one of the shoes belonged to a Bondi Beach walker. Who knows where the GPS transponder came from, maybe a sunken fishing trawler? On Suwarrow lots of things washed up, some from long ago. In the late 1800s a skeleton was


found, along with several Spanish pieces of eight, a musket ball and some nails. One theory says it’s a 16th century Spanish sailor, while another says it’s one of the mutinous crew from HMS Bounty. Whether garbage or gold, humans sure leave a mess. But Suwarrow is a spec in the


ocean, so it makes me wonder how much garbage is out there. Just like a net, a startling amount of floating debris is caught by the atoll day after day. But so far garbage hasn’t turned Suwarrow upside down; the flora and fauna still thrive. Suwarrow is a like a window with


a small crack. Through it I can see raw beauty, vivid colors and dramatic weather. However, the crack in this window clouds it. Human impact can kill the coral, and if the coral dies the entire underwater ecosystem collapses. Like a tower of blocks, take out the


bottom block and the others will collapse. Think about it. Let’s say you leave a plastic bottle


on the ground. You think it’s just one plastic bottle; it’s not going to make a difference. When everyone thinks that, then that is the problem. And when it rains after a big weekend in Tunks Park in North Sydney, Australia, so many plastic bottles float past my boat and out of Sydney Harbor, on their way to a beach on Suwarrow. And the crack gets a little bigger.


We are exceedingly proud that Niall’s entry won. So what does a cruising family do


to celebrate? Break out the boat hook and start collecting the plastic that drifts into the dock. It is now part of a boat school project to count, document, and graph the results. Although it’s early, we’re surprised to note that collection counts are trending down each day. If that remains true, and people realize it’s easy to reduce foul, floating trash that is also devastating to seabirds and marine mammals, why wouldn’t they? Is it awkward? Ever have a plastic bag get up to


the engine raw water strainer? If you’re in a marina that happens to have a frequent quantity of drift plastic or Styrofoam, ask the marina if they’ll put a small garbage bin and boat hook on the dock. Label the bin “Keep the water clean, disposal for floating garbage only, not for boat trash.” If people spend a couple minutes to dispose of floating trash when they see it, more people will notice and hopefully join in.


In school, boat based and otherwise,


adults do the teaching. Yet, very often we find ourselves as students of children. If given the chance, the unfiltered and unbiased simplicity of children can inspire. Their mandate may be as awkward as picking up someone else’s trash. But as youth is the landlord of the future, it’s about time that we grown-ups show more respect for their property. I’m comfortable with that.


Follow the adventures of the Giffords


in our Cruisers Blogs on the 48° North website www.48north.com


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48° NORTH, AUGUST 2011 PAGE 53


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