On June 8, World Oceans Day is celebrated, an important occasion to reflect on the urgency of preserving and protecting our seas. With its project Sailing into the Future. Together IBSA – which has always been sensitive to these issues – intends to disseminate a strong message of environmental protection, also thanks to the testimony of those who, like sailors, observe the climate change effects every day, especially on seas and oceans.
An alarming situation is represented by the phenomenon of the sargasso, a particular type of seaweed that gave its name to the homonymous sea, a portion of the Atlantic Ocean between the archipelagos of the Greater Antilles, the Azores and Bermuda. In recent years, the area affected by this alga has extended southwards, reaching the coasts of Mexico and other areas of the Caribbean.
Sargasso was once considered a harmless seaweed, even beneficial for the marine ecosystem, but its uncontrolled proliferation is now causing serious problems in the Atlantic Ocean and on the Caribbean coasts. Algae, in fact, accumulate and begin to decompose, emitting an unpleasant smell, thus becoming a serious problem for local economies, which largely depend on tourism.
But it’s not just tourists who are affected by this blight; sailors also find themselves having to deal with the consequences of the presence of the sargasso algae during their crossings. In fact, algae accumulate in actual and difficult-to-avoid floating islands, and stick to the rudders and to other appendages of boats, requiring a constant cleaning and complex operations in order to continue navigation. In extreme cases, the boats have to slow down to remove the seaweed, losing precious racing minutes.
This is what happened to Alberto Bona during the RORC Caribbean 600 opposite the island of Antigua and near the island of Barbuda: to free the rudder and keel from the sargasso, Alberto had to slow down the Class40 IBSA from 18 to 9 knots, tilt the boat and remove the weeds with a special pole previously stored on board.
For sailors it may be a simple slowdown, but for marine ecosystems it’s a great threat, caused by a combination of factors, including the increase in ocean temperatures and the excessive use of agricultural fertilisers that are being poured into waterways and seas every day.
Often it’s the small daily actions that, added together, contribute to worsening the state of health of our planet. For this reason, it’s essential to continue maintaining a high attention on these issues, and to sensitise as many people as possible, so that this commitment becomes global.
