Energy from the sun, water from the sea: Marmara Sailing Club brings the Kardeşlik Kupası onto the COP31 agenda

COP31’e iki hafta kala yelkenciler iklim gündemini 22 Ekim’de Kadıköy’de konuşacak. Atölye, Türkiye Yelken Federasyonu himayesinde, Turkish Offshore Racing Club (TAYK) iş birliğiyle ve Marmara Sailing Sports Club’nün ev sahipliğinde yapılacak.

What will be discussed in Antalya in November?

The 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) takes place in Antalya from 9 to 20 November 2026. World leaders will meet at the summit on 11 and 12 November. Türkiye holds the conference presidency and acts as host, while the negotiations will be led by Australia’s Climate Minister Chris Bowen. This is not the usual arrangement for a COP.

Three days of the conference’s thematic programme relate directly to sailing: water efficiency on 9 November, zero waste on 11 November, and oceans and seas on 17 November. There is no day dedicated to sport. Whether sport finds a place on this agenda depends on the proposals it brings forward.

Preparations have spread across many institutions. On 6–8 October, the Ministry of National Education held Youth Climate Workshops in 30 provinces, whose outcomes will be compiled into a National Youth Climate Declaration. The sailing community is also holding various meetings ahead of the summit. The 22 October workshop brings this agenda into the programme of a race.

The workshop is organised in cooperation with TAYK

The Kardeşlik Kupası is organised by the Turkish Offshore Racing Club (TAYK). The workshop, too, will be held under the auspices of TYF, in cooperation with TAYK and hosted by Marmara Sailing Sports Club.

The club produces its water from the sea and its electricity from the sun

Marmara Sailing Sports Club opened its Sea Facilities in Kadıköy on 22 November 2025. The facilities draw their electricity from a rooftop solar power plant and their water from seawater treated by reverse osmosis. With around 350 athletes and more than 1,000 members, the club describes itself as the first and only sailing club in Türkiye to produce its own energy and water. This year’s motto comes from the same idea: “Our energy from the sun, our water from the sea.”

The profession of club president Dr. Sedat Soybay matches this choice. Born in İzmir in 1957, Soybay finished Kabataş Erkek Lisesi and entered the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) in 1974. He first encountered wastewater treatment plants as a student, on a project he worked on at Alarko. Today he is Chairman of the Board of MASS Arıtma Sistemleri, a company working in water treatment and environmental technologies. MASS is also the race’s main sponsor.

The shore viewing platform for the race will also be set up at the school Soybay graduated from, Kabataş Erkek Lisesi.

Sinan Sümer, from the first Turkish team in the Transquadra

Atölyenin diğer konuşmacısı Sinan Sümer, Alize Sailing’in kurucusu. Sümer ile Tolga Ekrem Pamir, OMM Alize Ocean Racing takımıyla Transquadra’ya katılan ilk Türk ekibi oldu. Transquadra, 40 yaş üstü amatör yelkencilerin tek ya da çift kişilik ekiplerle Atlantik’i geçtiği bir okyanus yarışı. Takım 2021’deki Marsilya–Madeira etabını, yaklaşık 1.300 milin sonunda ikinci sırada tamamladı.

The team combined the race with a sustainability project. Aiming to sail the roughly 4,000-mile route with zero carbon emissions, the crew announced that, with support from the Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TÜDAV), it would measure microplastics in the seas it crossed and share the results after the race. The team highlighted three UN Sustainable Development Goals: sustainable cities, climate action and life below water.

The 10th Kardeşlik Kupası on the Bosphorus on 24 October

The 10th MASS Kardeşlik Kupası will be raced on the Bosphorus on Saturday 24 October. Part of the TYF calendar, the race is open to IRC 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and Cruising (Go) classes. The cup has been held on the same principle for ten years: whatever their club or background, all sailors race in the same lane on equal terms.

The race briefing will be held at the club on Thursday 22 October at 13:00, where race kits will also be handed out. The workshop starts right after the briefing. Sailors and members of the press are invited. Prizes will be presented at a ceremony at the club on Monday 26 October at 19:00.

Rüzgar Üstü will follow the workshop and publish what is discussed in its sustainable sailing series.

Transparency note: Dr. Sedat Soybay, president of the host club, is Chairman of the Board of MASS Arıtma Sistemleri, the race’s main sponsor. Rüzgar Üstü received no payment for this article.