Pick a Pier’s platform, boaters can now sail with ease while maintaining the flexibility to change their reservation up until the day of arrival.

 Knowing with certainty exactly where to dock in two weeks is reward enough. But with a Popeye® Sail Club membership, boaters will be further rewarded for those advance reservations. Boaters can book a berth with priority access at some of the most sustainable marina destinations and get points for every USD/Euro spent. They’ll also get points for reporting that their own berthing space will be vacant when they sail away from their home marina. The programme encourages boaters to plan ahead by giving up to 3 times the points on early reservations.

 Points can then be redeemed for discounted reservations and other marina services. On top of that, Pick a Pier will have special offers and promotions just for members that make points even more worthwhile.

Popeye® Sail Club is launching by invitation only and boaters at participating marinas will be the first to get their exclusive membership. Other boaters can be added to the waitlist at www.popeyesailclub.com

“We are extremely proud of this one-of-a-kind programme. Popeye® Sail Club is taking the Pick a Pier experience one step further. The club is designed for the most passionate boaters, empowering them to easily sail in a more sustainable way — and rewarding them along the way,” explains Idan Cohen, CEO of Pick a Pier.

Promoting better sustainability practices 

Popeye® Sail Club is built around sharing economy principles that promote better use of existing resources and sustainability.  

Pick a Pier is already helping Blue Flag marinas optimise their resources without compromising the environment or creating more work for their staff. Allowing marinas to do more with what they have reduces the need for marina construction or expansion. 

But working with marinas and incentivizing boaters to plan ahead to increase sustainability is just one piece of the puzzle. In partnership with Blue Flag, Pick a Pier will ask that new boaters take the Sustainable Boating Pledge and adhere to eco-friendly practices at sea and on-shore. 

 The five basic principles are simple and incredibly effective in raising awareness among boaters and promoting a healthy ecosystem. 

1. Protect the Waters
   Refuel with care and never dump waste into the ocean

2. Safeguard Marine Life
   Anchor and fish only in permitted areas 

3.  Minimise Waste
   Avoid single-use plastics and use eco-friendly cleaning products when possible. 

4. Be More Considerate
   Be mindful of other boaters in your vicinity. Dump sewage only where permitted. 

5. Stay Watchful 
   Report violations and inform authorities about hazards. 

Blue Flag is committed to ensuring a resilient ocean, and Popeye® Sail Club will help us reach more boaters, showing everyone that ease of use, profitability and sustainability go hand in hand.  

News from our partner Pick a Pier: promoting a culture of sustainability as a sailor, boat builder, marina or marina support services.

Most of us have heard this sentence at some point in our lives: change starts from within. Travel, just like anything else now, is mostly local, and maybe, instead of being a restriction, it is actually a sign for the right opportunity for a conscious and positive change. 

Diving in Puerto Rico; Photocredit: OPAS-BFPR

It has been a year already since Greta Thunberg, a teenager from Sweden, has sailed across the Atlantic with her protest act to call for a fast reaction for climate change. Back then, we had no clue that a world-wide pandemic is approaching us to the point of strict regulations on our freedom to travel, whether it is flying, sailing or just going out to the city centre. 

The urgency of the situation forced us to shift our perspectives from a world-wide global mindset to a local mindset. In other words, we found ourselves constantly thinking about what we can do right here, right now, that would create the most positive impact and the least negative effects, on ourselves and those around us. 

Most of us have heard this sentence at some point in our lives: change starts from within. Travel, just like anything else now, is mostly local, and maybe, instead of being a restriction, it is actually a sign for the right opportunity for a conscious and positive change. We are given the perfect moment, as people, but also as marinas, businesses and sailors alike, to adopt sustainable practices and reduce the environmental impact of sailing. It is heartening to see the steps already taken and planned, as outlined in World Sailing's Sustainability Agenda 2030. 

We need to promote a culture of sustainability, where every one of us does our part to combat climate change, contribute to the health of the ecosystem and to preserve clean waters and biodiversity for future generations. Boatbuilding has taken on the challenge to reduce the environmental impact of materials and products, reducing the carbon footprint of production and making products largely recyclable. Sailors are committing to using cleaning products that don't negatively impact the environment, to proper waste disposal and thoughtful fishing and anchorage. 

Marinas and marina support services also need to play a part. Berth shortages have been felt in several countries for years. As boat size grows and new boats enter the market, pressure will grow to boost the availability of berths. We need to find solutions that will curtail the demand for construction to meet this need. Aside from the substantial financial costs, constructing new berths poses risks to coastal ecosystems and increases emissions. The sharing economy offers an opportunity to maximise the potential of each berth by making sure that tourist traffic is directed towards already vacant berths and by incentivising the sharing of information that will enable optimisation of resources. 

Thunberg's decision to sail from Europe to New York in order to attend the Climate Convention has also highlighted the opportunity that this movement offers. Sailing is a sustainable tourism industry, reducing or even eliminating travel's carbon footprint. Sailing promotes sustainability by encouraging tourism dispersal, moving away from overcrowded city centres to a wealth of locations along coastlines and rivers that are otherwise overlooked by many tourists.

Aging of marina's clientele has been a hot topic over the past decade. A sustainable tourism agenda offers an opportunity to target a younger generation of travellers, looking for new and sustainable experiences, who have yet to commit to sailing in the same way as their parents. In order to attract these customers, it is not enough to offer a great travel experience, we also have to meet service expectations, including the expectation of online bookings and member discounts. 

As sailors, we understand the need to control the rise in extreme weather and the importance of clean waters more than most. Let us join together to ensure that our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren are also able to enjoy all that this great planet offers. 

Idan Cohen

The author is the Chairman of the Marine Innovation Association and a full member at ICOMIA, as well as the CEO of Pick a Pier, an innovative technology company that is creating the global standard for service-oriented and sustainable recreational maritime travel. Pick a Pier’s advanced technological solutions are designed to standardise, automate, and optimise maritime travel, in line with international travel tech standards. Pick a Pier facilitates marinas' digital transformation by optimising supply management and enabling boaters to extend their horizons and get anywhere-easier.