11 minute read
Pick Up Plastics – From the Pontoon
from Ahoy! December 2020
by Koko Mueller
WORDS: IAN BROWNLEE,Chair of Sustainability Working Group
“The design combines a hand with an ocean wave, to represent the environment the initiative is hoping to positively impact (the ocean) with their actions (by way of their hands). The notion of a caring hand feels important in that we as ocean sports people have somewhat of a custodianship role for the safety of the marine environment. We and the ocean are interconnected (clearly not just by way of sport, but as living systems also), and the combining of the two elements is a nice way to represent this”. Megan Tanner, Designs on Life : Logo Designer
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We are users of the sea, an incredible, complex ecosystem which is under threat from many human activities, including dumping of plastic. Over past years the Club has been a leader in trying to eliminate single use plastics, and this remains important. Moving on, the focus of the Clubs new initiative “Pick Up Plastics” is to remove plastic from the sea. Few others have the opportunity and responsibility to do that as we do, as we go out on the sea in boats.
The General Committee has endorsed the use of a logo which has been designed to specifically encourage people to pick up plastic. You will see it increasingly throughout the Club – on bags, on boats and on buildings. The Pick Up Plastics initiative consists of several components which will be progressively introduced over the coming months, and you can become involved.
The first focus is on the water near our pontoons. This is often the closest you can get to the water and to the plastic in the water. At any time, at Kellett Island, Middle Island and at Shelter Cove you will be able to see plastic floating nearby. Don’t just look at it and get on or off your boat or the sampan, but just take a minute to get that plastic out of the water.
To make it easy you will find scoop nets and bins now located near the access to the pontoons. Grab the net and go get that plastic out of the water and into the bin. If you do not do it, the plastic is likely to be in the water forever, will degenerate and enter the food chain. So it is important that you actual do your bit to make a small difference. If all members accept that, then collectively there would be a bigger impact.
The impact of floating plastic near our pontoons can be clearly seen at Kellett Island. As shown in the photo, there are increasing numbers of small fish living in the water near our pontoons and piles, and it is such a shame to see them swimming amongst floating plastic. Just give nature a chance to recover and remove the plastic.
If you see a situation like this with plastic floating next to the boat you are going to get on – don’t just ignore it, think what a shame and sail away. Before leaving the pontoon, get some of the crew to do a quick look around and make sure the water nearby is clear of plastic. If you don’t do it then it could be in the water forever.
The Sustainable Working Group is looking at measuring the amount of plastic we recover from the sea, so that we can quantify the impact we have. We would be really pleased to find the bins being regularly filled up with plastic removed from the sea – showing that our members are concerned and active, and that our objective is being met.
Any suggestions or comments please email to sustainability@rhkyc.org.hk
Green Your Holiday Season From gift wrap to packaging to disposables, the holidays are big sustainability offenders. But there are many ways in which you can go green this festive season. Shop Local. Reduce the carbon footprint of your online orders and shop local or consider giving an experience or the gift of time. Do It Yourself! Speaking of giving time, homemade gifts are often the best gifts. Get Creative with Gift Wrap. Wrap your gifts with old maps, posters, packaging... the possibilities are endless. Or make the wrapping part of the present by using a reusable shopping bag or scarf. Old christmas cards can be recycled into gift tags with a bit of kitchen twine or yarn. Ditch the Single-Use Disposables. Group gatherings may be a thing of the past but if you are hosting a party, try to avoid disposable utensils, plates, glasses and clingwrap. Compostable disposables are better than plastic but the reality is that they still generate waste and there is seldom enough oxygen in landfills to facilitate proper decomposition. Recycle. Set up a recycling station at home. Glass, metal and plastic recycling bins are fairly common place in Hong Kong and there are recycling bins at all club houses if you are struggling to find one. Go LED. Choose LED lights which are much more energy efficient than regular lights. Even better, choose solar powered LED lights which have a battery bank that can be charged up during the day. The Sustainability Working Group hopes that these tips will inspire you to think green this year and wishes you a happy holidays!
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The Club has, unfortunately, a waiting list of over 400 members on the various waiting lists, for moorings and marina berths, although some members are on multiple waiting lists. We have seen an increase in movement in the waiting lists for moorings and marina berths in the last three months. Reasons for this are varied, with some members selling their craft outwith the Club and other members shipping their boat overseas. Contrary to some members thoughts, we do not have any more moorings now that we are in the process of moving back to our original mooring location at Kellett Island. Several questions keep arising from members being offered a facility and I would like to address these here.
The first is Grandfather Rights on a mooring or a marina berth. A mooring or berth is said to be Grandfathered if the agreement was signed prior to the 31 January 2012. This means that a member who has a craft that has a Club mooring or a marina berth, with an agreement signed before 31st January 2012, may sell the craft to another member and transfer the berth or mooring to the buyer, at the discretion of the Marine Sub-Committee, and the new owner may take over the mooring without reference to their position on the Mooring Waiting List. Any agreement signed after 31st January 2012 is not considered to be Grandfathered. Priority to berths and moorings is given to monohull sailing yachts. No mooring will be allocated for use by a powerboat unless every member on the Waiting List for a sailing yacht of a size suited to the vacant mooring has declined the offer of a mooring. All moorings are allocated to craft that the vessel is compatible with neighboring vessels in terms of type, freeboard, overhangs, bathing platforms. Moorings shall only be allocated to vessels that are registered with the Club. To register your craft with the Club the Marine Office request you to complete the registration form, which is available on the members section of the Club website, and submit the form along with the MarDep registration papers and a copy of the insurance documentation. If a member sells their craft to another member then the buyer must register the craft in their own name. There is a small fee for the registration. Members may place their name on waiting lists of different sizes of craft for different mooring locations. However, a deposit of one month’s mooring fee is charged for each mooring facility applied for. Entries on the Club’s waiting lists for moorings are maintained in chronological order based on the date that a duly completed application form is received by the Club’s Marine Office. A copy of the waiting list is located on the members section of the Club website. Please note that should a Member change their membership status from “Active” to “Absent” their name will be removed from the mooring waiting list and their deposit will be credited to their account.
Mooring sizes are set in stone by the Hong Kong Marine Department, as are the moorings able to be used by catamarans, and the Club is not allowed to alter these. MarDep will not allow us to place a craft of 10.01 metres in length on a 10 metre mooring. The Club charges moorings in set bands. As an example, a mooring in the 11m to 14 m range, at Kellett Island, costs $3,737 per month. The reason that the Club charges in a band is that the Club is charged in the same band by the MarDep for the right to rent the sea bed for the mooring to be placed on. The mooring equipment that is on a 11 metre mooring is exactly the same as that on a 14 metre mooring. This does not mean however that all the 11m to 14m moorings can fit a 14 metre craft. At KI we have 11m, 12m, 13 m and 14 metre moorings. The definition of the length of craft that can use a mooring is that listed in the MarDep operating license for the craft. Members should note that the designated length does not include bow sprits, prodders, anchor rollers, fendering, overhanging rudder and davits. Unlike in some European counties the waterline length is not classed as the length by the Hong Kong Marine Department. Please see the sketch below for furtherer information.
Members may change their craft for a longer craft on their allocated mooring, after being granted permission from the Committee, providing the length of the new craft does not exceed the designated length of the mooring. Moorings are allocated to Members by the Marine Office as per the Member’s waiting list record, as maintained by the Marine Office, based initially on a “first come, first served” basis. It should be noted that if, for instance, a member is on the 11 to 14 metre waiting list and has registered a 13 metre craft on the waiting list, if the available mooring is only suitable for a 12 metre craft, then the member will still be offered the mooring. But if the members craft is 13 metres in length, and not suitable for a 12 metre mooring, then the member will not lose his position at the top of the waiting list if he refuses the mooring. The 12m mooring will then be offered to the next member on the waiting list and so forth until a member with a suitable length of craft accepts the mooring. If a member elects not to take up the offer for a mooring, their name shall be removed from the waiting list and their deposit returned, or it can be placed at the bottom of the list once more.
Members are allowed three month period to place a suitable craft on their allocated mooring. In the event that a member is unable to occupy the mooring within 3 months of the date of offer, the offer for mooring will be withdrawn and the member’s application re-entered at the bottom of the waiting list. Members may however write to the Marine Sub-Committee to request an extension of time with justifications. i.e. if a new craft is on order with a broker.
There is also has a waiting list for catamaran moorings. The Club has six catamaran moorings that are approved by MarDep. Except for one at KI these are all located on the swing mooring field at Shelter Cove. In the event that a mooring remains vacant for more than 3 months the Club may terminate the Mooring Agreement and allocate the vacant mooring to the next member on the waiting list. Members wishing to leave a mooring vacant for an extended period should seek the approval of the Marine Sub-Committee in advance of the vessel’s departure giving reasonable justifications. And lastly, the sub-letting of any Club mooring, marina berth or marine facility is expressly prohibited. Should any members have any questions please contact Joanne in the marine office.
Happy berthing.
