The C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta and Oakcliff Sailing have announced that the two organizations have joined forces to create a new match-racing event for adaptive sailors in North America. Bill Simon from Oakcliff Sailing and Timmy Larr from The Clagett saw a need for competitive adaptive sailors to have options for racing and therefore the Clagett/Oakcliff Match Race event was created. A little aside: Your columnist knows Judy McLennan, who started this terrific event up in Newport back in the day. I happened to be in the area when this was in the very early years of this event and watched as teams of adaptive sailors struggled out of their wheelchairs and, once on board, sailed those SONARs with such confidence, determination and, yes, happy faces. It is still a memory that I hold dear. This new version of the event will be hosted by the Waterfront Center in Oyster Bay and will take place on July 15-17. The event is open to both adaptive and able-bodied sailors as well as U.S. and international sailors; however, at least one person on the boat should identify as having a disability. Five-time and current U.S. match-
racing champion Dave Perry (Pequot Yacht Club, CT) will be on hand to provide coaching in boat handling, boat speed and match racing. Competitors will be sailing SONARs provided by The Waterfront Center and Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club. Participating sailors who are interested can get involved in two ways. Teams (consisting of two or more, including skipper) can request an invitation online and individuals looking to join a team can add their name to an online crew bank. Scholarships are available.
The Town of North Hempstead’s Third Annual Boat Shrink-Wrap Recycling Program began on Friday, April 1. This program collects the plastic shrink-wrap that covers boats during the off-season to be recycled, keeping waterways clean, protecting marine wildlife and preventing plastic from entering landfills. In 2015, the town collected over 12 tons of plastic shrink-wrap at its two collection locations. Shrink-wrap deposited for recycling must be clean, and all lumber, rope, nails and garbage must be removed. Both locations will have a large shrink-wrap recycling container on-site. From now until May 16, commercial marinas and residential boat owners may deposit the plastic shrink-wrap at the North Hempstead Town Dock in Port. The receptacle will be available seven days a week. Residents can recycle their boat shrink-wrap until May 29 at the town’s weekly Resident Drop Off, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Solid Waste Management Authority Transfer Station, 999 West Shore Rd. For more information about the program, call 516-869-6311.
In other environmental news: The EPA has provided $365,000 to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) to fund local projects that will prevent plastic trash polluting water bodies in New Jersey and New York. Projects may include a variety of plastic trash prevention solutions, including those that implement source reduction and demonstrate prevention of trash from entering water bodies. Projects that are replicable and focus on upstream plastic trash prevention, and projects that benefit low-income communities near water bodies, will be prioritized. The deadline for applying through NEIWPCC is May 10. It is estimated that over eight-million metric tons of plastic pollution enter the world’s oceans annually. By 2025, this amount is expected to more than double. A recent study by NY/NJ Baykeeper showed that at least 165-million plastic particles are floating in the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary at any given time.
The EPA funding is being awarded through a competitive grant process run by New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, which will help stimulate solutions to the burgeoning problem of plastics in waterways. To apply, visit www.neiwpcc.org/contractors/opportunities.asp or contact Dan Peckham at 978-349-2512.
