The detailed itinerary that we drew up for the project was fifteen pages long and listed everything from dates and passage routes to drawbridge opening times and anchorage depths. However, we knew from the beginning that our itinerary was a loose plan and was subject to change many times throughout the trip.

 

Instead of departing from Florida as we originally planned, we sailed out of Beaufort, NC and out into the Atlantic towards Bermuda before turning south to sail towards the US Virgin Islands. This route was not much longer than the initial plan, and allowed us to spend extra time working on the boat rather than sailing further south on the Intracoastal Waterway. It is a common route taken by a number of skippers and sailing rallies and allowed us to avoid plowing straight into the worst of the trade winds. The offshore voyage, which lasted ten days, saved us a lot of time, wear and tear on the boat, and many headaches. We visited and conducted research in the US and British Virgin Islands, St. Martin, St. Bart's, Culebra and Vieques, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas.

 

Our interns, as well as several friends and family members, joined us at various points along our route to pitch in with the research and filming, and to learn more about the work we were doing from a firsthand perspective. Of course, the lure of warm sunny beaches and tropical waters might have played a small role in getting them down to visit as well. But they would be the first to tell you that they learned quite a bit about the problems that face our world’s oceans, and have made distinct changes in their lifestyle and ways of thinking as a result.

 

- Henry & Grant