After a fair amount of trials before our voyage, we have finally set sails on this summer’s project “Sailing for Seas” as part of the Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark summer campaign #CleanSummerNOW. In this blogpost. I will explain a bit about who we are, what we are doing and why!
The crew
The boat Freja is an International Folkboat from around 1975 and onboard you’ll find the two friends - Frederikke and me, Mathilde. We have known each other since we started high school in 2014 and been on countless travels together including interrailing Europe and camping in a Volkswagen Passat in Sweden. In other words, we know each other pretty well and neither of us could imagine doing this trip with anyone else.
I, Mathilde, am the experienced sailor of us and the boat owner. I learned to sail on Oure Højskole where I got smitten by sailing and the sea. Since then, I have been sailing in Aarhus and in February of 2021 I bought a boat with my mom. Later, I’ve also had option of introducing Frederikke to sailing which she has consequently also been smitten by. Therefore, it only makes sense for the two of us to start this journey together.
Our plastic problem
The ocean has always been taking good care of mankind and we can’t really live without it. However, as of right now, we’re taking more from the ocean than we’re giving and that is not sustainable in the long run. Our wish for this voyage is to strengthen the public focus on plastic pollution and hereby ultimately making a difference for our planet. We want to reach out to a big audience and help inform, educate and affect individuals. We will encourage that everyone take part in taking care of our oceans and through a big number of small actions and behavioral change we will make a great effect on our environment.
Sailing for Seas
Living near the ocean for our entire lives in the North of Jutland plastic pollution is an issue close to our hearts and if we can make a difference – we will! Sailing for Seas is our plastic expedition project for the summer of 2022 where we have teamed up with Nordic Ocean Watch in order to raise awareness of the ocean pollution.
At NOW we simplify this with the concept Tavaha which is short for ‘tag vare på havet’ or take care of the ocean. The Nordic aloha which encapsules community, cohesion and understanding across borders, generations, and cultures with the ocean as our universal coherence in this world.
In order to live up to this concept we plan to sail all over Denmark while spreading the word. We will be doing mini cleanups and collecting plastic near the Danish marinas and beaches and it will all be featured on Nordic Ocean Watch social channels.
The cleanups
As of right now we’re a week into our trip and things haven’t been going to well for this team so far. Initially we had planned to do 5 public cleanups all over Denmark but with a delayed check at the shipyard, a leak inside the boat, a bilge pump not working, engine running out and ultimately and lastly getting stuck between two boats needing 7 stitches in my arm we have decided to cancel our events. Instead, this campaign will be online, we will still be doing mini cleanups where we go and encourage people to do the same in their local areas. Though we’re sad with this outcome we do believe that we can still make a difference for the ocean which is all that really matters.
So follow along on our journey – here on the blog, on NOW’s social media or on my own @mathildegonesailing on Instagram.