Day 01 S/V Kaisei: Through the Gate

Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Lat: 37° 48.7 N Lon: 122° 30.5’ W – Point Richmond, CA

A Mythic Journey—Harnessing the energy of the ‘plastic dragon’

Project Kaisei, over a year since its conception, is making ready to sail within the hour on a voyage of exploration. With a crew of 25 from around the world, spanning ages 18-67 and sailing under the flag of the Ocean Voyages Institute, the tall ship, square-rigged, Kaisei will study how the plastic vortex “dragon” is hurting us. We hope to learn about its size, its composition and its fire. The dragon lives in our commons, our source, the place from where we evolved. The ocean waters provide our nourishment and are our collective responsibility.

We will be sailing to the Pacific Gyre north of Hawaii, approximate latitude 32 degrees, longitude 140 degrees. Ocean Voyages Institute, a non-profit organization devoted to the preservation of the maritime arts and arts and sciences of the ocean environment, is sponsoring the mission to study the marine debris that has collected in this oceanic region. This is the first mission, one of discovery, which will lead to developing solutions and then to deploying resources to solve the problems we uncover.

Joining the mission is the research vessel New Horizon from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego. Stay tuned for more details. Join our team by sharing this message with your friends.