Winter weather and safety topping the list of reasons.

It is with a heavy heart that I report to you that ‘The Gyre Voyage of 2009′ has been postponed. Due to circumstances beyond our control, winter weather and safety topping the list, we felt it necessary to make the call to set our sights on the spring of 2010. It was a window of opportunity that we were very excited about and we put a lot of energy into trying to make it happen. Many of us are feeling some disappointment in having this adventure postponed. Yet we trust that everything happens for a good reason and will happen at the perfect time.

On the bright side, all this excitement has brought many more people and organizations into the mix. We will be capitalizing on this energy and momentum as we move forward to raise awareness and create solutions to clean up the N. Pacific Gyre.

These next 6 months will allow us to prepare more fully for the exposure that a voyage like this will bring to ECC. For example, our website is currently under reconstruction and will be spectacular when ready. Our web team has been creating something very unique. We look forward to unveiling it in the next few months. Be on the lookout for our updates regarding the launch of the new and improved Gyre Cleanup website.

In the meantime, I invite you all to dig deeper within yourself on this international issue. Please take a moment to explore what is happening on this front through those that we are currently in talks with on how we can best collaborate. Here are just a few: Marcus Eriksen, Ph.D., (http://www.algalita.org/marcus_bio.html) is doing an incredible job of bringing attention to this global problem of plastic and persistent organic pollutants (P.O.P.’s) entering our food chain. The Junk Ride is his latest success (http://junkraft.com/homeJunkRide.html) and (http://junkraft.blogspot.com/) Algalita Marine Research Foundation (http://www.algalita.org), Scripps Foundation (http://explorations.ucsd.edu/Research_Highlights/2009/Sep_Oct/Seaplex/) and Project Kaisei (http://www.projectkaisei.org/) have brought attention to the North Pacific Gyre, and the Midway Journey is just finishing up their trip for more details click here http://www.midwayjourney.com.