In the June of 2014 the Great Pacific Race 2014 will be held. The distance to be covered by the competitors will be measured from California to Hawaii, but to claim the leading position is less important than to be able to withstand a pressure during an unsupported and often dangerous trip. The rout of around 2400 miles will be entered by British woman Elsa Hammond aiming to go for her limits and to raise funds for support of the Pacific Ocean. All the money she will be able to collect is going to be transferred to the rather new, but ambitious Plastic Oceans Foundation. And of course she is going to accept donations in Bitcoin and has now a partner in the face of the company Blockchain.info.
The race is entered by 20 teams, among them – 5 soloists. The two of them are women. Hammond plans to raw for 16 hours every day to break the current record of 99 days. The trip she is planning to perform includes many difficulties and dangers. She has to cope with the powers of nature, like wind, weather and flow. The limited space of the boat will impact her physical conditions; the impossibility of free movement might be the reason for crams. Being alone in the open sea with storms, wild nature and the danger to cross a ship route will definitely cause mental pressure to deal with – the isolation, self-reliance and hard work will be a load to handle.
The boat for the trip is currently build by Justin Adkin of SeaSabre, who ones completed a similar journey. The boat will be 22ft long and about 6ft wide. Both ends will have cabins and compartments, 7ft each. One will have a place to sleep equipped with a signal to warn about ships nearby, but the second will keep all necessary equipment – a unit to produce drinking water from salt water, GPS, a radio, several mobile devices, a rescue kit and many other parts.
Now the design of the body is not ready – the area is to be given away to a sponsor, who can give it a name and cover it with logotypes and other advertising information. As the equipment costs about 50000 pounds and twice as much is necessary to launch in summer, Hammond might collect around 20000 pounds for the foundation. The organization appreciates any kind of help and any sums. It just not only informs the society, but also tries to lobby laws that will reduce the plastic pollution of the oceans. The current situation includes regions covered with different fractions of plastic – not just plastic bags, cups or toothbrushes, but smaller particles that might be swallowed by fish, birds and sea mammals. The introduction of this material into a food chain will sooner or later bring to the human.
The activity of Elsa Hammond can be supported. Her homepage almost every day adds to the list news sponsors. Among them is Blockchain.info. Their press release says: “The team at Blockchain.info proudly supports Elsa’s historic journey. We wish her calm waters and safe passage.” Among other noticeable supporters is WP Engine. The local and worldwide media also land a hand to the plan on the media level with regular publications and mentions.
For those, who got interested in this deed and would like to contribute to the success, the homepage of Hammond welcomes PayPal, Bitcoin and fiat money donations and offers rewards for every contribution.