The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) has been awarded the International Clean Marina and Fish Friendly accreditations following a rigorous independent environmental audit.

Home of the classic Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, the marina is located on Sydney Harbour in Rushcutters Bay and is home to over 200 boats, including many offshore racing yachts.

The 78th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race saw 103 yachts take the start line on Boxing Day 2023 to embark on a relentless test of determination, as well as physical and mental resilience. The 2023 race was a resounding success and one of the closest in history with two boats battling it out to cross the finish line within seconds of each other.

Suzanne Davies MIA CEO visited the club to present the flags to Commodore Arthur Lane and commented, “Congratulations to the CYCA on this achievement and on all its proactive environmental initiatives. It is great to see clubs like the CYCA promoting itself as an environmental champion to its community. It is a great way to get everyone thinking more about environmental best practice.”

The CYCA is proud to have introduced a number of measures to limit the Club’s environmental footprint as part of an ongoing sustainability initiative. The Club and its members enjoy a natural affinity with the ocean and as such it makes sense to commit to ensuring the protection of the natural environment. These initiatives include over 100 rooftop solar panels, the installation of six SeaBins, installation of sensor lighting and the removal of single use plastics.

CYCA Commodore Arthur Lane and MIA CEO Suzanne Davies. Photo credit: Marina Industries Association.

On presentation of the Clean Marina accreditation, Arthur Lane, Commodore of CYCA responded, “We’re so proud of this acknowledgement of our efforts and extend our appreciation to our members, guests, and crews for their commitment to the Club’s sustainability initiatives. We will continue to pursue the highest standards in environmental management at the CYCA and congratulate the MIA for promoting best practices around Australia.”

The Clean Marina program helps marinas to evaluate their environmental processes and puts systems in place to regularly check operations to ensure they are compliant, and that all documentation is up to date. It also aims to inform consumers of the marina’s commitment to environmentally responsible practices and to provide marina operators with a set of standards and benchmarks to maintain.

The Fish Friendly accreditation has been developed to inform marina managers on how to maximise the benefits for fish and to recognise those operators actively working to improve fish habitats.

Andrew Chapman, MIA President explained, “There are over 60 participating marinas in Australia and around the Pacific region. We are thrilled to see them being recognised with the Clean Marinas and Fish Friendly accreditations. We encourage all marinas to get on board with the programs to promote continued environmental responsibility by all who enjoy our country’s wonderful waterways.”