Ocean Watch Is in the House
San Francisco Bay is fortunate to be hosting some pretty amazing sailors on a pretty amazing expedition. Last May 31, the 64-ft steel cutter Ocean Watch, skippered by two-time solo circumnavigator Mark Schrader, left Seattle on a planned 13-month, 28,000-mile journey to circumnavigate both North and South America dubbed ‘Around the Americas’. They are now on the last leg of their trip, with stops in Portland and Port Townsend before arriving in Seattle on June 17.
Accompanied by scientists and researchers, Around the Americas’ objective has been to educate local residents at each stop about the fragile ecology of our oceans and to inspire them to become involved in making positive changes. They’ve also kept the internet buzzing with gripping accounts of the voyage written by our old friend Herb McCormick. (If you haven’t read Herb’s fascinating accounts on www.aroundtheamericas.org, you should do so but only when you have a few hours to spare — once you start reading, you won’t want to stop.)
To further their goal of education, the Around the Americas crew has a full slate of events planned for the Bay Area before their scheduled departure next Saturday morning. We highly recommend doing everything in your power to make one (or all) of their presentations as they’ve received nothing but rave reviews.
- Saturday, May 29, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. — Stop by Ocean Watch at Pier 39’s J Dock to meet the crew, tour the boat and check out their research equipment. Free!
- Tuesday, June 1, 12:30-1:30 p.m. — Capt. Mark Schrader will give a presentation at the California Academy of Sciences. Free with museum admission. See www.calacademy.org/events for details
- Thursday, June 3, 7-8:30 p.m. — Dinner presentation by the crew at Corinthian YC speaker series. $10 per person, plus $15 for dinner. Reservations recommended! Boat tours start at 4:30, dinner at 6 and the talk at 7.