Sustainability projects and all of club involvement headline three innovative programs set to be recognised at the 2025 Australian Sailing Awards. 

Alan Young (SA), Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club 100% Day (WA), Airlie Beach Race Week (QLD) are in the running for the innovation award.  

The nation’s peak sailing awards will be held at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney on Friday, November 14. 

Finalists:

Alan Young (SA) 

Alan is a long-standing and dedicated volunteer member of the Adelaide Sailing Club both on and off the water. His commitment to the sailing club is only surpassed by his commitment to the local coastal environment and his home of West Beach. 

Since 2021 Alan, with the full support of the Adelaide Sailing Club, has successfully applied for a total of four $40K Green Adelaide - Grassroots Grant to clean up and revegetate a 700m length of coastline and coastal path adjacent the Adelaide Sailing Club known as Lot 101. 

This area connects the southern and northern coastline of Adelaide’s beaches and is directly under the main Adelaide Airport pathway. 

Alan has strategically and successfully engaged with other stakeholders including the City of West Torrens, SA Water, West Beach Parks, SA Dept. of Environment and Water and of course the wider community to plan and deliver the project for the Adelaide Sailing Club. 

Every Winter since 2022 with the help of Adelaide Sailing Club members, friends and even the Minister for the Environment and Deputy Premier of SA, Alan planned and carried out community planting days to revegetate the area with the appropriate and targeted native species. 

Alan’s simultaneous focus on community and the education of participants including the flora as well as fauna of the area has provided opportunities for local schools to become involved and be regular visitors to the site to contribute to the project and to learn by example of how we can all help the environment.  

Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club 100% Day (WA) 

100% Day aimed to redefine what it means to unite a club community on the water. Launched in March 2025, 100% Day invited 100% of RFBYC’s boat-owning members, across keelboats, dinghies, Powerboats, and rowing fleets, to launch and enjoy their vessels on the same day, creating a spectacular club-wide celebration. 

The event brought together sailors, rowers, powerboaters, volunteers, and families, regardless of experience or purpose, to celebrate participation, club pride, and unity. Handicap starts, mixed-format activities, a vibrant social program, and a club-wide invitation made this event a fresh, engaging take on what a sailing club event could be. 

123 boats participated, including keelboats, dinghies, powerboats, and St Ayles Skiff row boats, one of the club’s largest single-day turnouts. 

The event eliminated silos between fleets and created shared ownership of the club experience. Pride, joy, and inclusiveness defined the day, shifting focus from winning to belonging. 

A planning framework now exists to support ongoing delivery, including fleet coordination, event day logistics, and inclusive programming. The model is highly transferable to other clubs across Australia seeking to increase broad participation, encourage inter-fleet interaction, and celebrate community and culture. 

100% Day is a celebration of innovation in culture, not just craft. It was designed to reimagine the traditional sailing calendar by focusing on togetherness, not competition, on collective pride, not performance. It demonstrates how a simple yet powerful concept can unite fleets, families, and futures. 

Airlie Beach Race Week (QLD) 

The Whitsunday Sailing Club’s Airlie Beach Race Week set a new sustainability benchmark by powering its stage and event grounds entirely off-grid using solar-powered trailers. These mobile, self-contained units generated and stored renewable energy, eliminating the need for diesel generators and grid power.  

The result was a quieter, cleaner event with significantly reduced carbon emissions. Real-time monitoring enabled efficient power management, while the trailers’ mobility provided flexible deployment across the site. This innovation not only enhanced the event experience but demonstrated leadership in environmental responsibility, offering a replicable model for sustainable sailing events across Australia. 

The success of using solar-powered trailers at Airlie Beach Race Week inspired the Whitsunday Sailing Club to pursue even greater sustainability goals. Building on the positive operational, environmental, and community feedback, the Club is now piloting a program to take its entire facility off-grid through the installation of a large solar array. This bold initiative will significantly reduce ongoing operational costs, eliminate reliance on fossil fuels, and establish the Club as a national leader in sustainable marine and event management.  

This innovation directly supports World Sailing’s 2030 Agenda by reducing fossil fuel use, lowering emissions, and protecting the marine environment. The solar-powered trailers eliminate diesel generators, cutting noise and pollution, while demonstrating practical, scalable solutions for sustainable event delivery. Their successful implementation at Airlie Beach Race Week positions the Club as a leader in sustainable sailing, aligning with Olympic standards as it works toward hosting events for the 2032 Olympic Sailing competition. 

The success of the solar-powered trailers demonstrates the model is highly scalable for larger events and permanent operations. Its modular design allows additional units to be added as demand grows. The technology requires minimal maintenance, with long-term cost savings on fuel and grid power. Building on this, the Club is now piloting a full-scale solar array to take the entire facility off-grid, ensuring long-term environmental and financial sustainability while setting a benchmark for future Olympic-class sailing venues.