The six-man crew of the sailing vessel Race for Water Odyssey moored in Liberty State Park in early April and scrambled for two weeks to get ready to leave for the next leg of their trip around the world. While some people claim to be on a mission to save the planet, this crew was part of an expedition designed to raise awareness about the dangers of the tons of plastic poisoning the world’s oceans.
Based in Lausanne, Switzerland, Race for Water is a former racing boat that has been modified to take part in a pioneering initiative – a 300 day trip that is the first step in a move to map vast patches of plastic for eventual cleanup.
After leaving Bordeaux, France in December, the boat arrived in Jersey City as part of its New York City stopover, having already logged 40,000 nautical miles surveying the Atlantic Ocean. In New York, the group met with members of the United Nations and took key figures, including the ambassador of Switzerland, on tours of New York Harbor in an attempt to raise awareness among government, business, environmental and civic leaders.
From New York, the crew planned to sail south to the British Virgin Islands and Central America to meet with other environmental groups, then through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean for meetings in Chile, Hawaii, Japan, and other nations.
“We want to make the world aware of the problems with plastic.” – Steven Ravussin
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The members of the crew were largely French and Swiss with Steven Ravussin as its skipper.
“We want to make the world aware of the problems with plastic,” Ravussin said, pausing between preparations to leave in mid-April, calling their mission one of the 21st Century’s global challenges.
The pollution is particularly problematic because it is tied to lack of water in some regions of the planet and how little understood water ecosystems are. Part of the future strategy will be to set up global monitors for following large deposits of plastic for eventual removal.
Institutional support
Founded in 2010, the Race for Water Foundation’s mission is to preserve water and seek sustainable solutions for preserving it. The Race for Water is supported by a number of institutions, including Duke University, Oregon State University, and various European organizations. The foundation’s goals are to raise awareness and engage with businesses and scientists to talk about the impact of pollution and possible solutions. Education is a large component of the foundation’s mission, to make sure the next generation is aware of the issues.
In this mission, the foundation also hopes to advance the science that allows them to study and possibly solve the problem in the future.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.