12:10pm Friday 25th December 2009
A KENDAL adventurer is set to head to the North Atlantic with a team of scientists on a mission to examine the affect that plastic has on the food chain.
John Wright will join the Algalita Marine Research Foundation on its 3,000-mile journey from the US Virgin Islands to Bermuda and then on to Azores.
The experienced sailor will lend a helping hand in sailing a 72-foot steel hulled yacht called the Sea Dragon, which was formerly used in the BT Global Challenge race.
“My main focus will be sailing and navigating but I will help where I can,” said Mr Wright, who runs Kendal-based Symbiosis Consulting, which organises team, leadership and coaching programmes for businesses.
The 53-year-old was asked to join the team by skipper Clive Cosby, who Mr Wright has sailed with in the past.
The group of around 12 will head out on January 7 for six weeks.
The work will involve trawling a fine mesh net and analysing its plastic content and testing the tissue of fish caught in the net for toxic chemicals.
The idea is that the plastic’s toxins are absorbed by plankton, which is eaten by fish, which in turn become contaminated.
The knock-on effect is that when predators - including people - eat the fish that has eaten the plastic, the toxins are transferred.
While in Bermuda, the team will also count debris on beaches, cataloguing the types of plastics and estimating the amount covering the beach.
Mr Wright said he was looking forward to the adventure, having previously taken part in the Three Peaks Yacht Race and Operation Drake – a journey from Plymouth to Panama – as well as sailing in Britain and the Mediterranean.
He also plans to work towards his Ocean Yachtmaster in celestial navigation, ocean meteorology, ocean passage planning and yacht management.
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