U.S. Moth Fleet competes at the 2016 World Championship

Nicknamed the "Town of Sail", Hayama, Japan will host this years Moth World Championship. Three 11th Hour Racing sailors: Andy Brazier, Victor Diaz de Leon, and Brad Funk are among 70 plus competitors preparing to race May 23-29.

Reports from Victor suggest the hosts care about more than the sailing alone; "the place is super clean... they have never thrown waste on the street or in the environment, personal trash is kept until they go inside somewhere where there is a trash can." Victor went on to describe the sink/ toilet: after flushing, the sink (which is on top of the toilet) automatically turns on for hand washing, then the runoff goes directly into filling the bowl. Another observation from Victor shows how precious water conservation is to this culture. "It costs 1 dollar to shower in public places like the marina so people don't abuse free water".

Environmental standards are refreshing to Victor's training partner Brad Funk, who recently spent time sailing in the 49er in Rio. While there, one of his observations was the lack of dump trucks and sewage plants. Yep, this meant residents would flush everything down the toilet. What got flushed would eventually end up in the bay. With the combination of human waste and chemical runoff Brad says, "when water splashes, everyone is trying to spit". His experience in Hayama is much more sanitary. "They are environmentally conscious with very specific recycling bins. People are also very friendly, they make the extra effort to make sure you are happy".

A bit more about Hayama:

• The 2020 Olympic sailing will take place here.
• It is located about 60 km south of Tokyo.
• The first yacht built and sailed in Japan was in Hayama.
• They are host to many international and national regattas each year.
• A steady wind gradient and a relatively moderate sea state is common

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