The 'Ocean Watch' crew made quite a splash in San Francisco Bay arriving under the Golden Gate with the fireboat spraying into the air - as if it's not already wet enough at sea! But it was another typical warm city welcome in a 50 city tour of North, South and Central America. The voyage was created as one of the marquis efforts of 'Sailors for the Sea's' ocean preservation and education programs. A mixture of science, education and adventure, the 28,000 mile voyage was done to help marine science by collecting ocean data, educate by bringing the stories to people in 50 cities around the Americas and all done aboard a boat driven by the wind to help minimize the impact on the planet while underway.
We listened to Captain Mark Schrader, a two-time solo circumnavigator, speak eloquently about his passion for the ocean - a passion developed while growing up on Nebraska where he'd never seen the ocean until he was 16! Now, after over 100,000 miles of sailing, you can hear the respect, reverance and concern for the oceans as Mark shares his tales while sharing the message of how we can all help care for the oceans and the planet.
While Summer Sailstice is primarily motivated by the pure, simple joy of connecting all those who enjoy getting on the water under sail it comes with a desire to help preserve the oceans for future generations to enjoy. Among the many excellent organizations dedicated to helping the oceans thrive we're thrilled Sailors for the Sea exists as an organization to specifically enlist sailors in the effort. The nature of sailing requires that all sailors pay a little more attention to their environment - you have to watch the weather carefully, you see the stars, aboard you watch your amp hours closely, almost everthing about sailing is about working with the forces of nature and it is this quality that makes sailors a natural ally for the oceans and planet.
Hearing the tales of 'Ocean Watch' reminded us of all the remarkable voyages of discovery made under sail and how each of us continues, in our own way, to connect with the environment when we sail with our own adventures each day. We hope everyone can think about contributing a few dollars to Sailors for the Sea for the miles they sail on the weekend of Summer Sailstice to help support their efforts at bringing more sailors on board for ocean preservation.
Read more about Sailors for the Sea and the 'Around the Americas' voyage.
Read more about the talk at the Corinthian Yacht Club in San Francisco.
Photographer David Thoreson catches 'Ocean Watch' in her element - much of the ocean is still blue and beautiful for sailing.
On a related note we did just watch another underwater photographer's fabulous talk on the oceans at a TED conference available here: http://tinyurl.com/2flhxdk