The Royal Victoria Yacht Club’s Cadboro Bay marina has earned the highest certification in Clean Marine BC, a voluntary eco-certification program for recreational boating facilities that is run by Georgia Strait Alliance.
To be eligible for Clean Marine BC certification, boating facilities must meet environmental standards set by the program and are awarded a ranking that ranges from one to five anchors. These anchor ratings reflect operational practices and initiatives that help to reduce the impact of recreational boating in local fresh and saltwater throughout British Columbia.
“Environmental stewardship is integrated into virtually everything that we do,” says Royal Victoria Yacht Club (RVYC) General Manager Simon Gatrell. “By having management, staff, members and volunteers onboard with our efforts, we’re able to implement best practices in all aspects of our operations, as well as take on additional projects like the removal of derelict vessels and installing nesting boxes for endangered Purple Martins.”
Georgia Strait Alliance Executive Director Christianne Wilhelmson says; “Cadboro Bay and its marine ecosystems, as well as the interconnected waterways, are all benefitting from the improvements that RVYC made to its facility based on recommendations from its initial Clean Marine BC certification. In just over three years, RVYC has raised its rating from four to five anchors, becoming the eleventh facility to be among the highest ranked.”
With the recertification of RVYC, there are now 32 marinas, boatyards, yacht club facilities, and harbour authority docks that fly the Clean Marine BC flag across the province.
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About the Clean Marine BC (CMBC) program
CMBC is a voluntary eco-certification program that recognizes marinas and other boating facilities for environmental best practices, and assists them in making improvements to minimize the negative impacts of recreational boating, https://georgiastrait.org/work/cleanmarinebc
About Royal Victoria Yacht Club
Founded in 1892, the Royal Victoria Yacht Club is the oldest yacht club in Western Canada. The main clubhouse and marina is located on the protected waters of Cadboro Bay while the Tsehum Harbour marina is located in the nearby town of Sidney, www.rvyc.bc.ca
About Georgia Strait Alliance
Formed in 1990, Georgia Strait Alliance is the only conservation group working to protect and restore the marine environment and promote the sustainability of the whole of the Georgia Strait, its adjoining waters and communities, www.georgiastrait.org