Ecoflag Flying at International 14, Hawaii

The Ecoflag flew proudly on the mainsails of the 24 high performance racing sailboats that converged on Hawaii for the third running of the International 14 Pacific Rim Championships on 24-27 April.

The event was sponsored by three environmentally concerned corporations; Horizon Lines, a US domestic container company, Maersk Sealand, an international container company, and West Marine, an international Marine supply company. They made the sailing and environmental education possible, and demonstrated their commitment to a cleaner planet. The event included a Youth sailing morning and a discussion of the wind and water-two critical elements for sailing and the environment. The top three finishers in the 8 Race series were from Australia. Lindsay Irwin and local Hawaiian sailor Harold Von Sydow were the overall winners.

The International 14 is a development racing dinghy that has a history as an International class going back over 70 years. During that time it has always been at the forefront of sailboat technology and has seen the addition of new features and technologies such as the twin trapeze in 1984 to increase the sail carrying power and to ease the handling of the huge asymmetric spinnakers, and the introduction of carbon hulls and masts in the late 80's and 90's.

Protecting the ocean environment has become increasingly important among the sailing community in recent years and at this year's event, the Ecoflag was flown on the race committee boat, competitors sails, and at the Kaneohe Yacht Club during the event. The Ecoflag was first flown at the International 14 World Championships (26-31 August) held in Wakayama, Japan, last year, where environmental awareness among sailors was highlighted throughout the event.

As one of the most environmentally friendly modes of transport, sailing can also be a great way to develop an appreciation and understanding of the ocean environment. However, non-degradable garbage dumping, oil discharge, the use of toxic paints and disturbing natural habitats are just some of the areas where the sailing community can impact on the surrounding environment and the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) publishes a 'Declaration on Environmental Principles' on its website to ensure that sailors 'keep the oceans clean'.

REFERENCE:
http://www.sailing.org/meetings/1997november/minutes/appendix2.asp

PHOTO (c) Renee Speak, 2004 Hawai