Hi Sailing World!
Are you searching for something new and exciting? A huge
learning experience? A chance to have an impact on science and education? Perhaps some cruising with a non-sailing goal in mind? Host a scientific expedition on your ship!
Sorry for the long post (and cross posting), but I want to get as much information out there as I can!
I am a biologist working on a study of the Arachnids of the
Caribbean. This is a very large international
project that is taking place over a period of at least 5 years. So far we have made trips or plans for trips to all of the Greater Antilles Islands:
Puerto Rico,
Cuba, Hispaniola,
Jamaica (coming 2013). However, one of the really big limitations for us is visiting all of the hundreds of smaller islands in the
Caribbean. We are searching for
boats of any sort who are cruising in the Caribbean and are interested in hosting a small group of scientists aboard their ship.
Here are our needs:
1) Any size and any type vessel cruising anywhere in the Caribbean (excluding the large islands in the North).
2) Space aboard for 2 (possibly more?) people.
2) A small area inside or out where we can sit at a table (while anchored) and look at stuff in microscopes.
3) Space for minimal
equipment (2 large duffel bags).
4) A willingness to
anchor for at least 2 days on each island visited.
Here is what we are willing to offer:
1) A wealth of natural
history knowledge of the Caribbean. Just think of us as your personal nature guide.
2) We are really good cooks!
3) We are even harder workers and willing to help crew the
boat (limited
experience but we are fast learners).
4) We are a fun time! (Not all scientists are boring)
5) If you have
kids we are happy to do some education exchange.
6) Our
budget for the
project is pretty tight (nobody wants to fund scientific
research anymore), but we are willing to pay for reasonable costs while we are aboard. (ie Anchorage
fees, Cruising
fees,
Food and Beverage,
fuel (other costs? ie satellite)).
Here is just a little bit about us and our goals (also visit www{dot}islandbiogeography{dot}org and be sure to check out our blog on the site, you can also follow us on Twitter @ CaribbeanBio, and on Facebook @ CaribbeanIslandBiogeography):
The Caribbean is a hotspot of biodiversity
The Caribbean archipelago consists of no less than 7000+ islands stretching over 4000 km. Many, perhaps most, of these islands harbor some species that live nowhere else in the world. Because islands are isolated (surrounded by water) species that manage to colonize them may become immediately isolated from other populations of that species. Whether through changes related to adapting to their new
environment, or merely changes that occur at random (for example genetic drift), such isolated populations become, through time, genetically and morphologically distinct from the 'source' population on the mainland. Thus, eventually, new species are formed on islands through an interplay of colonization and isolation. Archipelagos with thousands of islands have many opportunities for speciation and as a result the Caribbean is one of Conservation International hotspots of biodiversity.
Our project aims to understand how species are formed through the interplay of geology, such as the formation, size, age, and isolation of islands, and dispersal ability, that is the ability of different organisms to travel between isolated landmasses.
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