Thanks Jane Bakewell and BVI Spring Regatta

A big thanks goes out to Jane Bakewell, a popular BVI resident and writer, who has led the 'Sailing towards Clean and Green' campaign, resulting in the BVI Spring regatta being the first to receive a Silver certificate from Sailors and the Sea, sponsors of the Clean Regattas Certification Program.

In 2008, the BVI Spring Regatta was already making commendable efforts, including the recycling of glass and plastic. However, this year these fine folks have stepped it up another notch.  For example, recyclable water bottles were made available to all who were in the Nanny Cay BVI Spring Regatta Village. Sponsored by the BVI Tourist Board, these bottles were sold for a nominal amount, with the money raised donated to VISAR (Virgin Islands Search and Rescue) and Green VI. The BVI Tourist Board also provided skipper bags, made from recycled materials. Best of all, inside these spiffy bags they placed a list of natural cleaning products and where to find them LOCALLY. Additionally, the cleaning of boat bottoms in the marina and emptying of holding tanks in BVI waters was strongly discouraged, and sailors were given fuel spill prevention kits. As if things couldn’t get any better, these fine folks even handed out “green” regatta awards. Nice work, Jane and company.