Kristen Berry's blog

Science Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash By LINDSEY HOSHAW Published: November 10, 2009 A garbage patch in the Pacific is one of five that may be caught in giant gyres scattered in the world’s oceans.

 Passionate sailor, cameraman, editor, technician, producer, director, author, linguist, musician, loving husband and father…Hans La Cour Andersen has finally lost his long and typically courageous battle with cancer. The 54 year old Danish Kiwi was known to top racing sailors around the world, the world being his “patch.” He covered virtually every major international regatta - from the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race to the Fastnet and MedCup - and to many he was the ultimate renaissance man.

Brad Van Liew has confirmed his entry in the VELUX 5 OCEANS 2010-11 race. Van
Liew's new ocean racing campaign targets the popular and exciting Eco 60
Class, and constitutes the first United States entry in the race. The move
represents a return to the race he famously won in 2003 as the skipper of the
Class II Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America.

"This race has had a massive impact on my life over the past decade," said the
41-year old ocean racer. "During the 1998-99 Around Alone, the predecessor to
the VELUX, my family and I fell in love with Charleston, the start/finish port

Training update!

Today I did my second brick workout.  According to the training website this should have occurred about week 16 of training.  Let's just for the sake of conversation say that I have not been training for 16 weeks.  Anyway - did it.  Loved it.  Felt pretty good.

Today was a ride/run brick. 

Oh yeah, Wait... "What the heck is a brick?" 

Well besides what I feel like, it is a workout that consists of doing two of the three disciplines back to back in the same workout.  So today I rode (1 hour about 18 miles) and then ran 40 minutes (don't ask... it wasn't fast).

Hey there!  Happy Summer.  I hope this note finds you tan, happy and well.  Have you been boating much?  I hope so.

I have been a bad commodore lately.  Not enough blogging and too much working.  Well I have found a good reason to switch that up for a bit - and with luck forever.

On July 26th I am competing, for Oceana and the OCYC, in the New York City Triathlon.   Never one to let an opportunity slide by, I am raising some funds for ocean conservation via this event. 

Oceana has helped me to set up a really slick website so that kind, giving, ocean loving folks like you can make a tax deductible charitable donation to the cause.  The funds I raise go directly to help protect species, improve fish stocks, reduce pollution, and fight bad guys.

Here is the link to my Oceana Fundraising Page. 

Sitting in the North Pacific Ocean, just north east of Hawaii, lays a
veritable garbage patch, estimated to be twice the size of Texas. Its contents
are as varied as the people and nations from where the stuff has traveled,
including plastic bags, to fishing nets, to tires, to discarded kids toys,
unbelievable numbers of plastic bags, hundreds of odd flip flops, tennis shoes
and the list continues.

The area is known by several names - the Plastic Vortex, the Eighth Continent,
the Great Garbage Patch, yet it's surprising how little people know of the
issue and the devastating threat it poses to our oceans.

Applications are still being accepted for the 2009 BoatUS Foundation
Environmental Leadership Award, which will be given to a group, organization,
company, marina or individual who have made a significant contribution towards
improving waterway health and educating boaters about environmental issues.
The deadline to apply is June 30, 2009.

Details:
http://www.boatus.com/news/PR_Full.asp?ID=403

West Marine is proud to introduce our new Pure Oceans product line, a selection of boat care products specifically formulated to be kinder to the environment while delivering equal performance to less environmentally-friendly formulas. This new line includes soaps, cleaners, and surface care products that are less toxic, less environmentally persistent, and less bio-accumulative than more harmful, conventional formulations.

Be good to your boat, and be good to the environment with West Marine’s new Pure Oceans Boat Care Products.

Visit http://www.westmarine.com

By Juliet Eilperin

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 1, 2009; A04

House Democrats introduced an ambitious climate bill yesterday aimed at pleasing both environmental and business interests, even as Senate leaders acknowledged that the party faces serious challenges in trying to pass a carbon limit in the near future.

The 648-page "discussion draft," crafted by House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry A. Waxman (Calif.) and Rep. Edward J. Markey (Mass.), chairman of the subcommittee on energy and the environment, would create the first federal requirements to boost energy efficiency and ensure that a quarter of the nation's electricity comes from renewable sources. It also would cut the nation's greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, and by 80 percent by mid-century.

(Mar. 10, 2009; Day 121) - Crossing the finish line off Les Sables d’Olonne at
12h 43 19s GMT, Rich Wilson (USA) completed the 24,840 mile Vendée Globe solo
non-stop round the world race in ninth place from the original 30 starters.
Wilson finished 121 days 00 hours, 41 minutes and 19 seconds after leaving Les
Sables d’Olonne on Sunday November 9th. Wilson averaged 9.84 knots on the
water covering 28,590 miles. He sailed the 24,840 theoretical miles at an
average speed of 8.55 knots. Raphaël Dinelli (FRA) and Norbert Sedlacek (AUT)
are the remaining skippers still competing, now 557.6 nm and 980.2 nm from the