Melbourne to King Island 2026

Single use water bottles are discouraged from all ORCV events and boats are asked to use jerries or make use of their on board water tanks with reusable bottles instead. On shore at the race destination, crews were able to refill their water bottles at the kitchen if needed.

Straws were not provided at this event.

No plastic plates or cutlery were provided, instead the King Island Boat club offered hot food on paper napkins or plates, or crews were given dinnerware from the boat club to use. Metal cutlery was provided.

Plastic bags were not used at this event. Reusable and recyclable paper bags were used where needed

Boats that received prizes were awarded locally caught King Island seafood (rock lobster), locally made cheese, hats and the overall prize is a perpetual trophy.

Club newsletter was used to promote the ORCV Clean Oceans work and reminders to crews to race with sustainable practice in mind.

The King Island Boat Club were the partner organisation for the running of this race. The volunteer-run organisation carry out all on ground efforts from berthing and coordinating the arriving boats to providing food and carpooling crews around the island. The ORCV also auction local King Island produce to the competing fleet to raise additional funds for the King Island Boat Club following the awards presentation. The King Island Mayor and King Island Boat Club Commodore were special guests at our presentation and we are grateful for their continued effort and support for our sport.

Food for the event was prepared by boat club volunteers using local produce. The prizes for winning boats also included Southern Rock Lobster (Jasus edwardsii) caught by local island fishermen with very few food miles.

Bins were provided on shore that included general rubbish and recycling. Bins were signed appropriately and crews did a good job of keeping each stream well sorted.

Participants and supporters were invited to join a beach walk and cleanup after the presentation. It became very clear on the walk that there was no rubbish to collect (which is a great sign) and so instead walkers took the time to enjoy the pristine conditions (see photos).

An iconic species native to King Island is the Little Penguin, a small but rather vocal seabird that also conveniently serves as the welcoming committee for arriving boats at the finish line. These penguins often are seen waddling through the boat club grounds and are heard throughout the bay, so this race we highlighted them in our online "species showcase" campaign. A presentation on sustainability practices and a species showcase on the Little Penguin was included as part of the skippers pre-race briefing (see Figure 1). This presentation shared published research of the island population of birds, assessing the link to pollutants that threaten the ocean. The 'species showcase' is made in an effort to generate awareness of local species, equipping the fleet with a more comprehensive environmental awareness of the areas they are racing to, and also generating talking points of present issues that concern the marine environment. Links to sustainable yachting are also made.