Volvo Car UK support 2018 Lymington Junior Regatta
by Shireen Crowe 21 Jul 2018 09:33 BST
13-17 August 2018
Optimist Junior Girls Invitational Training at Lymington © Alan Williams
Volvo Car UK is to sponsor the prize giving for Lymington's 2018 Junior Regatta, hosted by the Royal Lymington Yacht Club.
The regatta starts on Monday 13 August, and the Volvo Car UK prize giving and trophy presentations will take place at 4pm on Friday, 17 August. It is open to all sailors (8-18 years old) and offers Solent fleet racing for all abilities. There will be experienced coaches on the water to offer the younger sailors assistance.
Volvo Car UK has been a key sponsor of British sailing since 1999, from youth development through to Britain's top sailors at the pinnacle of the sport, the Volvo Ocean Race. The Volvo Academy encourages beginners, young and old, into sailing.
A strong showing in the Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets is anticipated at this year's Junior Regatta. Many local youngsters learning to sail via the Club's flagship community programme, Wednesday Junior Sailing (WJS) will be borrowing the Club's RS Tera, Visions and Optimist dinghies to experience racing on the Solent. The youngest sailors, three to a boat, will crew in the Club's strong Scow fleet with an older and more experienced sailor at the helm.
All sailors and volunteers entering the regatta this year will be asked to pledge future avoidance of all single-use plastic, use sustainable alternatives when possible and to increase their commitment to recycling.
"Each year, at least 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the oceans, which is the equivalent of a full garbage truck every minute. In a modest way, we have joined this movement to defeat single-use plastics," says RLymYC Commodore Roger Garlick.
Garlick continues: "The Club is changing the way we run our sailing events to make them more sustainable so we do not compromise our environment for the next generation. We are delighted to have Volvo Car UK support this year."
The drive to become the first Junior Regatta in the UK to go plastic free has been inspired by the environmental campaign supported by Volvo Ocean Race skipper Dee Caffari. Dee and her crew on-board 'Turn the Tide on Plastic' covered more than 45,000 nautical miles racing around the world while promoting the 'clean seas' sustainability message. If no action is taken, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.
Chris Eady, Head of Network and Distribution Strategy at Volvo Car UK, says: "Volvo's commitment is about re-thinking sustainability, and goes beyond our operations and our cars, and into society. Everyone can play a part in keeping the world's oceans plastic free, from clearing up local beaches to deciding each day not to use plastic. We are delighted to support the enthusiasm and drive of Lymington's young sailing community to turn the tide on plastic."