My Pacific row is a project of the Blue Frontier Campaign, a small nonprofit with the commendable objectives of promoting marine conservation through encouraging grassroots efforts and building consensus between the myriad of nonprofits involved with the oceans.
They are looking for a new director to staff their Washington, DC, office, so I am doing my bit to help find a new recruit by posting the "Positions Vacant" ad here. Contact details are at the bottom.
MARINE CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP POSITION AVAILABLE
POSITION - DIRECTOR - DC OFFICE, BLUE FRONTIER CAMPAIGN
REPORTS TO: PRESIDENT, BFC
LOCATION - WASHINGTON DC
STARTING DATE - IMMEDIATELY
The Blue Frontier Campaign is committed to building unity, providing tools and increasing awareness of the solution oriented ocean and coastal protection movement. It has organized national and regional conferences, tours and 'celebrations of the sea,' and produced organizing brochures, books including the 'Ocean and Coastal Conservation Guide' and '50 Ways to Save the Ocean,' and online resources including Blue Notes emails. It also works on school curriculums, print, radio, and TV stories and the bluefront.org website.
With founder David Helvarg establishing a West Coast Office BFC is looking for a motivated independent person to run our DC office. The job will include fundraising and development for BFC, basic financial administration, organizing a national Blue Vision Summit in 2008, working on the website, and with the media as well as a wide range of marine organizations. The Director will also oversee interns and volunteers, and do conference outreach both on Capitol Hill and to local and regional seaweed groups across the nation.
We're looking for someone who is self-directing and entrepreneurial, has experience or familiarity with running the day-to-day operations of a small NGO, and is passionate about restoring our living seas through bottom up citizen action. Writing skills are a plus.
Work is based in Washington DC. Salary is commensurate with experience.
Submit resume and cover letter to:
David Helvarg
Helvarg@bluefront.org
510-778-8470
202-387-8030
Please be prepared to email a letter explaining your interest and a resume.
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Serendipity, synchronicity, or plain old-fashioned good luck decreed that one of the crew members of the White Holly just happened to be a filmmaker. Caitlin Maynard of North Beach Films has been hard at work since our return creating this video of our mission to salvage the Brocade.
It includes footage of what happened when a wave came along at just the wrong moment and set the Brocade swinging from the crane. Eric and I were trapped aloft, powerless to do anything to help, while others scurried around on deck trying to stop the Brocade crashing into railings or the shark cage. To say I was tense would be a slight understatement. Some minor damage was sustained - to my nerves, as well as to the Brocade's rudder...
[And please, no rude comments about the wetsuit - with its oversize shoulders it makes me look like Popeye. Not a good look, but it was the only one available.]
Thanks, Caitlin, for putting this together.
And if you haven't checked out my Video Gallery recently, you may want to take a look. There are a few other new items in there too.
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I see that Steve Fossett is still missing in the Nevada desert, where he was scouting for a suitable location for an attempt on the land speed record.
Although his adventures (and his budgets) have been on a significantly larger scale than mine, Mr Fossett and I do have at least one thing in common - the engineer who fitted the video cameras to my boat has also done a lot of work with SF and Sir Richard Branson, to capture footage of their record attempts.
I found this short article about how and why people relate to adventurers - interesting.
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Since my decision to allow the Coast Guard to pick me up on August 23, I've revisited my decision many times. I generally try not to do this - once an irrevocable decision has been made, it's best to commit to the consequences and make the best of them, rather than drive yourself crazy by chewing over the decision again and again - but in this instance I am allowing myself to indulge in "what ifs" in case there is something I should learn for next time.
At the time I made my decision, my head was in charge. It was telling me that the safety of my boat had been compromised by the loss of the sea anchor, the breakage of my bunk's restraining straps, and inadequate water ballast. It therefore made sense to take this opportunity to make the necessary changes and restart.
But immediately after my decision - even while I was dangling on the line from the Coast Guard helicopter - the decision felt wrong. And for days afterwards I was determined to erase the after-effects of my decision by getting back on board Brocade as soon as possible. Then my heart was in charge - the heart that had been set on rowing to Hawaii, and toughing it out, come what may.
You know a decision is a good one when your heart and your head are telling you the same thing. That is how I felt when I first decided to start rowing across oceans. When the idea first came to me I instantly recognized it as the perfect project for me.
But what do you do when your heart and your head are pulling in different directions? Which should take priority?
I don't think there's an easy answer to that. The romantic in me thinks the heart should win. But where safety is concerned, maybe it is better that the head should prevail.
Or is there some technique for reconciling the two? If anybody can recommend a book on the subject, I'd be interested to hear about it.
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