To kick off the first day of the 44Cup Oman, four of the teams joined Oman Sail to take part in a beach clean-up.  Team Aqua, Aleph Racing, Artemis Racing, Black Star Sailing Team, Asyad Shipping Team, the staff from Oman Sail and local Omani children from Ahmed bin Majid Private school helped collect 32 black bin bags worth of litter. The most frequent item that was found along the Al Hali beach in Seeb, Muscat was single use plastic bottles. 

Oman Sail embed a beach clean in all their events delivered in the Sultanate of Oman to ensure international sailors come together and raise awareness of the importance of protecting beaches and highlight the dangers of single use plastic. 

We asked Christian Zuerrer, owner of Black Star Sailing Team, why he felt it was important to get involved and support beach clean-ups and he said 'Firstly, i think it is important to find a solution where the beach is cleared of garbage already. But, in the end, it's not only in the environment, it is also in our bodies from the fish we eat which eat the small micro-plastics pieces which is why I think it is important to participate in beach clean-ups.'