In early June, to coincide with World Ocean’s Day, BOAT International hosted an online event, Ocean Talks, to continue the conversation on how best to protect our oceans. Central to our enjoyment of yachting, the state of the world’s oceans is being preserved and looked after by many passionate individuals. Just a few of these people and their work were showcased during the three-day Ocean Talks event to instigate new discussions and awareness. To catch up on anything you may have missed, here is a quick recap.
Take on board expert advice
It is no secret that plastic is a huge problem, especially for the ocean. To help cut down on plastic use, we heard from United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean Peter Thomson alongside Frederikke Magnussen, co-founder of A Plastic Planet, who shared more about their campaigns to promote plastic-free alternatives. To really drive the message home, the pair also shared findings on how much plastic there is in a human body.
Another expert willing to share advice was Water Revolution Foundation's executive director, Robert van Tol, who created these 10 commandments as a way to give fresh insight into how to ensure the design and construction of superyachts are as ocean-friendly as possible.
Meet inspiring scientists
Ocean Talks shared information about a range of scientists all conducting important work both above and below water. These six leading scientists in particular, were able to share their stories with BOAT International readers in a bid to help them find their way on board a superyacht. Through the Yachts for Science programme, these scientists would then be able to continue their work by using the yacht as a home base. For a little bit more inspiration, we heard from the charter yacht that accommodated this team from the Manta Trust to help manta ray research in the Maldives.
Another group of scientists with a different story are those from the Minorities in Shark Science (MISS), a charity co-founded by four young female Black scientists who met on Zoom. Their story is not only unique, but comes with the inspiring aim of promoting diversity and inclusion in shark science.
Hear from a legend
Referred to as “Her Deepness”, Dr Syliva Earle has spent more than 7,000 hours underwater. As a result, she has become a legendary marine biologist, explorer and ocean advocate. In this exclusive podcast, Dr Earle shares more about her status as National Geographic’s explorer-in-residence and why this generation is the one to change the current crisis facing the world’s oceans.
See a series of one-of-a-kind ocean NFTs
Through an online auction, this series of three exclusive NFTs (non-fungible tokens) from Winch Design were auctioned with 100% of the proceeds from the sales donated to two organisations – Yachts for Science and Oceans Without Borders. The NFTs were the first of their kind from the world-renowned studio and were imaginative takes on innovative design and marine conservation. The auction was facilitated by Cloud Yachts and was described as a “historic event”.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OCEAN TALKS