Please select your home edition
Edition
Stoneways Marine 2021 - LEADERBOARD

An interview with Derek Bottles on efforts to green-up the Tasar Worlds 2022

by David Schmidt 14 Sep 2022 16:00 BST September 17-25, 2022
Jonathan McKee & Libby Johnson McKee (USA) leading the fleet during the 2017 Tasar Worlds in Gamagori, Japan © Junichi Hirai / Bulkhead Magazine Japan

One of the best things that I've seen in my decade-plus tenure as Sail-World's North America Editor has been the growing conscious that regattas can—and should—leave the lowest possible environmental wake. For many regattas this means teaming up with an organization such as Sailors for the Sea (www.sailorsforthesea.org), whose Clean Regattas program helps yacht clubs and regattas to tidy up and earn different levels of certification, with Platinum Level Certification being the highest mark that an regatta can attain.

A great example of a world-championship event that has worked hard to be as green as possible is the Tasar Worlds 2022, which is taking place on the waters of Shilshole Bay, off of Seattle, Washington, and which is being hosted by the Seattle Yacht Club, with the Corinthian Yacht Club serving as venue host, from September 17-25.

This will be the first world championship title to be contested in Seattle in 40-plus years, and it will also be the city's first Sailors for the Sea-certified Clean Regatta.

I checked in with Derek Bottles, who is heading up the Tasar Worlds 2022's Clean Regatta Initiative, via email, to learn more about this world-championship level regatta's efforts run the cleanest possible event.

I understand that this is the first World Championship title to be contested in Seattle in 40-some years. Can you tell us about how this year's worlds came to the Emerald City?

The Tasar fleet has been part of the Seattle sailing scene for over 30 years. The boat is light, high-performance and perfect for two average-sized people to race competitively. The Seattle Fleet is strong and full of both people new to the class, and those that helped start the fleet here many years ago.

The Tasar World championship rotates between geographic locations where the fleet is dynamic and able to host an event of this caliber. The Pacific Northwest has hosted the event before in Vancouver, Victoria, and Cascade Locks. This year, with the support of Seattle Yacht Club, Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle, the local fleet put out in a bid and was accepted to host the event in Puget Sound.

We are thrilled to have teams from other countries come to Seattle to experience the beautiful setting and unique racing challenges we have on the Salish Sea, as well as provide an opportunity for local sailors to compete in a world championships in their own backyard.

I understand that the event organizers stepped up their efforts to lower the event's environmental wake and have worked with Sailors for the Sea to attain a high level clean regatta status. Can you please tell us about this process?

We have all read about green washing, groups saying they are doing something good for the environment etc. but not producing a real impact. That is where groups like Sailors for the Sea come in. They provide a level of accountability, more results than talk, and they help turn a general genuine desire to take action and put a framework around that. They have a good set of tools backed by research that regatta organizers can use to actually help the environment right here, locally where we are out on the water.

What were the highest hurdles that the clubs and the event organizers had to clear to make this happen?

Coordination. There are so many groups taking on parts of the overall event [that] the biggest challenges [has been] to make sure everyone has the information on how to deal with food service, recycling etc.

A weekend regatta with drinks at the host club afterwards would not have as much coordination but a week-long Worlds that is hosting events at several locations needs to make sure a much larger group of people are not buying single-use plastics or creating waste.

We also decide to take it a bit further and developed a Regatta Carbon Calculator with Seattle University. The calculator can be used by any regatta to measure the carbon impact of the event and then take steps to reduce the impact through partnerships or buying offsets. This tool is freely available and able to be customized and built on by any regatta organizer.

What were the biggest lessons that you and the other event organizers learned from working with Sailors for the Sea on this project?

The biggest surprise for me is the huge positive buy in from everyone we talk to. Our local sailors, yacht clubs, and sponsors are passionate about a clean environment and minimizing our impact.

What kind of advice can you offer other regattas that are interested in also attaining this same level status?

The toolkit from Sailors from the Sea is not hard to implement, they have put a lot of good work into what they offer, it is worth a try.

Now that the entry list has solidified, how stiff do you think competition levels will be?

Worlds are always hard, everyone brings their A game and this class has so many dedicated sailors who are putting significant time in, time on the water, looking for just that last bit of speed.

As far as the regatta itself, what aspects are you the most excited about?

It is a long event, for us (Becca and I) I think we will see a lot of improvement over the event to build a good foundation for the next Worlds. We will be on the steep part of the learning curve, and, frankly, seeing improvement day to day is exciting and rewarding.

Is there anything else that you'll like to add about the 2022 Tasar Worlds, for the record?

The organizing team has put in a lot of work, their dedication will make this a fantastic event. I joined the organization team late and am in awe of what they accomplished and continue to accomplish.

Editor's Note: To learn more about this exciting world-championship regatta, navigate your browser to: tasarworlds2022.org)

Related Articles

Hyde Sails Flying Fifteen Video Tuning Guide
Ben McGrane explains how to get the most out of your B1 mainsail with B1 or 2H jibs Hyde Sails release new detailed video guide for tuning the Flying 15 for use with the B1 mainsail with B1 or 2H jibs. Posted on 22 May
The appeal of offshore
Is there still appeal? Have we made it too onerous? Why would someone take it up now? I had been pondering. Yes. Marquee events have no issue attracting entrants. Middle Sea, Transpac, Cape to Rio, Fastnet, and Hobart all spring to mind instantly, but what of the ‘lesser' races? Lots of boats in pens (slips) a lot of the time Posted on 18 May
X 195 'Turtle' Launch
The first new X One Design in 18 years! I attended a rare event in the X One Design class: the launch of a new boat. It has been 18 years since the last new X was launched, and X195 has been a project that long in the making. Posted on 17 May
Banger Racing, Back Racing and No Racing
Racing on the cheap, a return to racing for young Aussies, and ILCA struggles We start with racing on the cheap at the Colander Cup, then focus on a return to racing for the Aussies at the Youth Worlds, moving on to a complete lack of racing at the ILCA Worlds, and then looking at how SailGP should be back out on the water. Posted on 14 May
Exposure Marine Fastnet Race Kit Video Review
A set of 3 torches specifically designed for offshore racing crews It's a huge year for offshore sailing, and arguably the biggest event of the summer is the Rolex Fastnet Race. Within an hour of entries opening the Royal Ocean Racing Club had received a record 435 yacht registrations. Posted on 14 May
How Seldén Carbon Masts are made
I took a look around the Seldén Mast factory with Richard Thoroughgood to find out more I took a look around the Seldén Mast factory with Richard Thoroughgood from Seldén to find out a bit more about how the carbon tow reels become the masts that we use when out sailing. Posted on 12 May
For the love of slightly larger, even faster boats
Bring it on. No chicken chutes allowed. Celestial, the newest Cape 31 in Oz is up and racing Thank you. You have let For the love of small, fast boats run before the breeze like a superlight planning hull under way too big a kite, with immense sheep in the paddock, and the Sailing Master grasping the flare gun in his pocket... No chicken chutes. Posted on 4 May
The Allure of Timber
The longevity, and sheer beauty, of boats made of wood In these days of exotic materials, high modulus carbon and ultra lightweight construction, it's possible to overlook the longevity, and sheer beauty, of boats made of wood. Posted on 29 Apr
A look inside the Spirit Yachts yard
A close look at what makes their yachts unique Traditional skills in boatbuilding could be regarded as a lost art from a bygone era. In the world of fibreglass and carbon, the joinery and laminating techniques of wood ribs and cedar strips are a thing of the past. Posted on 28 Apr
Make me smile even wider and brighter
What's better than writing about a great programme to get people into yachting? Only one thing... What's better than writing about a great programme to get people into yachting? Well, how about actually speaking with a former participant who has then gone on to work in the industry. That's what! Posted on 22 Apr