Plastic pollution in our seas

[xriss]

ahh cheers people for the warm welcome,perhaps i aught to post the link on the other thread )))

[xriss]

& lets hope to find a fast & sustainable solution to this https://www.facebook.com/bbc/videos/10156144632886108/

[Pete7]

The video when you finally get into Facebook is about a video of plastic in the Caribbean.

So Xriss why should I be worried, it's a long way from me? also how much of this is down to the two hurricanes that completely trashed the Caribbean last Autumn?

Xriss, what personal steps have you taken to help resolve this problem?

Pete

[boatman61]

Messages in bottles have shown how far things can travel

[CaptTom]

Also, why assume we all want Facebook tracking what articles we read?

[boatman61]

Cannot view the link.. having told FB to go swivel on their Zuckerberg.

[xriss]

pete up here in Scotland we have banned these little critters:smile:

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by xriss

pete up here in Scotland we have banned these little critters

Ahh..!!! the Great Miami and Tiki Bar Cocktail Straw Patch..

[TrentePieds]

Sounds excruciating ! So let's all do that to FB :-)!

TP

[YPSILANTI]

Thanks Xriss, I certainly had not seen that clip before and I'm sure the same applies to many others. Well done for doing your bit to try help improve the ocean that we so love to sail in. If we all had the same mindset as you, then this problem wouldn't exist. Lets hope humanity wakes up before our planet is destroyed. yes, I agree, lets all do out bit to discourage the scourge of plastic.

[Blue Stocking]

xriss, welcome to the realm of the all-knowing. You'll get used to it.

( this may not last a 1/2 hr )

[1Sunseeker]

Thank you xriss. I had not seen that to that degree. Don't let the negative folks here turn you off. My wife and I went to Belize a few years ago and she was so turned off by the garbage on the beaches she will not go back.


Now we know there is a problem what can we do about it? I don't think the manufactures will stop using plastic. But an idea on a cleanup would be putting all those folks sitting in jail cells out there on a barge with scoop nets. Let them do their penance scooping up the garbage. Isn't most of it recyclable? This is sort of along the old chain gang principles. Let them work for their beans and rice. This would be good on many fronts. How could we get this idea going?

[grantmc]

Welcome along and don’t be put off. Let's face it, virtually none of the ‘original’ posts are original and have endless variants, views and opinions. Virtually all could be dismissed and referenced back to some earlier discussion. In fact we could just say everything worth ever talking about has already been discussed and we've enough information and so freeze the forum, job done.

Just looking through today's initial posts and we see:

Leaks
Shore Power Issues
Honda engine issues
Size of boat for single handing
Height of mast
Depth of keel
Heating and cooling

All been done before many times.
Pollution, anthropomorphic global warming, resource wastage, fossil fuel usage, all been done before.

Seriously though I am always disappointed when I see members making off-hand posts like:

Originally Posted by Pete7

What makes you think members of the forum don't already know about this problem? or discussed it in the past?
Pete

It’s not at all helpful. Thousands of people read but hardly ever post. That's a shame and we don’t have to wonder too long to understand why people are so reluctant. In my view we need to encourage people to participate, and with a tad of humanity and friendliness, the more likely it is that those less assertive might take the plunge and offer their thoughts.

And believe it or not, this forum used to be friendly and welcoming. But something has changed over the past 18-24 months or so. There are many posts like Pete's now. Many are even worse and quite nasty and the value of the forum has deteriorated considerably as a result.

But on the other hand Xriss, all you've done is post a link, and that is Facebook teenager style. Why not tell us what you think, what can be done, what you're doing as well as the link? So to be fair you've sort of opened yourself up to being dismissed because you haven't said anything. But anyway welcome Xriss, feel free to post about whatever you think might be of interest. I’d seen that video before, and sadly still as poignant.

On the thread topic. The trash in the water and wastage of resource is horrifying. Where I keep my boat (let’s make it about me!) there is a constant blanket of floating rubbish, bags, bottles and detritus. It’s awful. Visit most cities and towns in a few supposed pacific island paradises and they live in a world of rubbish. Seemingly oblivious to the trash that clutters their harbours, covers their beaches and smothers their sea beds.


Oh and Xriss, if you really want to get people posting introduce topics such as:
Guns or not on the boat
How do I work illegally in 3rd world countries on board my $US500K cat?
Hurricane holes
Health insurance (when much of the world has free health care)
2 stroke vs 4 stroke
Mono vs multi hull
They’ve all been done before, but who cares right?

[boatman61]

Actually a lot of it is not recyclable.. a lot of it is single use and adds to the problem.
What is needed is positive action on outlawing the manufacture of single use plastic..
Not the feeble statement.. 'We aim to be using no more SUP in the UK in 25 years time' by Theresa May.

[lordgeoff]

Originally Posted by xriss

My first post on the forum folks...& a very poignant one at that hope future post will be somewhat less sombre...thanks.

https://www.facebook.com/bbc/videos/10156144632886108/

Looks like a tide line where flotsam is gathered between the movement of the tides.
If this picture is in the Caribbean it would not be surprising to see all sorts of floating material brought together after serious hurricane activity. Probably surprising there is not more flotsam.