To celebrate World Ocean Day 2023 we’re happy to report that a donation through the 1% for the Planet platform from Another World Adventures contributed towards the development our new ocean conservation not-for-profit called Free Range Ocean and the first of its many exciting projects.  Free Range Ocean is a UK-registered not-for-profit organisation founded in 2023 to inspire action for our ocean through adventure, science and storytelling.  The first Free Range Ocean initiative took place this spring 2023. Project: TransPacific Dates: 86 days between March and May 2023 Vessel: Freeranger (Beneteau 50 Celebration sailboat) Passage: Sailing over 7,500nm across the Pacific Ocean, from Whangamata, New Zealand to Victoria, Canada via French Polynesia and Hawaii. An international crew undertook two citizen science projects during a vessel delivery with the aim of contributing data from hard to reach places offshore to global research projects.  Free Range Ocean Skipper: Mark Griffiths Crew New Zealand > French Polynesia > Hawaii: Bryce Thurston & Bernadette Marcon Crew Hawaii > Victoria, BC: Elle Burke & Adam Eason Onshore Direction & Logistics: Larissa Clark & Duncan Copeland The first of two projects they were able to support with remote data sampling was the Global Oceanic Environmental Survey – A collaborative data collection project coordinated by the GOES Foundation. Aim and background: More than 60% by mass of all animals and plants in the oceans are under 1mm in size and they have been almost completely ignored by climate scientists, this is surprising because they control our climate, atmosphere and are the life support system for the entire planet.  By way of example, there are more cells of a plant call Prochlorococcus than there are grains of sands, and the mass of small animals called Copepods equates to the mass of 17 million jumbo jets. The animals migrate from a depth 400m every night to feed on the plants at the surface. This is the greatest mass migration on the planet, and their swimming action moves more water than the moon and tides.  The biology of the oceans are critically important but the science emerging is telling us that because we have polluted our beautiful oceans so much over the last 70 years, we have collectively managed to reduce the numbers of tiny planktonic plants and animals by a staggering 50%. This destruction is continuing at a rate of 1% year on year. These tiny animals are munching on toxic microplastic (they can’t tell the difference between plant and plastic particles) and the GOES Foundation have created an observational study so that we can start to estimate the amount of toxic chemical in the deep ocean.  Free Range Ocean Participation:  The crew collected samples twice per day for the entire voyage (minus a handful of times when it was not safe to do so) taking photos of the samples using a microscope on board and documenting the results which were submitted to the project upon landfall. Over 100 at-sea water samples were collected. A summary report created by an undergraduate marine scientist is soon to be publishedhaving conducted data analysis on the samples collected during the voyage to understand and they’ll share observations and findings. The crew took a 0.5 litre of sea water, put it through a GOES filter (developed by Dr.Jesus Ramon Barriuso Diez), count plankton, microplastics (fibres and beads) and any other particles which are over 20 microns. By counting the particles, the microplastics and the plankton, the GOES Foundation will use machine learning to undertake the following, but the really exciting thing about science is that other patterns and relationships may start to emerge as the number of samples we all take increases:  look for relationships and correlations in the numbers present the data in ways that help us understand what’s going on in the deep ocean add up the amount of toxic PCB that is in the deep oceans of our planet. Watch this space for the findings…

In September 2024 we set sail on a direct voyage of 750nm from Ucluelet, British Columbia to San Francisco, California - it was a big stage for us in our journey so far as it ended the fantastic 18 months we've spent in British Columbia and meant we were finally heading South. Crew Name Role Duncan Copeland Captain Larissa Clark First Mate, First Aid Constance Hummel Crew, Watch Leader, Ass. First Aid Nikkey Dawn Crew, Trip Documentation Eden Copeland Age 7 - wildlife spotter, citizen science helper Skye-Elizabeth Copeland Age 5 - wildlife spotter, citizen science helper The voyage took the expected 5 nights 6 days with the typical 'not enough' wind and 'a lot of' wind and 'not always blowing the right way', but primarily they were NW winds with variable 5-30 knots leading to a couple of days and nights in the middle with a sea state at 4-6meters which made for some fun surfing! We took the ‘offshore’ route, generally 40-50 NM off the coast to avoid inshore fishing activity, with the hope of staying out of larger wave conditions (hmmm) and shipping lanes further offshore. Once south of Cape Mendocino, we headed closer inshore on a bearing for San Francisco port entrance which we arrived at late in the evening to sail under the twinkling Golden Gate Bridge and into our first USA port where we took anchor at Angel Island. Highlights from the journey have to be the incredible wildlife we encountered the whole way from sea otters, sea lions, countless humpback whales, three sei whales changing direction and swimming under Freeranger, dolphins at the bow, porpoises, dazzling light shows of bioluminescence, so many birds and seeing pelicans as we entered San Fran, night skies, and for some, big old surfing waves! Lowlights have to be Larissa's sea sickness and the dreadful thudding coming from the engine room which resulted in 12 days in the yard on arrival to San Fran but let's not dwell on that! Our voyage plan included participation for half a dozen citizen science projects as below. Citizen Science Projects Whale Report App Technology developed in British Columbia helps researchers better understand local whale populations is now being used to protect those same whales. Through Ocean Wise’s Sighting Network we contributed to conservation-based research by submitting sightings of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) when in the waters of British Columbia (B.C.) and northern Washington of which we had many during the passage south. Once we'd left the range of the App we switched to a more local initiative to report our Sei whale encounter! Secchi Disk Study We've enjoyed helping researchers understand the impact of climate change on phytoplankton by taking regular Secchi depth readings and sharing them on the interactive app which is popular with the kids! This was particularly fun mid-way where we took our deepest reading so far since starting earlier this year. It was amazing for the kids to see the disk going deeper and deeper into clear ocean seas when in BC the waters were so nutrient rich we'd lose it after a few meters. Global Ocean Environment Survey This is another very interesting project and the one we have the most history with as our crews have contributed over 100 data points to in the study in the past by using a water sample filter and photograph for plankton and microplastics research. This passage was hampered by a failing (lost) O-ring in our GOES filter which meant the samples wouldn't be reliable so it's in for repair and we'll try again next time! Windrow Observation With technological advances moving at such pace people sometimes presume everything can be done with 'eyes in the sky' but ground-truthing satellite imagery is still a critical part of technology development for plastic pollution research and beyond. We shared reporting on positions and ground-truthing satellite imagery by observation of "windrows", elongated phenomena on the ocean surface which have little to do with the wind (actually, they form under low winds). They typically have a width of less than 100 meters and their length can exceed 10km. They are seen either as mirror glossy strips of water (due to oily natural or anthropogenic surfactant) or as dense aggregations of floating matter (debris, foam, neuston, etc.). We shared sightings (see one pictured by Nikkey below) of a couple with Nikolai Maximenko at University of Hawaii so he could compare our positions with any slicks in images of ESA's Sentinel-2 (optical) and Sentinel-1 (radar, can see through clouds) satellites. Velella Observations Velella, or "by-the-wind sailors," are stunning blue colonial hydrozoans with unique sails that help them drift across oceans. Their angled sails prevent mass strandings, while they play vital ecological roles as plankton predators and prey for specialized species. We kept our eyes peeled to share any sightings of these fascinating creatures at sea with Tom W. Iwanicki, PhD MSc at Georgetown University to help understand the ‘lefty’ v ‘righty’ of this marine species. Seabed2030 We were welcomed into the " Hall of Fame" as a Seakeeper International Discovery Yacht in summer 2024. Before leaving Ucluelet we set up a device they provided to capture passive recording of depth information towards creation of global seabed map by 2023. Privately-owned vessels can participate in increasing our knowledge of the ocean by sharing depth measurements from navigation instruments while out at sea. Yachts explore the world’s oceans, often in areas where data is sparse, non-existent or of poor quality. These are exactly the places where contribution of global seafloor mapping efforts can have the greatest impact. Ocean Voyages Institute Macro plastic trackers This was the second Pacific journey our crew  has carried trackers aboard for the brilliant Mary Crowley and her team at Ocean Voyages Institute with the hope of deploying them onto large plastic debris in a limited range of the North Pacific Gyre. You need a somewhat perfect set of conditions - calm sea state, mild winds, and macro plastic to show up at the right time. We were in the research area for a day and although we'd had all three during the overall passage they were never timed together - an important reminder of how hard it is to collect data from our ocean offshore! For more information on any of these projects just get in touch! Until then, we're off to explore California! See a gallery of highlights captured by the crew but all the best ones by Nikkey Dawn !

The first time we spotted a sea turtle from aboard Freeranger was on the passage along the Baja California Mexico coast from Bahía Santa Maria to Cabo San Lucas. We were under full sail, propelled only by wind and had been marvelling the sheer volume of marine life around us. We had humpbacks off our port side now, dolphins in all directions, barking sea lions surfing the waves alongside and birds - magnificent frigates and pelicans - all around. Then the first of five sea turtles cruised on by to shrieks of delight from the crew. We’ve got pretty good at identifying whales and dolphin types but the turtles were new for us especially underway! It was sobering to learn that all five species of sea turtles in Baja California, Mexico are endangered: Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Leatherback, Green Turtle, and Olive Ridley so we quickly went about finding a citizen science project we can contribute to. Upwell is an organisation dedicated to sea turtle conservation and they have a great citizen science Turtle Spotter project in the eastern Pacific. We’ve added it the citizen science directory here ! Good luck if you spot one and can identify it (harder than we thought as they’re so fast!!) - uploading your sightings to their project helps researchers understand changes in populations, movements, foraging locations and habitat conditions It involves using iNaturalist app and our kids are enthusiastic about any chance for permission to get near the iPad so it makes a fun family activity spotting and reporting. Here’s a great sea turtle spotter guide to see who is who! https://www.clubcruceros.net/pdf/SeaTurtleSpotter.pdf Sea turtles migrate thousands of miles each year, and some species can travel over 10,000 miles. Environmental cues like water temperature and daylight length influence the timing and routes of their migration. Turtle season in Baja California is from late August to early December, when the turtles return to lay their eggs on the beaches where they were born. However, turtle releases are becoming more rare due to threats from humans, including: Poaching, Becoming by-catch in unsustainable fishing practices, Coastal development, and Ocean pollution. We hope to take part in some hatchling releases in the next few weeks so watch this space! Cover picture by Wexor Tmg

The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California is celebrating 50 years of creating a healthy ocean for marine mammals and humans alike! 🌊With ocean conditions rapidly changing, this work is more important than ever! We left FREERANGER in the KKMI yard having some work on the propeller and visited to learn more about the ways they advance ocean health through marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, research, and education. It was exciting to learn more about many of the marine mammals we have seen so often this summer between BC and California. The center is the world's biggest marine hospital and since 1975, they've rescued more than 26,000 marine mammals along 600 miles of California coastline and the Big Island of Hawai'i. T here are over 40 marine mammals there at the moment. One - a California Sea Lion - was being rescued while we were there! 🐟 We got to watch the “fish smoothies” being prepared and the researchers in the lab examining tests from four post mortems that had just been completed with preliminary causes being toxic poisoning and a shark bite 😳 There were lovely educational and interactive displays and with over 1,300 volunteers there was always someone to ask our questions. Plus their website is packed with educational information and research papers to learn more from 🔬 A highly recommended visit for all ages. Find out more here . And check out our directory of marine mammal citizen science projects you can be involved in here

During our time in Ucluelet, BC we were able to visit Canada's first acclaimed catch-and-release aquarium located on the traditional territory of the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ – Ucluelet  First Nation. Ucluelet Aquarium is dedicated to raising awareness and respect for the local ocean environment through exhibits of marine life that inhabits the waters of Barkley and Clayoquot Sounds. It was a brilliant experience and one we highly recommend. I'll likely have a few blogs to post about it. But one story that stuck in my mind was about an Orca called J18, known also as "Everett". J18 was a male southern resident killer whale whose life was tragically cut short at 18 years of age. A necropsy revealed severe bacterial infection and stunted reproductive development. The necropsy also found high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) present in his tissues, which are known causes of immune and reproductive impairment. PCBs are highly toxic chemical compounds historically used in products such as industrial lubricants, paints, and adhesives. These pollutants were released into the environment in huge quantities throughout the 20th century, making their way into our ocean, where they persist to this day. By the process of "bioaccumulation", PCBs work their way through marine food webs, beginning with the smallest of organisms and eventually ending up in animals at the top of the food chain - such as killer whales like J18. This was particularly interesting because the inaugural citizen science research with the GOES Foundation that our crew participated in aboard Freeranger when the boat journeyed from New Zealand to Canada in 2023. Taking part in citizen science initiatives like this makes a real difference. Do as we did (do!) and collect samples for the GOES Foundation   who have created an observational study so that we can start to estimate the amount of toxic chemical in the deep ocean. Or, you can help researchers monitor and learn more about the health and wellbeing of local cetacean (whale, dolphin, and porpoise) species by reporting your sightings to the Ocean Wise Sightings Network via the WhaleReport app . The WhaleReport app also helps minimize the threat of vessel disturbance throughout British Columbia and Washington State by using real time sighting reports to alert ship captains of large commercial vessels, such as tankers and ferries, to the presence of whales nearby. This warns them to take measures to reduce the risk of strike and disturbance. Interested in knowing more about how pollution is affecting B.C's coastal waters? Check out Ocean Wise's Pollution Tracker website at pollutiontracker.org to learn more about the most common pollutants contaminating the marine environment and the areas that are most affected. p.s. The lead image isn't J18 .. it's a photo by Farzn Dehbashi sourced from Unsplash because we didn't capture any Orca shots this summer!

We've finally added a tracker to the website! It works best on desktop but there's a link to a nice mobile view on the PredictWind website. Until the 27th September it suggests out latest location is Vancouver but it's a bug! Just look at the prior point for the latest ;-) On the tracker map we have a second blog with updates on where and when we've contributed to science projects and other fun things like that.

We shared our story and plans with the members of the Bluewater Cruising Association in Currents Magazine this month. There’s a heated debate ensuing on the deck of Freeranger . The point in question is whether we should be using ‘the big’ or ‘the small’ weight to maximise our chance of success. Around us other boats aren’t waiting around. Bobbing away in the midday sun, whoops of glee and calls of “fish on” can be heard as everyone makes the most of the newly opened Coho season. The fish are biting. The FOMO is real. But we’re not there for the fish. We’re figuring out how to take a depth reading for the Secchi Disk citizen science project – a study of phytoplankton changes in the world’s oceans – and our Secchi Disk won’t sink properly thanks to the current. “We could just get fishing and tell the Department of Fisheries about the size of anything we catch for their study instead” says our seven-year-old eyeing up his rod and lucky lure hopefully. But conditions are otherwise perfect, and we’re keen to take our first Secchi depth reading as one of many citizen science projects we’ll be contributing to on our world voyage.... - READ the full story here!

July has been an action-packed month for us aboard Freeranger as we settle into our liveaboard life and put new systems and equipment through its paces. We've sailed over 350 miles with highlights including the Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, Campbell River, and the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia so far. The marine and wildlife has been incredible. We've spotted dozens of bird species including bald eagles, turkey vultures, loons, cormorants, herons, gulls and more. At sea we've watched Steller sealions, sea otters, river otters, humpback whales, porpoises, white-sided dolphins and plenty of jumping salmon! Deer, mink, Douglas squirrels but as yet no bears! Along the way we are contributing our cetacean sightings to the Ocean Wise’s Sighting Network using the WhaleReport app to support important conservation-based research. And we've started submitting depth readings to the Secchi Disk study to help researchers understand the impact of climate change on phytoplankton . It's a unique global study, and the kids love it because they get to use an app on the iPad to submit our results. We ordered 5 kits in May and hope to be able to share them with other boaters we meet along the way who also want to join in! If you'd like one let us know! The public science project measures the amount of phytoplankton - minute organisms at the very start of the marine food chain - currently residing in the world’s oceans. To check the levels of phytoplankton in our ocean, they've developed a simple piece of equipment that you can order or make yourself and a free smart phone app for sailors and fishermen to use wherever they are in the world. We are at anchor in a charming place called Sointula which aptly means “place of harmony” in Finnish. This charming seaside town on sprawling Malcolm Island was established as a community in 1901 when a colony of Finnish settlers arrived with utopian dreams of building the perfect community. While that vision was derailed within a decade, there’s no question these visionaries chose the right place for a fresh air and salt water paradise on earth! We'll do some provisioning at BC’s longest running cooperative general store, formed as the Sointula Co-operative Store Association in 1909 before heading over to Port Hardy in the coming days.

We set sail from Royal Victoria Yacht Club on Wednesday 10 July 2024! Ahead of departure we picked up equipment for some exciting research projects we’ll be contributing to along the way - watch this space! Our shakedown sailing this summer will see us honing skills on some new systems and getting ready for our first offshore to San Francisco in September. We were joined by 37 friends and family at Scott Point, Saltspring Island to celebrate this milestone in our big adventure. 💙

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, better known as the Ocean Decade , is a shared global effort that builds on decades of achievements in ocean science. We are delighted that our plans and activities for Free Range Ocean have been endorsed by the Ocean Decade today - on the eve of our our voyage it's a real honour to be recognised for our mission to use adventure sailing, citizen science and storytelling to inspire action for a healthy ocean among boating and coastal communities. The vision of the Ocean Decade is 'The science we need for the ocean we want', and we look forward to supporting transformative ocean science solutions for sustainable development, connecting people and our ocean over the coming weeks, months, years! During our journey we plan to do three things...   1) To use FREERANGER as a testbed and showcase for innovative and accessible research-based or green-operational technologies, ​ 2) to contribute to, and enable other boaters to take part in, the smorgasbord of citizen science projects around the world that urgently need support from sea-going folk, and ​ 3) to host local early-career researchers and communicators in the countries we visit with a Freerange Fellowship programme that gives them career-propelling firsthand field experience, something that is often a barrier to pursuing a career in this important work.   The end goal?   To inform, inspire and enable others to have their own positive impact on our ocean with an 'everyone, and every action counts' philosophy. Check out our citizen science directory of ocean projects here! Are we missing any? Let us know so we can add them. Thanks to all who are helping us to bring this project to life! Larissa, Duncan, Eden and Skye! ddd  ffare tangible initiatives and endeavors that will be identified, implemented and supported by a wide range of partners throughout the Decade.

On 6th June 2024 we welcomed 21 Grade 1 and 2 children from Willow's Elementary School for an ocean exploration and citizen science day with FREERANGER at Oak Bay Marina. In the morning the class learned about nautical letter flags which used in maritime communication to represent individual letters of the alphabet. Each flag has a unique design, allowing sailors to send messages and signals across distances, enhancing safety and coordination at sea. The kids practised spelling their names with the flag letters! Here's a great nautical flag activity sheet we used! We chose to keep FREERANGER at Oak Bay Marina, in part, because it is a recognised "Clean Marina". This certification highlights its commitment to environmental stewardship. This designation is part of a broader Clean Marina Program aimed at reducing pollution and promoting sustainable practices in marinas and boating facilities. Key aspects of a clean marina include: Pollution Prevention: Implementing measures to prevent contaminants like oil, fuel, and sewage from entering the water. This often involves the use of spill prevention kits, regular maintenance of boats and equipment, and educating boaters on best practices. Waste Management: Proper disposal and recycling of waste materials, including hazardous substances. Marinas provide designated areas for waste collection and recycling to minimize environmental impact. Water Quality: Regular monitoring and maintenance of water quality to ensure a healthy marine environment. This can include measures like installing bilge water filtration systems and encouraging the use of eco-friendly cleaning products. Habitat Protection: Efforts to protect and preserve the natural habitat around the marina. This can involve creating buffer zones, protecting local wildlife, and promoting the use of native plants in landscaping. Education and Outreach: Providing information and resources to boaters and the community about sustainable boating practices and environmental conservation. This includes workshops, informational signage, and collaboration with local environmental organisations. Facility Management: Ensuring that all marina facilities are designed and operated in an eco-friendly manner. This includes using energy-efficient lighting, maintaining clean and safe docks, and implementing water conservation measures. We took the kids down to the docks where we'd set up a station where we investigated marine life with nets and buckets. The kids learned all about the marina's "sea bin" - an innovative device designed to help clean up marine environments by collecting floating debris, microplastics, and oil from the water's surface. We watched all kinds of debris being collected in this awesome floating garbage bin! Later, the kids took a tour of FREERANGER and we used a scavenger hunt activity to talk about clean energy, water use and responsible cruising and shoreside lifestyles. A great day all round!

Between May 17-20th we sailed Freeranger to Telegraph Harbour, Thetis Island, BC. We were to take part in the Bluewater Cruising Association rendevous rally and share an update with participating boaters about our plans to sail off into the wide blue yonder with the intention of exploring the world and undertaking some Citizen Science Projects . It was a wonderful event and there was much discussion about our plans and new citizen science ocean directory along with tips and advice on practical actions boaters could take to green their time on the water. We're especially grateful for the incredible "Leavers Kit" the BCA Fleet presented us with that was packed with loads of useful goodies from a fire blanket to a USB lighter, clamps, laminated emergency procedures and so much more! One morning we joined in on the session "Microscopy with Elaine". It was a hands-on session to check out what's on and around the dock, learn some citizen science, and enjoy discovering more about our rich coastal waters! Such a fascinating experience to use nets to scoop alongside the dock and little loupes to see some of the incredible creatures living in the water. Dr Elaine Humphrey of University Victoria has a tabletop scanning electron microscope (SEM) that Hitachi gave her to go into schools for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs. When COVID struck Elaine couldn’t go into schools but UVic made available a license for Zoom with 300 connections and remote control. Now she is able to connect to schools even in remote areas. With our plans to be sailing remote areas of the world and with Starlink on board it should be possible to connect with the SEM from anywhere. A few of the organisms that Rendezvous participants collected from the dock at Telegraph Harbour Marina are going to be the subject when we test out the system from FREERANGER! BCA members and BCA friends, especially those who were at the Rendezvous, are invited to connect as well. Please join Eden of Free Range Ocean and Elaine for this unique Zoom session on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, 3:30-4:30pm PST (Vancouver) Email us to request the zoom link!