Around the Americas– High Adventure with a Mission

by Sailors for the Sea/Nancy Knudsen on 12 Dec 2008 The plans are underway.

In May next year a group of sailors will embark on a mighty 13 month adventure – to sail around the Americas as though they were one big island.

But this is no ordinary sailing adventure. They are members of 'Sailors for the Sea', an organisation of sailors who care for the oceans in which they sail – and don't we all?

Read on, and see how YOU can be a part of it.

First, the expedition:
It's skippered by sailor Mark Schrader, who has a few ocean miles under his belt including two solo circumnavigations. The steel-hulled 64 ft sailing vessel Ocean Watch will depart Seattle on the west coast of the United States in May next year with a permanent crew of four, and will visit 31 ports during the circumnavigation to spread their message. In addition, the boat will carry out research during some legs with ocean and atmosphere scientists on board. The adventure is happening in partnership with Seattle’s Pacific Science Center and the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Lab. A Pacific Science Center educator will be on board to help in promoting awareness of the danger now to our oceans. Sailors for the Sea will use the dramatic nature of this never-completed sailing adventure to focus international attention on ocean health.

What's the danger?
As has been written in Sail-World Cruising before, and is known by many cruising sailors who've seen it for themselves, the ocean is changing. As sailors, what we see most is bleached coral, seas and oceans without fish, sea animals caught in nets, tiny islands that disappear, rubbish and the detritus of modern life spread across the coastlines. What we read and watch in documentaries by scientists who study the ocean is that the seawater pH is falling; warming waters are causing sea level to rise; and the Arctic and Antarctic sea ice is shrinking, threatening local wildlife.

What will the expedition achieve?
There are precipitous changes are occurring at the poles and along the coastlines and there ARE things that everyone can do to mitigate these changes. Sailors for the Sea wants to build awareness, and mobilise both sailors and non-sailors to take action to protect our fragile oceans. While the sailing population is in the front line, everyone's life on land is dependent on the health of our seas.

Along the way, the expedition will try to communicate the urgency of the issue by:
Creating bi-lingual educational materials for schools, classrooms and homes
Hosting media events at all the ports of call
Producing a book and film about the expedition
Conducting scientific research on the ocean and coastline as it progresses, which will appear in web-based field reports

Naturally, the crew will be seeking to be an example of sailing which is environmentally neutral, and here's their method (which all cruising sailors can follow):
Using alternative energy sources like wind and solar energy (Sail, don't motor).
Using only non-toxic paints and cleaners
Always pumping out on-board toilets appropriately
Disposing of trash and recycling on land and never at sea.

The Crew:
Apart from Skipper Mark Shrader, there will be First Mate David Lee Logan, a veteran cruising and racing sailor; Herb McCormick, a highly experienced sailor and sailing journalist, and David Thoreson, a cameraman and photographer who sailed the North West Passage on Cloud Nine in 2007. All of the crew are environmental advocates.

What can I do?
As a cruising sailor, you can help spreading Sailors for the Sea's word wherever you go, and adhering to environmentally neutral practices. You can show your support for what the organisation is doing by joining 'Sailors for the Sea'. What about a Gift Membership in Sailors for the Sea for that sailor in your life that is SO hard to buy for?

To learn how to join, or just to learn more about the expedition and the organisation, click here