Zer0emission sails to silver for cleaner oceans in ORC European Championships

by Noora

August 19, 2019

News

Sailracing

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Zer0emission crew has won a silver medal in the ORC European Chamionships held in Oxelösund Sweden.

After the first second day of racing it was clear that the team and the boat was rising to challenge the Danish owner Swan 45 Tarok VII for the regatta victory. The race was tight and only a few points separated the first and second positions until the final race day when Tarok VII was able to take two victories in the final inshore races securing the overall win of the title. Link to full results.

We are extremely proud of how the team has grown together and how the boatspeed has developed during the regatta.” Says boat captain Anssi Lyden after the races.

Getting the team and the boat in to a winning condition also means good publicity, which is one of the most effective ways to spread the teams mission – Race against sea pollution. Our message was delivered through the race village in Samulis speech during the opening ceremony, the Seabin was again installed in to the marina to clean the water in the race harbor and our mission discussed with partners, other competitors and people visiting the race harbor.

WWF Sweden had recognized our work for cleaner seas and the team was awarded a diploma for raising awareness for sea pollution. There is literally trash floating everywhere. Consumer behaviour is the number one contributor of marine litter in the Baltic Sea. Around 130 tons of polyethylene particles from personal care products are flushed down the household drains in the Baltic Sea catchment area each year! There is over 150 million tons of plastic waste floating around in the oceans and by 2050 we will have more trash than fish in the oceans.

As Samuli Leisti pointed out in the opening ceremony: “We people produce more carbon dioxide than we are able to clean, we litter the seas more, than we are able to clean them. We can´t think that next generation and our kids will clean it. This has to stop.”

We sailors can act as a role models, but we are not enough, we need all possible parties to make a change. So if you feel like supporting our quest and maybe celebrating a little our silver medal please sign the WWF appeal to stop sea pollution (the appal is in Finnish but you can look up your local organisation to act).

Zer0emission crew Samuli Leisti (skipper), Anssi Lyden (main), Christer Baggström (navigation), Thomas Hacklin (tactics), Samppu Thesleff (trimmer), Timo Kari (trimmer), Tuomas Miettinen (pit), Martin Estlander (backsaty), Jarkko Pekkala (backstay), Nikolas Bogdanoff (grinder), Ville Tikkanen (pit2, grinder), Markus Aalto (midbow) and Janne Westerlund (bow). The crew was completed by a shorecrew run by Oliver and Dante, a huge thank you to these young gentleman taking care of everything in need and so much more.

Thank you Oxelösund Segelsällskap for the great event!

Our partners in the Race against sea pollution Wärtsilä, Mercedes-Benz, Finnlines, North Sails, Sas Institute, B&G, B1G, Magic Marine and Maxim Sports