Sailors for the Sea is celebrating the 15-year anniversary of Clean Regattas!

Sailors for the sea © Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy

Sailors for the Sea Powered by Oceana celebrates a milestone this summer with the 15-year anniversary of the Clean Regattas program. Clean Regattas is the world's leading sustainability certification for all water-based events. Since the program's inception during the summer of 2006, more than 2,800 events and 750,000 sailors have helped protect our oceans and waterways by participating in Clean Regattas.

The Clean Regattas program provides event organizers with a framework of 20 best practices that will protect and restore the health of our waters, including engaging the local community, reducing pollution, protecting sensitive habitats, and limiting single-use plastics. In the past five years alone, Clean Regattas around the world have prevented approximately 6.9 million single-use plastic water bottles and 1.7 million plastic straws from polluting our oceans by encouraging events to replace such throwaway plastics with reusable and environmentally friendly alternatives.

"The positive impact Clean Regattas has had on our oceans and waterways is made possible because of the dedication of hundreds of organizers from around the world," said Paige Myatt, Program Manager of Sailors for the Sea. "We've worked with professional sailors circumnavigating the globe to youth sailors competing in an Opti regatta on a small lake, and what they all have in common is a passion for protecting our waters. All of us at Sailors for the Sea Powered by Oceana look forward to continuing to support and grow this community of sailors who are taking action to restore the health of our seas."

Sailors for the Sea co-founders, David Rockefeller, Jr. and Dr. David Treadway, established the Clean Regattas program to better reach sailors and engage, educate, and activate this uniquely positioned community on ocean issues. In the first year, five regattas based in Maine and Massachusetts participated in the program. Over the last 15 years, thousands of events, hosted in 35 US states and 49 countries around the world, have achieved Clean Regattas status Sailors for the Sea updates Clean Regattas certification standards each year to reflect current best practices, new technologies, and input from participants.

With sailors from around the world advocating to protect their waters, sustainability is at the forefront of many regattas. World Sailing now mandates that all sanctioned events - which include the 2024 Olympic Games - achieve Sailors for the Sea's Platinum Level Clean Regattas status, the highest certification level. Sailors for the Sea looks forward to the future of the Clean Regattas program with new opportunities to grow and engage ocean champions within the sailing community.

To register your events as Clean Regattas, visit sailorsforthesea.org.

Learn more: Celebrating 15 Years of Clean Regattas with 15 Outstanding Clubs and Events.