WWF South Africa and racing trimaran Love Water are joining forces to raise awareness about the problem of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans ahead of the Cape2Rio yacht race in January 2020.
The 80-foot, French trimaran, skippered by Craig Sutherland, arrived in Cape Town on 12 December after a 14 000km delivery voyage from Portimao, Portugal, via Brazil, to the Mother City.
It will be berthed at the V&A Waterfront until 11 January 2020 while making final preparations to take part in the Southern Hemisphere’s premium sailing event – the trans-Atlantic crossing from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro.
The #LoveWater team has set itself two goals – to break the Cape2Rio record of 11 days set by rival vessel Maserati, and to promote environmental awareness around the impact of plastic pollution on marine life while doing so.
They’ve also settled on the lucky number eight. With eight crew members on board, and their sights set on a record-breaking eight-day race, they plan to share eight stories about plastic pollution during their voyage. They will end their trip with a Commitment Day when they will share what they’ve learnt and seen of plastic pollution during the crossing and make their own pledges to do something about it.
Follow #LoveWater’s progress at https://my.yb.tl/lovewater and the social media channels of both #LoveWater and WWF South Africa to learn more about plastic pollution and to track the yacht’s progress.