Old sea dogs afloat again

Mark Schrader to skipper Ocean Watch 'around the Americas'

Mark Schrader and Dan McConnell, one Race Director and PR guru respectively of the former Around Alone/BOC Challenge, now the Velux 5 Oceans, are taking to high seas once again with the launch in Seattle of a new 64ft sailing vessel, Ocean Watch. In this they plan to make a voyage 'around the Americas'.

The 13-month effort, with planned stops in 30 host ports, will build awareness about ocean health on an international scale. After Puget Sound sea trials during April and early May, the specially-outfitted, steel-hulled vessel, Ocean Watch, will embark on a first-ever voyage through the Northwest Passage, around Cape Horn and back to Seattle. Pacific Science Center is co-organizing the unique undertaking, called Around the Americas, in collaboration with Sailors for the Sea, a non-profit organization inspired by David Rockefeller Jr.’s work with the Pew Ocean Commission; the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Lab, and the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean.

Through web-based field reports, host port media events and bilingual educational materials available online, the Around the Americas voyage will bring audiences in direct contact with the health of our oceans through scientific observation and evaluation of the ocean environment, and will provide a platform for scientists and educators to communicate the urgency of the issues to the broader public. Various scientists and researchers will come on board during the voyage to record measurements and make observations about the effects of such factors as sea ice coverage, seawater chemistry (including measurements of salinity, temperature and ph), aerosols and cloud cover.

The launch today in Seattle will be attended by representatives of Pacific Science Center, University of Washington Applied Physics Lab, the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, crew members of Ocean Watch including Captain Mark Schrader, primary sponsors including The Tiffany & Co. Foundation and co-organizer Sailors for the Sea represented by noted conservationist David Rockefeller Jr.