To better promote green sailing we introduce our first ever Clean Regatta Challenge for this year's Pac Cup.

This challenge will focus primarily on your preparations leading up to the race and will conclude prior to the week of the race start.

Participants of the challenge will be asked to fill out a 30 point questionnaire detailing the steps taken to mitigate environmental impact while preparing their boats for departure.


The bulk of the questionnaire consists of several simple Yes/No questions for which participants will receive 1 point for each "yes" response.

There are also 5 short answer questions (1 point each, <300 character responses preferred). Here, we are looking for thoughtful responses that give us more insight into how your team is working to protect the environment.

To be clear, these essay questions will NOT be judged/graded based on how effective we think your approaches are. We primarily view this as an opportunity to collect real data about how our competitors are practicing green sailing. It is also a good opportunity for you to share your own best practices, which could help shape future Pac Cup events.

Scoring will work as follows: 29-30 points (3 Platinum), 27-28 points (2 Gold), and 25-26 points (1 Silver). Participants of the challenge who achieve the silver, gold or platinum levels will receive a special emblem (tbd) appended to their trophy indicating their level of achievement. Their status will also be indicated on the Pac Cup leaderboard next to their boat's finish time.

Important! Submissions must be completed no later than July 8th (one week before the race start) to be considered. Good luck!

Start typing your boat name and click it when it comes up.
Your Role on the Boat
Contain Your Hydrocarbons
Do you have a plan in place to prevent accidental overboard discharge of hydrocarbons (oil, diesel, etc)? The main topics it should address are 1) how to safely conduct fuel transfers at sea, 2) what to do in the event of a bilge or deck spill, 3) locations of absorbent socks, pads and pillows? Find useful information for developing your plan in the following links. Bilge Maintenance
Spillproof fueling
Is your crew aware of this plan and would they know how to execute it if necessary?
Is your vessel stocked with oil absorbing pads, booms, etc. that can be deployed in the event of an oil or diesel spill? Examples of these kinds of products can be found at the following link. Spill kit
Have your fuel lines and tanks been inspected for any signs of corrosion, cracks or leaks and have all of the problems that were identified been resolved?
Do you have an oil-absorbant pad secured under your engine to catch drips and leaks?
Please provide a short description of the steps taken to mitigate potential release of hydrocarbons overboard.
Protect marine life from other harmful pollutants
Are you using cleaning products onboard that are classified as safe for marine life and if not have you taken steps to ensure they are not released into the environment? Sailors for the Sea have provided a helpful guide for selecting more eco-friendly cleaning products. Non Toxic
Have you taken steps to minimize the amount of potentially unsafe cleaning products that will be needed for this crossing?
Do you use ecofriendly dish soaps for cleaning dishes? For example consider using castile soaps. Examples include Dr Bronners Pure-Castile Soap.
Are you avoiding the use of sunscreen products that contain oxybenzone or octinoxate, which have been shown to be harmful to important marine ecosystems like coral reefs? For more information and for a helpful guidline on selecting friendlier sunscreen products, see the following links. The truth about reef safe
Please provide a brief description of any steps that were taken onboard your vessel to prevent the release of any harmful chemicals into the marine environment.
Keep it on board
Do you have a system or plan in place for retaining non-organic garbage onboard? Note that this is required federally as well.
Please provide brief description of your garbage management plan.
Head
Are you using environmentally friendly toilet paper onboard that breaks down quickly in water?
Do you have a system in place for preventing human waste discharge when in port (particularly if your vessel is plumbed with a discharge through-hull fitting)?
In the boatyard
If your boat does not have antifouling bottom paint then answer "N/A" to the questions in this following section for scoring purposes.
Does your boat have a "hard" bottom paint (as opposed to an ablative paint), which is less likely to shed harmful particles?
Does the yard that applied your last bottom coat comply with current best practices regarding dust containment?
At the grocery store
In provisioning your boat, did you attempt to minimize the use of packaging that contains plastic and coated paper? For additional guidance on best practices with regard to provisioning, see the following post from Sailors from the Sea. https://sailorsforthesea.org/boating-resources/waste-reduction/
Did you avoid stocking your boat with single-use bottles and cans regardless of plans to recycle?
When possible did you make an effort to remove excess packaging / packing materials before provisioning the boat?
Please provide a brief description of how your team approached minimizing garbage generation at the provision stage of your preparations.
On the water
Is at least one member of your team knowledgeable of the "Boating Near Marine Wildlife" guidelines published by Sailors for the Sea? https://sailorsforthesea.org/boating-resources/boating-near-marine-wildlife/
Has your crew been instructed about how to handle encounters with marine wildlife including maintaining safe distances from whales in accordance with the Marine Mammels Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA).
Has your crew been instructed to avoid anchoring near reefs and protected marine habitats inorder to avoid disrupting delicate ecosystems.
Energy
Does your electrical lighting consist of LED bulbs?
Is most of your electricity (>90%) generated by renewables like wind, solar or hydro?
If you plan to use your diesel engine for generating electricity, does it use a form of biodiesel?
If generating by engine, have you figured out the optimum RPM to run for electric generation?
When approaching warmer weather conditions, pressure can build up in closed fuel containers. Do you have a system or method in place for monitoring/venting fuel containers to prevent leaks or spills?
Please provide a brief description of how you plan to generate and manage power onboard in order to minimize your overall carbon impact.