Brian, who embarked on the biggest race of his life on November 9 on board the Bahrain Team Pindar Open 60 yacht, is collecting data for Earthwatch during the race, recording sightings of marine mammals, sharks, rays, turtles, cetaceans, seabirds and other unusual sightings such as oceanic sunfish and jellyfish swarms in addition to measuring sea surface temperature along the entire route. As Brian posts regular updates about his sightings and experiences at sea, Earthwatch will bring an environmental perspective through regular blogs – helping you to find out more about our oceans and what we need to do to protect them. Earthwatch is an international environmental charity – we support scientific research and environmental education around the world. Marine research is a high priority for us and there are currently 18 Earthwatch projects in our marine programme. These are diverse, ranging from studying whales and dolphins in the Hebrides to carrying out reef surveys in the Bahamas, or conserving sea turtles in Costa Rica. Despite the oceans covering 71 per cent of our planet, we know relatively little about them. Research voyages can be long, dangerous and extremely expensive, so gathering this information is a huge challenge. A large research vessel capable of global voyages can cost over £40,000 for each day it is out at sea! But these voyages can lead to important discoveries about the marine environment and the species that live there, as demonstrated in the upcoming BBC series “Oceans” presented by another Earthwatch ambassador – Paul Rose. Unfortunately, we are all too well aware that marine ecosystems are under threat. Fish stocks are declining to the point where they are no longer biologically and economically viable, and the ocean as a whole is suffering as food chains collapse. Recently, an area of “plastic soup” millions of square kilometers in size, was discovered in the Pacific Ocean4 and, in 2006 it was estimated that every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of floating plastic. Sadly, hundreds of marine species are threatened with extinction. Some receive considerable attention, such as the blue whale (classified as Endangered on the recently released 2008 IUCN Red List) or the great white shark (Vulnerable on the Red List), while we hear very little about others, such as the southern bluefin tuna or the common sturgeon (both Critically Endangered). Any data that can be gathered about threatened species and the pressures facing them will enable scientists and NGOs to develop conservation plans. This is the focus for many of Earthwatch’s marine projects. In upcoming blogs we will talk more about the problems of overfishing, pollution and habitat degradation and the effect that climate change is having on our oceans. We will also provide some interesting facts about marine species. Do remember that you can always get involved with Earthwatch, by becoming a volunteer on a marine research expedition, by attending an event, by signing up to our monthly e-newsletter or by making a regular donation to our oceans appeal check out http://www.earthwatch.org/europe. All that is left to say is – good luck Brian, we are cheering you on all the way!