World Sailing, the world governing body of the sport, has launched an online self-assessment tool supported by a suite of resources aimed at sailing and yacht clubs to help them become more sustainable and reduce their environmental impact.

Officially announced by Chief Executive Officer, David Graham, during the meeting of World Sailing’s Council at the Virtual 2020 Annual Conference, the resources have been produced with the support of 11th Hour Racing and the World Sailing Trust.

The resources aim to encourage sailing and yacht clubs to embrace environmental sustainability and to act as a catalyst for clubs to make environmental improvements. The resources identify the issues clubs face such as waste management, biodiversity, pollution and event delivery and indicates the incentives of applying sustainable practices and what clubs can do. Supported by case studies, the resources can be applied across small and large yacht clubs.

Dan Reading, Head of Sustainability at World Sailing, commented, “Having personally carried out environmental audits at around 250 sailing clubs and 300 marinas I found that each club has common areas that need addressing. More often than not cost savings can be made by applying best practice outlined in these resources and those funds can be reinvested back into the club.

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“Based on this experience and with the support of 11th Hour Racing and the World Sailing Trust we have created an online environmental self-assessment tool. This tool is simple to use and can be used on a computer or phone. Users will be asked a detailed series of questions about your club and once complete you will then receive a benchmark score with a tailored action plan so you can help make the club more sustainable.

“This action plan will also feature case studies of what other clubs have done to address the issues. Having sat on a sailing club committee, I understand the budgetary pressures but also the support from club members to protect our sailing areas. This tool will hopefully help address two of these issues.”

Dee Caffari, Chair or the World Sailing Trust added, “This initiative from the World Sailing Trust, in conjunction with World Sailing, acts as a guide to encourage sailing and yacht clubs to embrace environmental sustainability and to act as a catalyst for clubs to make environmental improvements. The main resource is a self-assessment survey which generates a tailored action plan for short-term and long-term benefits dependant on the responses entered. This resource really will benefit clubs, helping them reduce costs and become more sustainable. The process can be repeated so you can monitor and record improvements and see the impact of any changes made. Let us future proof our sport together.”

David Mead, President International Council of Yacht Clubs, commented, “The World Sailing Trust is a charity established under the auspices of the governing body for the sport of sailing, with the objectives of advising on improving the accessibility of our sport, encouraging the growth of youth participation and protecting the world’s waters. I am sure that every member Club within the ICOYC would subscribe to those ambitions, and ambitious they certainly are, but the bottom line is that if we want our clubs to prosper both competitively and sustainably, then we need to recognise that our world is changing and we should not be fearful of embracing and guiding those changes.