A Sailing Charter with a Purpose

As the world’s oceans face a host of pressing environmental concerns, new business models in the world of charter services are beginning to emerge. Though adventure sailing will always remain at the core of why we as sailors go to sea, a new company, Pangaea Explorations, is taking a new tack.

Dodging a hurricane on the way to the North Atlantic gyre

Instead of champagne sunset cruises, Pangaea is offering experience-based charter packages where crew will actively engage in ocean based science expeditions. Pangaea’s flagship, Sea Dragon, a Challenge 72, has been uniquely fitted to serve as a vehicle for epic sailing, conservation and education missions. Originally built as one of 12 steel one-designs by Challenge Business for an around the world race where ordinary folks paid to take part, Sea Dragon has already shown her capabilities on a global stage. As such she maintains the prestigious UK Coast Guard rating of “Category Zero- All Oceans.”

Redesigned to support scientific expeditions, the vessel is equipped with a dive compressor, twin inflatable boats, advanced navigation, a fully equipped science lab, water quality sensors- all without sacrificing speed or comfort. She also carries a special CO2 sensor to continuously monitor ocean acidity – contributing vital data to shore based research teams. Sea Dragon can produce70 gallons of fresh water an hour and generate its own power with solar panels, wind turbines and a generator.

Her sophisticated communication systems gives the crew the ability to stay connected in the most remote areas of the world – blogging about their experiences while at sea. Ron Ritter, one of the principals of Pangaea Explorations says, “Sea Dragon is unique in that she has the ability to sit on the hook for up to two months and be totally self contained. This allows us to investigate very remote regions of the earth for long periods of time. Not too many sailing vessels have the ability to do that, especially with a crew of 14.”

Want to study birds on uninhabited islands? Check (Join us for our trip from Rio to Ascension Island early this fall!). Want to dive reef systems rarely visited and learn about their health? Check– (South Pacific in 2011). The model also allows Pangaea to subsidize scientists, giving them greater access to the areas of the earth unique to their field of study at a fraction of the cost.

What we collected... lots of plastic.

With any environmental cause, what makes a deeper connection to landlubbers is having a various and diverse crew reporting on and documenting what they find. Sea Dragon’s latest mission is a partnership with Algalita Marine Research Foundation, The Surfrider Foundation and Livable Legacy called the 5 Gyres Project. I was lucky enough to be a part of the crew on the first mission, sailing from the US Virgin Islands to Bermuda and then on the Azores with an international crew of filmmakers, artists, activists, photographers and scientists. In total, we sailed more than 3,000 nautical miles and spent a month at sea.

It had been boyhood dream to cross an ocean under sail, and this particular voyage was bittersweet. By now, most have heard of the “great Pacific Garbage Patch.” Our team was interested in looking at yet another oceanic gyre, the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic, for plastic pollution and the connection between fish tissue toxicity and plastic ingestion by marine animals. What our team found was startling—yet another great garbage patch. We collected over 850 pounds of plastic garbage, as well as taking samples every 100 miles. Plastic was everywhere. Beyond the ubiquitous plastic fragments, we found buckets, hard hats, shotgun shells, lighters, toothbrushes, bleach bottles—basically any and every sort of plastic you find on your grocery store shelves. And sadly, it’s not going away. Plastic doesn’t biodegrade. It simply breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. It’s heart wrenching to be witness to so much destruction—and estimates now suggest that most plastic enters the ocean from land based sources. Sure, we see fishing industry debris, but put it this way. If you see a plastic bottle cap on the street in New York City, it’s going into the Atlantic the next time it rains.

Back on shore, we have art shows scheduled all over the world on our findings and we’re producing films. We’re doing outreach tours all over Europe and the US.

By taking a crew from different walks of life, the message is broadcast through several different channels. Want to join us and see this problem for yourself? For more information, visit the Pangaea Explorations website and the 5 Gyres Project website.

Stiv J. Wilson is an avid surfer, sailor, and ocean advocate. He has served as an advisor to several NGOs and state agencies on Oregon’s development of wave energy and wave energy policy. Wilson also acts as an advisor to Portland’s mayor’s office on plastic refuse policy and best practices. His writing has appeared in The Surfer’s Journal, E-the Environmental Magazine, MSNBC, Wend Magazine, GOOD, Ecosalon, and his work is regularly syndicated by several online news organizations.

Photo gallery of voyage to the Atlantic gyre:

This entry was posted on Monday, May 24th, 2010 at 12:41 pm and is filed under Crewed Yacht Charter, Featured Article, Sailboat, Yacht Charter, YW UK Features Landing Page, YW US Features Landing Page.

Tags: North Atlantic gyre, offshore, plastics, sailing