As the boating season comes to an end and we prepare for the new year, the Environmental Committee has been reviewing our accomplishments and finalizing our 2024 action plan. Take a moment and check out our 2023 annual report. It has been a busy and productive year.
Our Clean Regatta Season is now coming to an end but we had a great finale. The EYC “Party in the ‘Port” on October 14 was officially endorsed as a Sailors for the Sea Clean Regatta Event!
For the very first time the party used 100% compostable materials which significantly reduced waste going to a landfill. All the cups, plates, bowls and flatware were provided by our supplier, Annapolis Composting, who confirmed that they process materials for many restaurants and we can be confident that the dinnerware and food waste was composted properly.
To ensure no single use plastic bottles on the property, refillable water stations were provided by Annapolis Green with support from their sponsors: the Boatyard, BioSafe, Quantum Sails and 1 North Wealth. The party was truly a clean and no-single use plastic event!

In October, we kicked off another season of growing oysters for the Marylanders Grow Oysters program. On October 10, we received 14 bags of spat on shell from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and placed the shells in the 40 cages we manage on “A” and “B” dock. Now begins a season of cage and oyster cleaning by periodically dunking the cages as the spat grow into baby oysters.

On October 18, we filled the conference room for a “Citizen Science” talk on The Saw-Whet Owls of Maryland, given by a fellow cruising sailor, Melissa Boyle Acuti, who works for DNR as their Chief of Interpretation for the Maryland Park Service. She has been doing volunteer work with these adorable owls for over a decade at Smithsonian’s SERC campus in Edgewater and gave an engaging presentation on her research and how to get involved.

Our next event will be December 6, when naturalist and wildlife photographer Jack Turner – of EYC’s own “Green Team” – will give a slide presentation of some of his beautiful photos of waterfowl and other wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This show will be part of our annual Holiday Celebration which will also provide an opportunity to celebrate the season with fellow members over oysters, light fare, and holiday cheer.

Finally, be sure to stay tuned for a January 25 presentation by Sarah Elfreth, current Maryland State Senator, Annapolltan, and member of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. Sarah will give her perspective on the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partnership’s activities, with emphasis on the legislative work that she and colleagues have undertaken in response to reaching the CBP’s goals.