Messing About In Sailboats

Dee Caffari blog: sailing upwind will mirror air travel in the Southern Ocean - Telegraph

We spent an extended period of time in the South Atlantic and, apart from periods of frustration with lack of progress, we were dismayed to see just how much rubbish there was floating around us. Old fishing pots, plastic crates, bottles and netting were everywhere and we were saddened to see this beautiful environment polluted to such an extent. Our plea from the sea is that you find a bin and recycle! Another reason to be concerned at the level of rubbish is that this area is a true haven for wildlife and we can only imagine the devastating impact the debris has on them. We passed close to the volcanic Tristan and Gough islands, whose existence would be news to many people. via www.telegraph.co.uk Dee Caffari writes this as she enters the Southern Ocean, reflecting on the increasing amount of plastic trash floating around our Oceans. Read more →

Roz Savage on TED -

Roz Savage has already rowed the Atlantic and is now most of the way across the Pacific. Why is she doing it? To create awareness about the pollution of our oceans, one painful oar stroke at a time. You can read more here. Read more →

Mike deGruy: Hooked by an octopus TED

Inspiring stuff and some gorgeous video presented by a passionate man. Happy Thursday! Read more →

Song For Friday: tcktck - Beds Are Burning

I went quiet for a while on Song For Friday as I lost inspiration. This one got my attention. If you haven't heard about it, I strongly suggest you check out tcktck and timeforclimatejustice.org, the campaign for climate justice lead by Kofi Annan. The campaign's aim is to get people like you and me to show our support for climate justice. Basically, the environmental damage created by us in the developed world is hurting people in the emerging world most. With the Copenhagen Summit on December 7th, the aim is to send a message to world leaders that to affect change. As part of the campaign they created a video a la "Feed The World" remaking Midnight Oil's Beds Are Burning. If you like this and believe that this is important, spread the word! So far close to 3.5 million have signed up. Read more →

Save the Albatross

At a dinner a few weeks ago, I noticed an interesting pin on the lapel of one of the other dinner guests, Robert Moore. It looked like a seagull with a huge wingspan. It was of course an albatross. Robert told me that it was pin for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)'s campaign to save the Albatross. The Albatross, arguably the most symbolic of birds for any mariner, is in danger of extinction as a result of ingesting hooks set by deep sea fishing boats. Over 100,000 albatrosses are killed every year as a result of this. The Save the Albatross Campaign is a global initiative to work with governments and fishing companies to take measures. I thought this except from their web site summed up the problem perfectly. Below you can also see a video that shows how the Albatrosses are caught on the hooks... Read more →