Relay4Nature Italy-bound

The Relay4Nature baton left Alicante this afternoon, bound for the Ligurian port of Genova, Italy, on board Offshore Team Germany in The Ocean Race Europe.

Annie Lush (GBR), who is custodian of the Baton for the 500-mile race across the Mediterranean Sea, spoke before the German-flagged IMOCA yacht left Alicante, the city that headquarters The Ocean Race: “My message for the baton is for everyone to understand how important it is that we educate people about the ocean and the massive role it plays in sustaining life on earth and, particularly, climate change.

“The sailors in The Ocean Race Europe are trying to play their part in many ways. Three of the boats have science equipment onboard to measure the amount of CO2 in the ocean. This is vital information, as we get sail in places that people rarely get to, so we see things that nobody else really does. We can see how special the ocean is but also, unfortunately, how much damage we are doing to it. The problem with the ocean is that it doesn’t have a voice - it’s kind of out of sight and out of mind. It’s very easy to ignore, but it’s vital to life on earth, so we need to find a way to give it a voice.” 

Further underlining the importance of education in the ocean space, she continues: “The Ocean Race has developed an incredible learning programme, there’s a whole load of resources to engage kids, and teach them how important the ocean is and how it impacts climate change. I’m actually a geography teacher where I live, and my class is following us in the race, so I have my own passion for both learning and teaching these important messages."

The Relay4Nature Baton was brought from Cascais, Portugal, onboard AkzoNobel Ocean Racing whose skipper, Chris Nicholson (AUS), passed the baton to Lush during the stopover.

While in Alicante, Relay4Nature, also met with Nacho Llorca, the lead skipper of the Villajoyosa Fisherman’s Association. He and his fellow fishermen have collected over 700 tonnes of marine rubbish from the floor of the Mediterranean Sea, which isthen brought ashore for recycling. “As a fifth-generation fisherman, we are amongst the most interested in ensuring that the ocean remains healthy. The truth is that since we started removing rubbish from the sea, we have seen a notable difference and the sea is now much cleaner. We would urge everyone to continue helping us and be mindful of the damage that these plastics can do to the ocean.” He commented, before adding a message to the baton urging world leaders to encourage fisherman from across the world to help remove rubbish from the oceans. “It gets caught in our nets, so we have a choice, throw it back into the ocean and the problem continues, or keep it on the boat and get it recycled ashore. The ocean has provided my family with a living for over five generations, it is our ‘home’ and we need to keep it clean.”

The 500-mile leg is forecast to have light winds, so the Race Director of The Ocean Race, Phil Lawrence, has made a slight course change, by removing the island of Giraglia from the course. “This morning’s forecast has indicated even lighter winds, so once past the Tabarca mark off Alicante, the fleet can head directly to the finish in Genova by any route that they choose,” he noted.

A sure sign, that as in previous legs of The Ocean Race Europe, the finish results will be too tight to call.