Slowest Clean Regatta - Sailors for the Sea

Slowest Clean Regatta

 June 10, 2014  | By: Oceana

It’s not too often we hear about folks rowing across an ocean (there are a lot of blisters involved), but it’s even more infrequent that we hear about multiple folks signing up to not only row across an ocean, but also to race across it. Did we mention that they chose the largest ocean as well?

The 2,400-mile Great Pacific Race – which had its official start this Monday, June 9th – is billed as the “biggest, baddest human endurance challenge on the planet” and it turns out that race organizers and competitors alike have a huge admiration for the ocean environment as well.

“We here at the Great Pacific Race wanted to make clear the respect we have for the ocean as a fragile and endangered environment that supports all human life, not just rowers,” says Chris Martin, organizer of The 2014 Great Pacific Race.

This year 13 teams signed up in four categories – Classic Solo, Open Pair, Classic Pair, and Classic Fours. Currently Team Uniting Nations in the Classic Fours division is winning but there’s still over 2,000 miles left for the other teams to catch up.

Offshore racing such as the Great Pacific Race presents a few logistical challenges for organizers to handle such as waste management. To achieve our “Trash Free Regatta” Best Practice, competitors are bound by race rules to not dispose any waste overboard.

In addition, they will be helping Adventurers & Scientists for Conservation by collecting marine plastic samples as they row across the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, home of the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” With 100% participation from all competitors, 30 samples will be collected and sent to Adventurers & Scientists for Conservation for analysis.

“We’re proud to have teamed up with Sailors for the Sea to become the first rowing regatta ever to earn Bronze Level certification, and hope that others will follow where we have led.”