A FUSION OF WOMEN, SCIENCE AND OCEAN EXPLORATION

“A rising tide lifts all boats.” Idiom coined by John F Kennedy.

Let’s talk about female friendships.

Let’s start with me. I went to an all-girls boarding school in the middle of the countryside. It was the 1980s, we played lacrosse with wooden sticks and wore long navy cloaks in the winter complete with hoods and reflector strips. (A defining, unforgettably awkward experience.) We flicked our hair; a lot. We rolled up our skirts, wore doctor martens and spent hours learning the steps to Madonna’s “Into the Groove.” It became “our song” and when I hear it now I’m immediately transported to those days in the Common room.

We ate sausages with marmalade until it became a tradition. We were obsessed, probably in quite an unhealthy way with Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing and celebrated the first ever Nose Day in 1987. We once used enormous tea bags from the school kitchen so that we could have a bath in tea and fake-tan our skin. And we never turned down a Geography Field Trip. (Are we visiting Tonbridge Castle and does that mean we get to meet Tonbridge boys?)

We had a “look”. Our jumpers had to be worn over-sized, preferably full of holes. Anything new, and it was just not cool. And there was a lot of chatter, laughter and hilarity. Noisy, silly uncontrollable laughter. As with all female friendships we had our arguments and moments of hurt and upset. Problems came and went – don’t worry if you don’t understand how to balance chemical equations – Joanne P is a genius and will help. Do you feel homesick? Let’s watch Neighbours. You’ve got a detention and have to run ten times round the lacrosse pitch? We’ll metaphorically put on our superhero capes and give you packets of minstrels when you finish. “We’ve got you”.

This was life-affirming female bonding at it’s best and many of the friendships I made then are in my circle now. Over the years, my friendships have quietly reorganised, and that’s fine, as friendships need nurturing and naturally change. Some come and go while others are in for the long-haul. They do take work and come in many guises, but when you find the right ones, cherish them – don’t let them go - especially when you’ve bonded over hideous navy cloaks.

As a grown-up I’ve got female friendships with people who started out as “colleagues”. More recently, I’ve formed female partnerships with friends starting new businesses. Why? Because friends are important and what we really need is someone who says they’re on your side right? “A rising tide lifts all boats.” So, when Katie Redfern, (work associate and friend) founder of Meaningful Recruitment, was selected as one of 300 out of 10,000 applicants to be part of eXXpedition Round the World, a boat, solely crewed by women, on a voyage investigating ocean plastic pollution, I immediately jumped in as one of her cheerleaders.

Ocean plastic pollution? I confess I didn’t fully understand this either. I thought this was about fish getting caught with plastic wedged in their bodies. I thought this referred to the challenge of clearing up huge free-floating collections of plastic waste like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Those were my original thoughts. Turns out this is just one story of a much larger narrative. Did you know one plastic bottle takes 450 years to breakdown? That every piece of plastic that has ever been made still exists and always will? No, neither did I. Basically it never biodegrades and continually breaks down into tiny fragments less than five mm in size - microplastics. If you’re thinking “That sounds concerning. Should we be nervous?” then yes you would be absolutely spot on. And as if things couldn’t get more complicated, the plastic detritus is leaching into the food chain and affecting women directly. The toxins act as endocrine disrupters which interfere with normal hormone function and fertility.

This is where eXXpedition comes in. Emily Penn (skipper, ocean advocate) founded the organisation in 2014 with Dr Lucy Gilliam (environmental scientist, yachtswoman) with a vision to create all-female voyages to explore ocean plastic pollution and toxins in our global seas. Their Round the World Voyage launched in October 2019, spanning 38,000 nautical miles and 30 voyage legs starting and ending in the United Kingdom. On board S/V TravelEdge a 70ft ketch scientific boat, crews explore plastics and toxics in our ocean, via four of the five oceanic gyres and the Artic. 300 talented women were selected from multiple disciplines and include scientists, journalists, sailors, product designers, artists, teachers and more! Can I just add they take samples from the ocean’s surface and subsurface water and have joined forces with internationally-recognised ocean plastic experts to carry out plastic-related citizen science at sea and on shore.

With 8 legs completed, and the crew reaching Tahiti by April 2020, future voyages were put on hold because of the pandemic. Meanwhile eXXpedition came up with a brilliant solution and created virtual voyages, designed as transformative journeys on land as a way of continuing their journey. And what we need to focus on here is my wonderful friend Katie. Her 12 person team have just virtually travelled to beautiful Fiji, a nation of over 300 islands of which 106 are inhabited and steeped in culture. Fiji reportedly uses an alarming number of plastic bags, between 50 and 60 million per year.

You’re probably wondering how this all works? Well for starters, sea missions are delivered as sessions on a watch schedule. Genius. And Katie’s “crew”, her “gang” of inspiring women are continuing to raise awareness and act as agents of change. It’s awesome. Right now Katie has planned talks about ocean plastic pollution and her virtual experience with MPs and school children. Well I’m all for it. It’s so inspiring and I’m going to be supporting her as my friend. Do look at these links for more information about Katie and her voyage with eXXpedition.

Clare xx