‘With scientists on board, I’m get force-fed fun and helpful knowledge day in and night out’

The big blue is massive. It is so big and deep that our scientists struggle to uncover its secrets. But you and your boat can make a difference, writes citizen science sailor Jon Amtrup

I could spend my life sailing towards the horizon. To save my soul, as solo sailor Bernard Moitessier famously said when he turned the boat around to keep sailing instead of crossing the finish line in the 1968 Golden Globe Race.

I understand Moitessier. The ocean is my getaway place where the noise in my head quiets, my shoulders rest and my smile comes easily. The sea is a friend who just keeps giving and giving. But this friend needs help, and you can contribute by, among many other things, being a citizen science sailor.

So what is a citizen scientist sailor? It is a sailor who wants to give something back to the ocean by taking samples, readings, sights and measurements that will be processed, examined and interpreted by scientists. But it’s also for curious sailors who want to learn more about the ocean, whales, dolphins and ecosystems that live under our keel.

But why does science need your help? New technology such as ROVs, including satellites, automation, the development of sensors and over 300 big research vessels oceanwide are working full-time collecting data from the ocean. But it’s not enough.

Due to the vastness of the sea and the diversity of the challenges, more information is needed.

And we, the sailors who roam the seas, can return something to the ocean.

And why me? Or why you? It is essential to believe that one sailor can make a difference. Not a big one, but if enough of us team up and combine our skills and passion, we can make the BIG difference. So to make good on the conviction, I decided to get involved. I am part of a project led by Sailing4Science, which is looking into how sailors in the Arctic can make their sailing more sustainable and, at the same time, contribute to science. The project group comprises scientists, sailors, communicators and other ocean lovers.

I have also co-founded the non-profit Gate to the Arctic, which wants to create young ambassadors who can help create an understanding of why we have to protect the fragile Arctic – and one of the things we do is bring the youth on board our boats and let them meet the scientists and be their assistants so that they can learn. The young people become citizen scientists, and some even get so inspired that they become scientists themselves.

But I want to do more. And not just because it’s good for the ocean. It is also good for me. With scientists on board, I’m being force-fed fun and helpful knowledge day in and night out. This knowledge makes life at sea a lot more interesting and also inspires me to take better care of the ocean and encourage others to do the same.

There are a lot of citizen science projects for sailors out there. Just Google it and take your pick. In my quest for the ocean and thereby myself I used this February to get to know the International SeaKeepers Society. SeaKeepers provides oceanographic research, conservation and education through direct involvement with the yachting community. In plain words, they connect sailors and science.

By doing two online courses, I have become part of the ORCA OceanWatchers programme and am now qualified to actively watch for cetaceans and upload my sightings to researchers through an app. It’s easy, fun and enjoyable, making me feel part of something bigger. It will make everyone’s day to see a pod of orcas swimming by or a humpback fluke just before it dives.

Now, the sighting can give you more than just a smile. The researchers get more knowledge about where the cetaceans are, and can make use of the knowledge that can contribute to their well-being and protection.

Science on board

I have also listed my boat in the Discovery Yacht programme, meaning that scientists can come aboard my 45-foot expedition boat to do their research if I am sailing in areas they have their eyes on. It’s up to me if I want to have scientists on board, but having sailed with scientists on many expeditions in the Arctic, this makes the sailing a whole lot more interesting and my crew and I learn a lot.

The other factor is that I get even more motivated to save the ocean after sailing with scientists. So it is a classic win-win-win situation for science, me, and the ocean.

So why don’t you also become a citizen scientist sailor? You should also check out the new directory of Ocean Citizen Science Projects by Freerangeocean.org – they have taken the trouble of gathering the different projects for us – and the ocean.

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