"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their
minds cannot change anything." – George Bernard Shaw

 

I’m 39 years old and a mother of two beautiful children. On May 7th, 2007, I’m going to wave good-bye to them from the Miami Beach Rowing Club in Miami, Florida, and paddle a 20’ Outrigger Canoe in the ICW and along the Atlantic coast to Maine, where I will rejoin them in about 11 weeks.  I expect to reach Camden, Maine, sometime around July 21st.

 

During those 11 weeks, I will paddle nearly 2000 miles, making 74 stops along the way.   I am not a professional athlete, just an environmentally conscious mother and paddling enthusiast who's pushing myself to the limits in the hopes that I can make a difference in the world and inspire others to take an active role in the stewardship of our ocean.  The condition – and future - of the ocean is one of the most critical problems the entire world faces.  Just like our children, our one ocean is this planet’s most precious resource, and we are failing it.  

 

The world’s ocean is in trouble and needs our help. Pollution, habitat destruction, mismanagement and overfishing have impoverished our ocean resources, and have caused more than 90% of the world's large fish, including tuna, swordfish and marlin to disappear from our oceans.  (A recent study published in the journal "Science" revealed that, at the rate we’re going, all of the world’s commercial fisheries are headed for collapse by 2048.)   Beautiful beaches, once the haven of our recreational moments, are facing closures from health advisories, and uninhibited coastal developments have shrunk our access to them.

 

My journey lasts only eleven weeks, but my mission, I hope, will endure long after the paddling ends.  I am connecting with over two hundred local coastal protection organizations along the length of the eastern seaboard.  I hope that my paddle will attract more people to these organizations and further promote their missions and work and help grow the change in mindset at the local level.  I believe that in bringing attention to the need for action, we can rekindle the spirit, the innate psyche we have in us all, to make a difference and restore words like conservation, sustainability, ecology, and initiative part of our everyday vocabulary.  I also hope to send a wake-up call to our leaders, both domestically and internationally, that they need to protect our fish stocks and ocean environments, otherwise our cherished ocean resources will vanish. 

 

Many people are affected by declining ocean health, though few take action toward positive change.  For nearly three months, I’ll paddle an average of 25 miles per day, braving high winds and rough seas, all the while hoping that one woman's adventure will inspire change and help preserve the legacy of the ocean for generations to come.  Follow my journey here where my coordinates are tracked daily, along with weblog featuring anecdotes from my journey along with pictures and video clips that will be uploaded remotely.  Follow me on this exciting feat, fill your soul with adventure and encourage others to join me on this quest.