2016 Chester Race Week Invites Sailors to Join Race to Restore Ocean Health

Clean Regattas

Aug 9, 2016

Canada’s largest keel boat regatta to welcome hard-core racers, casual cruisers, classic wooden yacht lovers & tourists

The world’s oceans are drowning in garbage and contaminants, so it’s time for humanity to act to restore them to health, and the 1,200 sailors who will descend on the picturesque Nova Scotia coastal Village of Chester next week for Chester Race Week have a role to play.

Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastic enters the ocean from land and 40% of the world’s oceans are damaged by human activity including pollution, overfishing, destructive fishing practices, and the loss of coastal habitat.

This year, organizers of Chester Race Week, Canada’s largest annual keel boat regatta, have partnered with Sailors for the Sea to encourage competitors and spectators to go green and help Chester Race Week achieve “Clean Regattas” certification at the bronze level.

“No matter where you come from, once you’ve sailed Mahone Bay you fall in love with the conditions, the breathtaking scenery, and the clean, swimmable waters,” said Jennifer Fraser, Green Team coordinator for the 2016 Chester Race Week organizing committee. “We encourage Chester Race Week sailors and spectators to join us in following our lead to leave Mahone Bay – and any ocean we sail on – cleaner than we found it.”

Sailors for the Sea is a leading conservation organization that engages, educates, inspires and activates the sailing and boating community toward healing the ocean. The Clean Regattas certification system encourages sailors to protect their local waters with 25 Best Practices that make sustainability approachable and easy. This program is an effort to help sailors raise the bar for environmental sustainability and ocean health around the world.

Chester Race Week’s Clean Regattas campaign includes:

Recycling to reduce garbage going to landfills

Free water stations and reusable water bottles for skippers to reduce demand for plastic water bottles on board

Increasing public awareness and engagement in individual’s impact on, and responsibility to care for, our oceans

Establishing a Green Team

On-site composting at the Chester Yacht Club for boat organic waste

Using power from South Canoe Wind Farm to reduce the regatta’s carbon emissions

Important reminders for competitors:

Register your boat at www.chesterraceweek.com or call CYC 902-275-3747 during business hours. PayPal and credit cards accepted on-line.

Submit your current yacht insurance verification to the registrar:

-Take a picture of your policy

-Email to crwregistrar@eastlink.ca, fax to CYC 902-275-2525, or have your insurance agent send it to CYC. You will not be able to participate without proof of insurance

About Clean Regattas

Clean Regattas is the world’s only sustainability certification for water-based events. The program enables sailors to protect their local waters by empowering them with tips and resources to implement sustainability initiatives. Since 2006, over 800 Clean Regattas have been run in 22 countries and in over half of all the United States. To learn more contact Robyn Albritton robyn@sailorsforthesea.org or visit sailorsforthesea.org.

Visit www.ChesterRaceWeek.com for race and social-event schedules.

 

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