Our Water, Our Lives

Water knows no boundaries, not even ours, and because of this what we do with and to our water affects everyone. Our rivers flow into the oceans, carrying with them everything we put into them - including garbage, human waste and chemicals. The more there are of us, the greater the effect we have - and there are a lot of people in this world.

The same water - rivers, marshes, oceans, water flowing above and below ground - is also what sustains us. One part of the equation is very basic - we need water just to survive. So do the animals, fish and plants on which we depend for food.

Knowing this, you would think that everyone would do whatever they could to keep the waters of this earth clean. Instead there are many who still think that water can be used as a place to dump garbage and chemicals, without consequences to themselves.

Experience has shown that if we wait for change then change will not come. The greatest change comes when people take responsibility for learning, understanding and acting on their understanding.

Our actions matter. There are so many of us, doing so many things, that no body of water can absorb the results of what we do and remain unaffected.

The Gulf Gusher is an extreme example. It’s size and impact could be seen around the world. Now that the gusher has been capped, many will assume that the problems caused by the oil it released will disappear quickly.

There is no way of knowing how long recovery will take, until it happens. Even though the sheen has disappeared from the surface oil lingers below, and tar balls continue to wash up. That is why health experts in the US continue to stress the need to monitor the health and needs of people and communities closest to the spill. And why there will continue to be questions about the health of sea life in those waters and wherever the oil has traveled, above or below the surface.

In the meantime, there are things we can do to help protect the oceans we rely on for food, transportation and so much more. A lot of small things can have a very large impact. You may even be doing some of them already.

Care2.com has an interesting article on the things people do, how they affect the oceans, and some of the changes people can make to help keep the oceans alive. I hope you’ll see a way to help - in fact, I’d be surprised if you weren’t doing some of the things suggested already. I know we are.

Watching the Gulf Gusher

The Gulf Gusher has called attention to the devastating impact on our seas when drilling for oil goes wrong - or goes on where it should not have. We are watching the devastation from Nova Scotia, many miles but only a current's drift away. What kind of impact will this have on us all?

For a clearer idea of the impact of the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, this post on the RiverDaughter blog is a good place to start. I wish I could say that the information is something we can read and forget about, but there is a very good chance that the damaging oil will spread up the East Coast of North America with the currents, and down into the Caribbean. Even if the gushing were stopped now. And the longer the hole in the ocean floor gushes oil, the worse and more widespread the damage will be.

Let us hope the Gulf Gusher can be shut down. In the meantime the only thing left is to do what we can to help all those creatures, plants, lands and people affected.

Racing, Shark Fishing, and Helping the Oceans

One of the greatest pleasures of going to the Halifax International Boat show is the chance to meet and talk to people who are passionate about the oceans we travel, live and work on. This boat show there were two men whose dreams we want to share with you.

Derek Hatfield, solo ocean racer:

Derek Hatfield is now getting ready to set out on his next great adventure, the VELUX 5 Oceans single-handed round-the-world Race. And he sees his entry into this race as important not just because he will represent the many Canadians who support him but because he will also be doing something he believes in - taking an ecologically friendly approach to ocean racing.

He talked with great enthusiasm about having the chance to enter the race in the Eco 60 class, a class which transforms older Open 60s and gives them a new life as wind, solar and electric powered ocean race boats. This gives the racers sailing them the pleasure of racing in a way that is both less expensive and more ecologically friendly. Note - less expensive. It still costs a lot, and once again Derek is offering those who support his challenge the opportunity to travel round the world in spirit with him, with their name on his hull. And more to those who are able to contribute more.

As those who have had the chance to talk to him know, Derek is both a fine sailor and a gentleman, someone who never hesitates to share both his enthusiasm and his knowledge. He represents the best of Canada both in the water and in person. I hope you’ll be able to help support him - you can find all the information you need to learn more Derek, the race and the adventure here.

Captain Art Gaetan, the Sharkman, of Blue Shark Charters:

A great story teller, and passionate about sharks, Art Gaetan has built a substantial body of knowledge about these creatures, and managed to develop businesses that respect and teach others about the oceans, sharks, and their role in the ocean environment. And to have fun doing it.

Yes, he fishes for sharks, but every shark caught is tagged and released and every detail entered into a scientific database; every experience adds to the store of knowledge about their lives; and as we found out any experience may become the fodder for a great story.

His presentation was a mixture of facts, explanation and just plain great stories. The last story had us laughing so hard there were tears in our eyes. We are not fishers of sharks, but if you ever want to catch one here's the man to help you do it.

Aid to Haiti - How Sailors Can Help

A quick note for all those who have not yet heard through other sources. OceansWatch North America and some of our cruising community are coming together to send help to Haiti as it tries to cope with the devastating earthquake and its aftermath.

OceansWatch is involved in helping put together a flotilla of vessels to carry needed aid to Haiti. All who can are invited to contribute, however they can. As news stories indicate, the need continues to be overwhelming, and every little bit anyone can contribute helps.

If you want to know more about their efforts, please go to their page describing what they are doing and how you can help.

You can find the information here.

What's Below the Water?

David Gallo’s talks and videos will make you want to take another look at the world underneath our oceans.

Many cruisers enjoy exploring the underwater world they move over. Some snorkel, some SCUBA dive. The most experienced probably see more of the creatures that dwell on the ocean floor and in the reefs, but this video makes me wonder how much of what is down there we really see. Watching it might change the way you look at things.



And then there is the part of the oceans we know very little about. We may sail over it, but we have no way of seeing the treasures underneath.

Much deeper than we can safely go there is a whole other world of creatures we are just beginning to learn about. The deep seas teem with life, a life that will survive and thrive whether or not we do. It is humbling to realize that even if we, as a species, find ourselves in a world which we does not have the water or food or climate that we need the planet will still be full of life. It’s just that we won’t be there to marvel at it, learn about it - or exploit it.

Why Water?

It’s inevitable that when you cruise on a sailboat you think about water. Sometimes, however, my thoughts about water go well beyond an aesthetic appreciation of the blue waters we have sailed on. This is particularly likely to happen when we are in a place where water is scarce, or where it is produced at great cost, sometimes to both environment and people. For something so necessary, it can be frighteningly scarce and expensive.

Now that I am sitting in an apartment in Canada I can get water simply by turning on the tap. And I am luck enough to be in a place where - at least as far as I know - the water is safe and clean. Not everyone - either here in Canada, or in many other places in the world - can do or expect the same.

So when I wrote this article on water as a basic human right it was not exactly an academic exercise. We need water, clean water, to live. Without it we die. The only question is how.

Seafood and Clean Water

Today I thought I would like to draw your attention a couple of topics which, while not directly related to Cruising With Care, do have to do with the idea that underlies it. The idea being that we need to treat all our water, sea or fresh, with care, since it is the source and support of all that sustains us.

All over the world people rely on food from the sea, both for nourishment and for income. In his article on the impact of seafood (and our eating of it) on the environment, Michael Bloch takes an important step. He talks about the difference our individual behavior can make, and why we should make any concerns we have about the health and state of the seafood we eat known. And he gives us information we can use to make our own decisions.

On a separate but related topic:
Much of Canada is blessed with water, in a world that is increasingly thirsty for it. But not all that water is clean or usable, and the more of it that is used or polluted by industry in one form or another the less there is available for drinking, for agriculture, or for the creatures we share the world with. Knowing how to maintain a balance between the different demands is crucial. As is recognizing that no body of living water is discrete; water flows in and out, above- and underground.

If you are comfortable relying on the Canadian government to protect Canada’s lakes (and with them our water supply and environment) you might want to take a few minutes to read this article on DigitalJournal about how lakes become containers for the byproducts of industry. Think about what can happen if such important decisions are made without full understanding of the effects they will have on the whole area. Then think about what could happen if a mine happens to open up close to your favorite lake, or by one that was connected to the groundwater that fills your well or your municipal water system...

Some food for thought.