As part of Royal Geelong Yacht Club’s (RGYC) Clean Regattas commitment, the RGYC Green Team joined forces yesterday with elite 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 Sailors to ‘Clean up the Foreshore.’

 

This green initiative took place after the conclusion of the 2020 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 Oceania Championships and in the lead up to the World Championships, which kick off tomorrow and run through until the 15th of February, 2020.

 

Through the efforts of these sailing classes to improve the environment and the help of RGYC’s Green Team, this initiative involved picking up rubbish around the waterfront.

 

 

The ‘Clean Up the Foreshore’ participants met at Limeburner’s Point and worked their way back to RGYC along the water.

 

The rubbish collected varied from several types of plastics, bottles, straws, cigarette butts, chip packets and even a moped vehicle which had been driven into, and left in, the water, requiring great team work to bring it to shore.

 

 

In total, over 95kgs of rubbish was collected.

 

3220 Beach Patrol were also involved in the Foreshore Clean Up – a local organisation that regularly pick up rubbish around the Geelong region.

 

RGYC’s Green Team Member Anthea Williams said the initiative was “a great way for RGYC to connect with the local community as well as the visiting Sailors to make a difference to the environment.”

 

“Having the visiting sailors involved in the event was a great way to increase awareness of the plastic pollution program and gave them an opportunity to make an immediate positive impact on our local environment,” Anthea said.

 

“Limeburners Point was noticeably cleaner after our visit to this rubbish hot spot.”

 

 

The 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 Sailors regularly assemble together during Championship events to clean up the beach or bay where they are competing.

 

RGYC are proud to host some of the world’s best Sailors during these events and look forward to the next few weeks of competition.

 

 

To view the highlights during the Oceania Championships, please see HERE.

 

To stay up to date with the upcoming World Championships, follow along with the 49er & 49er FX Sailing, the Nacra 17 Sailing and the RGYC Facebook pages for regular updates.

 

For more on RGYC’s huge ‘Summer of Sailing,’ please click HERE.