24 Jan 2020

OCEAN LOVERS IN ANTIGUA

Ocean Lovers

The last 6th of December 2019, during Antigua Yacht Show 2019, Nautica Assistance, in partnership with Anchor Concierge and with the very kind sponsor of Ocean Pantry, held a very inspiring Ocean Lovers event at the Colibrì restaurant in Flamouth Harbour.

The audience, completely taken by the lovely atmosphere of restaurant and the very passionate presentations of our Antigua’s environmental testimonials, spent a fabulous evening learning that we ALL can do a lot with simple little actions to protect our beloved ocean. No matter where we are, if Sardinia, Antigua or any other side of the world, the consciousness of feeling each gram of sand, each drop of ocean and each marine creature as an inviolable value will have a natural translation in general lifelong respect for the delicate and marine ecosystem.

Antigua island as many other Caribbean island, and the Mediterranean sea is experiencing a devastating impact from plastic pollution. The reality is so urgent that the Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced last September at the Global Citizen festival in New York Central Park, that the country will become the first island nation to adopt environmental nonprofit Parley for the Oceans' AIR system, which stands for avoid, intercept, and redesign, a new model for combating plastic pollution.

During Ocean Lovers event in Antigua, we have been so honored by the precious interventions of Eloise Green and Marta Watkins Gilkes from Antigua and Barbuda Independent Tourism Promotion Corporation, a Non Government Organization who have organized a number of Island wide Clean up campaigns and who is the main force behind the closure of the Dolphin Park in Antigua; Eli Fuller from Antigua Conservation society and his very useful description of protected marina areas in Antigua; Karoll Lawrence –William from Adopt a Coastline, beach cleaning program that works with local community groups in keeping the beaches clean and recycling debris picked up by making them into very useful items such as key chains, magnets, necklaces, plastic bottle bins; Charlotte Hooijdonk from West Indies Sail Heritage Foundation and their great initiatives of providing sail training to Antiguan youngsters, while instilling a lifelong respect for their culture and a sense of stewardship for the environment and the ocean; last but not least the absolutely appreciated participation of M/Y Joy’s crew who has explained us which actions are taken onboard to avoid further litter and marine pollution. All together, the testimonials made the whole event such a great occasion to learn more about Antigua marine life and about how yachting community actions can make a big difference in this matter.

The yachting community in fact can be a huge help into saving the ocean all around the world, and Ocean Lovers movement is about sharing experience and information as much as possible throughout the yachting community, to make sure that we all feel in the same page, we all live from the Ocean, and we all must give back such a huge respect and cares.

We would like to thank once more the Antiguan volunteers and nonprofit organizations and everybody that with so much enthusiasm has attended our evening and shared with us their great experience and such hard work in protecting marine life in Antigua and teaching the new generation how to respect such a delicate environment.

We will make sure our contribution will keep growing together with the community of Ocean Lovers that can sign our pledge.

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