Around the Americas

Circumnavigation expedition sets sail from Seattle

On May 31st the Around the Americas team commenced a 13 -month expedition which will include 31 ports in a sail around two continents.

Watch-Captain Herb McCormick views North and South America as, essentially, “large islands surrounded by a complex, fragile ocean environment that’s at risk on countless fronts”. With this premise in mind, the team will circumnavigate the continents with two priorities – education and science.

Hoping to promote marine environmental education, experts will produce online curricular materials and execute interactive demonstrations at each port. Promoting practical involvement, the team will also highlight the diversity of ocean-related careers.

The voyage will involve maverick-style scientific research, as their boat, the 64ft Ocean Watch is far smaller than the 250ft vessels usually used in oceanography, presenting challenges in power management, lab spaces and instrument use.  Information will be collected wherever possible, on anything from solar energy to jellyfish populations.

The crew call Ocean Watch - their steel cutter yacht, and home for the next year - a “voyaging machine”. The mission required a versatile boat to efficiently cover long stretches, whilst being adapted to face harsh environments – including the ice-prone Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic, and the infamously tempestuous Cape Horn. Helped by the local Ballard boating community, the team refitted the 1988 boat with a new engine and specialized sails. Internal wiring, plumbing and electrics were also overhauled, with cabins rebuilt to house the permanent 4-man crew and the specialists who will rotate en route.

As the team near the the end of their first month at sea and contend with difficult conditions around the Gulf of Alaska, Captain McCormick entitles his 20th log “The Opposite of Fun”. However, the committed team expect such obstacles, and – along with their educational and scientific agendas – will embrace the next 12 months as, in the captain’s own words, “a straightforward ocean adventure”.

To track the team’s route and read regular crew logs, visit www.aroundtheamericas.org