Ocean Respect Racing

Launched for the 2018 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Ocean Respect Racing was led by Australian skipper Stacey Jackson. The 13-strong all-female professional crew embodied the team’s name by spreading the message of sustainability throughout the ocean racing community in Australia. The team inspired fellow competitors, event organizers, and supporters to protect the ocean. Sailing on the 66-footer Wild Oats X, owned by the Oatley family, the crew was a serious contender in the race, with a combined experience of 68 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Races and 17 Volvo Ocean Races.

Initiatives Supported by 11th Hour Racing

  • Everyday single-use plastic items such as water bottles, straws, cutlery, coffee cups, and bags avoided by team members, both onshore and offshore.
  • Engaged with two local environmental organizations, Clean Up Australia and Ocean Crusaders, to support their mission with grants funded by 11th Hour Racing.
  • Empowered local yacht clubs and Australian Sailing to create or improve sustainability plans, focusing on the need to recycle and reduce single-use plastic consumption.
  • Promoted the UN Environment’s Clean Seas campaign to grow the momentum of Australia’s commitment to the campaign to reduce ocean plastics.

Impact

  • Won the Jane Tate Trophy & finished 2nd overall
  • Offset 138 tonnes of CO2 to compensate for the team’s carbon footprint
  • Met with more than 450 kids that were able to visit the boat, talk with the sailors, or hear about the race and the team’s mission
  • Spoke at four sailing clubs in Australia on sustainability
  • Avoided the use of 800 single-use plastic water bottles
  • 65 meat-free meals saved 10,000 liters of water and 216 kgs of CO2
  • Assisted scientists by taking water samples that will be tested for microplastics

To view the full Ocean Respect Racing Sustainability Report, click here.

Background

11th Hour Racing sponsored Stacey Jackson and the Ocean Respect Racing, building on the legacy of the Vestas 11th Hour Racing campaign in the 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race. Stacey is a keen advocate for ocean health, which she demonstrates daily as a professional sailor and as a business owner. Stacey founded Ocean Respect Racing to engage in the ocean health issues she has witnessed while sailing around the world.

The team competed in the 2018 Rolex Sydney Hobart, a 628-nautical mile yacht race starting in Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day, racing south down the New South Wales coast then across the notorious Bass Strait to the east coast of Tasmania.