Earlier this week, RYA Scotland and Forth Corinthian Yacht Club welcomed Maree Todd MSP (the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport) to Granton Harbour for a wide ranging discussion about climate challenges within our sport.
In the true spirit of Scotland’s Climate Week, Ms Todd arrived via pedal power straight from Holyrood – articulating how pleased she was to see how close opportunities to get afloat can be to the city centre.
Members of the RYA Scotland staff team, sportscotland Partnership Manager Charlotte MacBeath, as well as Peter Robinson our board Director for Cruising & General Purposes were on hand to welcome the Minister alongside Forth Corinthian Commodore Peter Douglas.
Commenting on the evening’s discussions, Peter Robinson said:
“If you reflect on this evening, it’s been fantastic…what haven’t we touched upon!
“We’ve gone from innovation, to materials, and some of the challenges within our sport in terms of sustainability right through to adaptation and mitigation. Ms Todd was very receptive to the discussion and had a lot to contribute.”
In addition to representation from both RYA Scotland and several insightful Forth Corinthian Yacht Club members, we were joined by Jill Reid, a previous Scottish Student Sailing committee member who was able to share her first-hand experience of The Green Blue University Challenge.
Pleased to have Jill join discussions, Forth Corinthian Commodore Peter Douglas commented:
“Part of the discussion tonight was about partnerships and developing, and this was an excellent example of people from different backgrounds and clubs coming round the table to participate.”
The Green Blue as a wider initiative was also of great interest – with the many different resources, guidelines, and ways to engage showcasing the value the campaign holds both within the boating community, and more broadly to all water users.
With the visit situated at Forth Corinthian at Granton Harbour, there was also ample opportunity to reflect upon the damage inflicted by Storm Babet, including the knock on impact to current club practise.
The Minister also had the chance to see some end of life boats in the yard, leading us to explore the nuances around fibre glass hulls, and the difficulties in preventing certain materials from ending up in landfill.
With an interest in innovative solutions, the Minster was pleased to hear about Sustainable Sailing Ltd – a forward thinking start up which is using science to break down composite materials for recycling, sparing more and more sailing and water sport equipment from landfill.
Post-visit, Ms Todd took to X (formerly Twitter) to share her takeaways:
“Really enjoyable visit – great to hear about the range of innovation and initiatives to care for environment and make the transition to net zero.”
With eyes firmly on the future, we will continue promoting, leveraging, and talking about vital initiatives such as The Green Blue – and will continue using our voice in a variety of spaces to make a positive impact in ways both big and small.
Want to make an impact yourself? Why not take The Green Blue Pledge today?
Passionate about the boating and the environment? Sustainability plays a key part in the work of our Cruising & General Purposes Committee – get in touch with ChairCGPC@ryascotland.org.uk if you’d like to find out more.