Please select your home edition
Edition
Sea Sure 2025

Rothschild delays Plastika sail across the Pacific

by BW Media round-up on 12 Apr 2009
David de Rothschild in planning mode SW
Billionaire banking heir David de Rothschild has had to delay his extraordinary journey in a plastic bottle boat called Plastiki from San Francisco to Sydney because of 'teething problems'(See original story).

Originally meant to depart on 28th April, exactly 62 years after his hero Thor Heyerdahl set out on his epic journey, the boat will now set off 'later this summer' according to de Rothschild.

The purpose of the journey is to highlight the floating plastic of the North Pacific Gyre, the enormous 'garbage patch' caught up in the swirling Pacific Ocean currents and now as large as France or Texas.

In spite of the delay, de Rothschild insists his craft will sail in the next few weeks and could one day revolutionise the use of recycled plastics in general and the design of boats in particular. Much will depend on how his craft behaves once the Plastiki expedition is under way, he admitted to the New Yorker recently. His craft should perform well, but could break up, he said.

'These are just unknowns,' he told reporters. 'That's an adventure! If it was planned and everyone knew, no one would be interested.'

The garbage patch, which has been the subject of much debate, even disbelief, because of the size and horror of its existence, lies north-west of Hawaii. It was discovered in 1999 by Oceanographer Charles Moore who found that its waters contained tens of thousands of pieces of plastic per square mile, the remains of rubbish caught in the region's circulating ocean currents. This pollution is now devastating populations of seabirds and fish that live in the region.

During his trip, de Rothschild will collect water samples and post blogs, photographs and video clips of the area, in an attempt to publicise the perils posed by plastic pollution.

The 30-year-old environment crusader has designed his special catamaran with a hull made of frames filled with 12,000 plastic bottles. The cabin and bulkheads of Plastiki have also been constructed out of a special recycled material called srPET, made of webs of plastic.

'The plastic water bottle epitomises everything about this throwaway, disposable society,' said de Rothschild, who trained to be a showjumper in England and who has trekked to both the north and south poles. However, he added that he was not aiming to demonise plastic, but was trying to highlight its alternative uses, as well as focusing global attention on the dangers posed to the ecology in regions such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

When it is ready, the Plastiki will carry de Rothschild and a crew of six on a 10,500-mile journey from San Francisco to Hawaii, Midway Island, Bikini Atoll, Vanuatu and, finally, Sydney. There will be no accompanying craft, but the Plastiki will be met by a support team at each landfall.

The destinations for the craft's great voyage have been selected to highlight a variety of environmental threats, including overfishing and climate change. However, the most important part of Plastiki's route will be its voyage round the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the Pacific, where it will focus global awareness on the issue of marine debris and pollution.

Fish and seabirds mistake plastic for food and choke to death. At the same time, plastics absorb pollutants including PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and pesticides, bringing poisons into the food chain.

In one study of plastic pollution in the Pacific, scientists found that populations of albatrosses in the north-west Hawaiian islands, a national marine sanctuary, have been devastated by plastic from the garbage patch. 'Their body cavities are full of huge chunks of many types of plastics, from toothbrushes to bottle caps to needles and syringes,' said Myra Finkelstein, an environmental toxicologist based at University of California, Santa Cruz. 'They can't get them up. They can't get them out. It's heartbreaking.'

de Rothschild insists his project is seeking not just to show up the planet's ecological woes but, through the design and construction of Plastiki, he will also be highlighting how disposable plastics can be used in a constructive way.

'I want the Plastiki to make a statement that it's our lack of reuse, uses and disposal that it is at fault, not the material itself,' he said.

David de Rothschild regularly appears in Tatler's list of Britain's most eligible bachelors. He is also known as one of the country's leading 'eco-toffs', those young men and women who use their inherited wealth to promote environmental causes.

North Sails Loft 57 PodcastSwitch One DesignRolly Tasker Sails 2023 FOOTER

Related Articles

Admiral's Cup Ingrid Abery Wednesday Gallery
Up close and personal with the teams on a lighter wind day Thanks to her long lens and skill, Ingrid Abery got up close and personal with the Admiral's Cup teams on a lighter wind day in the Solent. Enjoy these crew photos, and many more in the gallery above!
Posted today at 4:46 am
Admiral's Cup 2025 | Day One Inshore Racing Pics
An excellent day's racing with good breeze. Day One of Inshore Racing at the 2025 Admiral's Cup was highlighted by good breeze.
Posted today at 1:09 am
Admiral's Cup 2025 | Inshore Racing Videos
Day One summary and interviews with many competitors Day One summary and interviews with Back2Black, Black Pearl, Beau Ideal, Beau Geste, and Teasing Machine.
Posted today at 12:45 am
America's Cup: Italy's five boat Challenge
‘Il Moro di Venezia', a five-boat programme left no stone unturned The transition from colourful and applauded challenges of 1983 and 1987, to Challengers for the XXVIII America's Cup in San Diego, was a pivotal moment in the history of Italy in the competition.
Posted on 23 Jul
Admirals Cup: Leader board changes - Day 3
The wind and the leaderboard did the big switcheroo on the third day of racing in the Admirals' Cup The wind and the leaderboard did the big switcheroo on the third day of racing in the 2025 Admirals Cup, but otherwise the rich got richer on the regatta leaderboard.
Posted on 23 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race: Upwind to the Fastnet Rock
The long range forecast for this year's race shows more benign conditions Teams that competed in the last two Rolex Fastnet Races and are returning for this Saturday's special centenary edition will be breathing a sigh of relief looking at the long term forecast.
Posted on 23 Jul
Admiral's Cup Inshore Racing Day 2
Beau Geste and Nola rise in shifty Solent showdown Race Four of the Admiral's Cup brought a tactical masterclass in light airs to the Central Solent. PRO Stuart Childerley set a windward leeward course for both classes, 1.6nm for AC1 and a shorter 1.4nm for AC2.
Posted on 23 Jul
NYYC International Women's Championship update
The final group of five invited skippers is announced The final group of skippers to be announced for the 2026 New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship radiates enthusiasm for this groundbreaking opportunity in one of the world's most famous sailing cities.
Posted on 23 Jul
Admiral's Cup David Maynard Wednesday Gallery
A quieter day on the Solent for the international fleet Wednesday's Admiral's Cup inshore racing in the Solent didn't quite have the wind of yesterday, but David Maynard was out on the water to catch the action in the morning before the wind switched off for a while.
Posted on 23 Jul
Admiral's Cup Tim Jeffreys Tuesday Photo Gallery
Enjoy getting this close to the action with his shots! Another great gallery of Admiral's Cup photos from Tuesday's inshore racing has arrived in our inbox, this time from Tim Jefferys. Enjoy getting this close to the action with his shots!
Posted on 23 Jul