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Sailing
Recycling boats has solved the problem that boat owners face when they no longer wish to possess their vessels. The program is also cleaning up the oceans as they clear out dilapidated wrecks below the surface.
Recycled Shipwrecks
By: KATHERINE M. CLEMENTS
FRANCE—Hundreds of pleasure boats reach the end of their life each year all along the shorelines of France. According to the database made available by the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Navy (SHOM), the French public operator for statistics and figures for maritime and coastal geography, more than 4,700 boat wrecks rest on the seabed off the French coast, including 4,200 near the metropolitan shoreline.
Faced with this observation, Association pour la Plaisance Eco-Responsible (APER, known as the Association for Eco-Responsible Pleasure in English) has given itself the task of recovering endof-life boats and recycling them. Wrecks and battered ship frames on the shores are no longer inevitable. So, since 2019, APER has dedicated itself to recycling boats. Initially created by the Federation of Nautical Industries (FIN) in 2009, the association mainly had an information role.
Many eco-organizations have surfaced, making it possible to organize the prevention and management of specific waste such as batteries and accumulators, paper, and electronic equipment.
Eighty percent of pleasure crafts were built before the 2000s, with an average lifespan of 30 to 40 years. The boats that qualify for recycling are pleasure boats from 8 to 75 feet registered in France. The owner can then contact the APER via the site recyclermonbateau.fr to ask about discarding their vessel. The eco-organization is responsible for putting the boat owner in touch with a deconstruction center.
When a boat arrives at a deconstruction center, the focus is placed on three materials: metals, wood, and composites. The metals are separated and then grouped before being recycled. Depending on the wood’s quality, 50 percent will be recycled into chipboard. The wood of poor quality, which cannot go through the paneling process, is crushed, and goes into energy recovery. The product will supply cement factories, hot water, or electricity production plants. The third material is the most problematic. It is a composite, such as polyester or fiberglass. Unfortunately, the composites have no known pure recycling solution. Sixty percent of these composites go into energy recovery, and the remaining 40 percent are discarded.
France is the only country to construct and operate this kind of system. Since Sept. 2019, the eco-organization has deconstructed and recycled more than 4,000 pleasure boats, around 2,300 in 2021 alone.
The Santa Barbara Yacht Club Turns 150 Years Old!
By: KATHERINE M. CLEMENTS
SANTA BARBARA—The Santa Barbara Yacht Club was founded in 1872 and will celebrate its 150-year anniversary in 2022. Beginning in January and continuing throughout the year, the club will host events and races to commemorate its history, achievements, contributions, and national and international involvement in the sport of yachting. The Santa Barbara Yacht Club is the second oldest yacht club on the Pacific Coast. As of now, the only concrete date for the events is the opening day celebration on April 2 and 3.
The other events planned for the 2022 celebration include:
• The unveiling of a bronze plaque, at the club entrance, recognizing its 150year history. • Hosting the Club’s Opening Day events and activities over two days, April 2 and 3. • The Blessing of the Fleet event which is held in the harbor and is open to the public. • A sailboat race series of five races scheduled throughout the year. • An event to recognize and honor the Staff Commodores. There are 112 known
Commodores of the Santa Barbara Yacht Club, of which 22 are alive. There has been one
Honorary Commodore, in 1925 Major Max Fleschmann was made Honorary Commodore for his efforts to build the harbor breakwater, both financial and personal commitment. • A yacht club history display at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. • A professional video production about the yacht club, sailing and contributions to the community. • A “Tall Ship” arrival and celebration highlighting the yacht club’s contribution to youth sailing.
For more information regarding updates to the dates on the itinerary, please email frontdesk@sbyc.org.
SBYC prides itself on the growth it has seen over the last 150 years thanks to the membership that is dedicated to promoting yachting activities, preserving maritime tradition, and serving its members’ social and recreational needs while being mindful of the needs of the community, according to a statement made on the SBYC website. The club is currently under a major renovation and remodeling project that will prepare the club to carry on its mission for the future. Once completed, the clubhouse will be ready to continue providing pleasurable yachting experiences.
The one hundred and fiftieth anniversary committee has been organized by the SBYC council of staff commodores. The Santa Barbra Yacht Club dining hall offers an exclusive experience with views of the harbor and ocean from almost every table. Chef Owen Hanavan prepares cuisine from locally sourced products and the menu varies seasonally reflecting the rich harvest Santa Barbara has to offer.
The U.S. brought it back around in season two jumping from last place to an overall second place for the regular season.
Brett Costello for Sail GP
SailGP Qualifies for San Francisco Championship
By: JORDAN B. DARLING
SYDNEY— The United States finished in second place at the Australia Sail Grand Prix on Dec. 17 and 18, placing them in the Grand Final set for San Francisco.
The placement put them in an overall second-place spot for the season, qualifying them for the winner-take-all $1 million Season 2 Grand Final at the United States Sail Grand Prix San Francisco, March 26-27.
U.S. Sail GP experienced a comeback story, starting out the season in last place to end up on the podium and in the running for the Grand Final.
“We started the season in last place after being taken out by the Japanese team,” said U.S. SailGP Team’s CEO and Driver Jimmy Spithill. “It was about the worst possible way for a new team to enter a competition. But we’ve fought our way through broken bones, hitting things, and capsizes.”
The U.S. started the first day of races at the bottom of the pack, flipping between sixth and eighth place in the first race; gained a penalty in the second race for an early start but picked it up in the last legs of the race, gaining a third-place spot; in race three the US got caught behind a collision between Japan and Great Britain delaying their start but finished with a second-place spot.
On day two, the U.S. started in fourth place with seven legs of the race in front of them, jumping to third in the second leg of the race behind Japan and New Zealand; they were challenged with high winds and went head to head with Australia finishing in third place; race five had the U.S. in seventh place at the beginning of the race the foils dipped into 55.9 miles an hour, the U.S. came in third on the fourth leg of the race after Spain took a penalty for not letting them in but quickly dropped down to fifth after Australia sped past them and Spain overtook them again, the U.S. jumped back up to a fourth-place where they finished in the last leg of race five. The final race of the day was between Spain, the U.S., and Australia, the race had the U.S. and Australia neck and neck throughout the race with Australia finishing in a slight lead putting the U.S. in an overall second-place finish.
Per Sail GP rules, only the top three overall teams of the season qualify for entry to the grand final and the $1 million prize.
Going into the Sydney race, five points separated the top four positions on the leaderboard, with Australia at the top, the U.S. and Japan one point behind, and Great Britain trailing behind by just four points. Australia, the U.S., and Spain will face off in San Francisco for the championship.
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ON THE HORIZONS
By: JORDAN B. DARLING
Turnbuckle Tightener (Jan. 15)
LONG BEACH— The Alamitos Bay Yacht Club will host the Turnbuckle Tightener in Alamitos Bay and, for the Ocean Classes, in Long Beach Harbor, behind the federal breakwater. The race will be governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing and is open to the following classes: Ocean Course Classes: 29er, 5-0-5, A-Cat, C420, Cal 20, Etchells, Finn, Formula 18, Hobie 16, I420, ILCA 7 (Laser), ILCA 6 (Radial), ILCA 4 (4.7), Open Skiff (Ocean), Optimist, Portsmouth (monohull and multihull), Tempest, Thistle, and Viper 640. Bay Course Classes: Lido 14 (A, B), Naples Sabot (Senior, Junior A, B, C1, C2, C3), Optimist (Green), Open Skiff (Bay) and RS Tera (Bay). Additional One Design Classes will be accepted at the discretion of the Regatta Chair based on the number of entries; five entries are required to establish a class. Sailors have to be in good standing with a club affiliated with US Sailing. Online entries will be accepted until Jan. 14. Before Jan. 9, there will be a $20 fee for Bay Classes and $30 for Ocean Classes. The standard entry fee after Jan. 9 will be $30 for Bay Classes and $40 for Ocean Classes. There are four races scheduled for Ocean Classes, and five races scheduled for Bay Classes. The first warning signal will be at 11:57 a.m. For more information, see the ABYC website at https://www.abyc.org/.
Frosty Deck Regatta (Jan. 15)
DANA POINT— The Dana Point Yacht Club will host the Frosty Deck Regatta on Jan. 15. The regatta is ruled by the Racing Rules of Sailing; US Sailing Prescriptions to rule 63.2 will not apply; The US Safety Equipment Requirements Near Shore Category will apply, except as modified by this Notice of Race or Sailing Instructions; PHRF of Southern California will apply. The regatta was open to boats in the PHRF Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker classes. PHRF class entries will need a valid, current PHRF rating certificate. One-Design classes may be established with five or more entries. The entry deadline will be at 5 p.m. on Jan. 14; there is a $40 entry fee. There is one random leg race scheduled; the first warning signal will go off at 10:55 a.m. For more information or to register for the regatta, see the event website on Regatta Network at https://www. regattanetwork.com/event/23610.
Junior Invitational Regatta and SCYYRA North Series (Jan. 22 & 23))
LONG BEACH— The Alamitos Bay Yacht Club will host the Junior Invitational Regatta and the third event in the Southern California Youth Yacht Racing Association North Series on Jan. 22 and 23. The regatta is ruled by the Racing Rules of Sailing and will be open to boats of the Naples Sabot class, racing in Junior A, B, C1, C2, and C3. A member shall enter the boat in good standing with a club affiliated with US Sailing or other World Sailing member national authority. In addition, skippers will need to be in good standing in the INSA class. Online entries will be accepted until 4 p.m. on Jan. 21 or in-person until 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 22. There is a $35 entry fee before Jan. 16 and $45 thereafter. The SCYRRA North Series Entry (A’s only) is $10. The fee will include launching, recovery, and storage for visiting competing boats from the day prior to the event until the day following the event. If the event ends on a Sunday, this period is extended to the next day the club is open, as ABYC is closed on Monday and Tuesday. There are nine races scheduled. The first warning each day will sound off at 11:57 a.m. To learn more or register for the event see the event, website at https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/23539.
