Issue date
Last year's Hyundai 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 world championships held in Auckland is a finalist in the World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Awards and we need your help for it to be in with a chance of claiming the prize.
Public voting has been introduced for the first time and is open until 11.59am on Saturday morning. You can VOTE HERE and it takes less than 30 seconds.
The winner will receive a US$10,000 prize to help further sustainability activities, as well as an iconic trophy made from recycled carbon fibre which was sourced from an America's Cup boat and infused with bio resin. The winner will be announced on December 9.
The 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 world championships were were jointly run by Yachting New Zealand, the 49er and Nacra 17 class associations and hosts, the Royal Akarana Yacht Club.
It was one of only five regattas worldwide to achieve platinum status from Sailors for the Sea and their clean regatta programme and included a beach and bay cleanup (including the sea bed), was paper-less and eliminated single use-plastics, used only sustainably-sourced food options and compostable packaging and dinnerware.
Nearly 60 percent of the waste was recycled and a carbon offset scheme was introduced. Harmful cleaning products were also eliminated and oil spillages were prevented.
Sailor education was at the forefront of the championship and 100 competitors and coaches participated in a beach and boat yard clean on the eve of the event. A sustainability award was also introduced and awarded at the prizegiving.
The four finalists for the World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Awards are:
- The Hyundai 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships (NZL)
- MarkSetBot (USA)
- Northern Light Composites (NLComp) (ITA)
- Starboard (THA)
You can learn more about the awards and the other finalists here.
The Hyundai 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 world championships won the event excellence category at the 2020 New Zealand Sport and Recreation Awards and the green team recently won the sustainability award at the Volvo Yachting Excellence Awards.
- Photo: Matias Capizzano
