Your Wake Defines You...

Plus: Whales both south and north...

(Program Note: I’ve changed the name of this newsletter to more directly convey what it is about—and also to eliminate potential Google embarrassment for anyone searching the old name). Onward…

I came across this in the paper the other day, and it is as good a personal philosophy as any. As a despiser of JetSkis and rampaging powerboats it perfectly suits my sensibilities. And of course it works on a deeper level is well. We could all reduce our wake in life, and go easier on each other and the planet.

Take note of the writer’s name. He’d have to think like this, wouldn’t he?

Blue Whale Bingo: Speaking of boat traffic and wakes, ship traffic is making it very hard to be a blue whale living and feeding off Chile:

Several years ago, researchers discovered that northern Chilean Patagonia (NCP) is the most important feeding and breeding ground for Southeast Pacific blue whales during the austral summer. Now, a study published in Scientific Reports has identified, within this large space, the four areas where whales prefer to feed in.

For the study, the researchers installed satellite trackers on 14 whales to observe their movements. In parallel, they constructed a map with the routes of vessels using their satellite information.

What they found when they superimposed the movements of whales and ships is that whales feed in spaces that are subject to intense marine traffic. The situation could endanger the recovery of this unique blue whale population, which consists of just a few hundred individuals and is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List.

The reason for all the traffic? The region is home to 1,357 salmon farms, making it the second most intensive salmon farming area on the planet, after Norway.

Words can’t quite convey the problem. So here is a visualization. The blue dot is a blue whale just trying to do what blue whales do, as ships ping-pong all around him/her. It’s hard to watch, and does a powerful job of making the connection between a human behavior (love of eating salmon) with a threat to an iconic species. If we truly understood all the impacts of the choices we make every day I think a lot of behaviors would change. At least I hope they would.

Happier Whales?: If you want to see some orcas and humpback whales who are much less pressed by humanity (though pressed nonetheless), there is no better voyager to turn to than Andreas Heide and his explorations aboard his Sun Fast 37, Barba.

Andreas has been exploring and filming in Arctic waters during the winter months, and he has captured some of the most amazing underwater footage of whales you can see.

I’ve been in touch with him over the years, and hope to sail with him some day. He is going to places that are remote and fragile, and need protection. And he uses his film and photography to try and achieve that. Here is his most recent work. As Andreas explains:

In the shadow of whales” is a 4 minute summary of the 3 weeks I spent with underwater cinematographer Kevin Peyrusse, tracking whales under and over water. It resulted in some stunning encounters, with diving under fishing vessels as one of the highlights. It’s a technique I have been perfecting for years, but this was our most successful encounter to date.

Stunning. (Note to self: make that voyage on Barba, happen!)

Moment Of Zen: Well, this is one one way to enjoy a sunset at, um, anchor. (Source)

Data To Ponder: The world's wealthiest 1% produce double the combined carbon emissions of the poorest 50%. And the world’s wealthiest 5% contributed 37% of emissions growth between 1990 and 2015. (Source)

That’s all for today. If you would like to receive the latest Sailing Into The Anthropocene in your inbox when they are published, please subscribe here.