Cape Cod Bay Challenge (formerly Provincetown to Plymouth PPPPP)

[stoneaxe]

OK...it's official...or at least very close to being so. We wanted to give our fellow zoners the heads up 1st.

Cape Cod Bay Challenge  - A 22 Mile Stand-up Paddle Marathon to Promote Ocean Conservation and Coastal Clean Up

This August 9th, 2008 a small group of stand-up paddle surfers will attempt a 22 mile marathon paddle across Cape Cod Bay from Plymouth to Provincetown to raise awareness and money to help stop the ever growing problem of pollution in our oceans and along our shores. Trash in the ocean kills more than one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles each year through ingestion and entanglement.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Ocean Conservancy, a non-profit dedicated to promoting healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems.  Part of the proceeds of this event will go towards the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup Campaign on September 20, 2008.  The International Coastal Cleanup is a year-round volunteer effort to keep our oceans and waterways free of trash – and healthier for humans and marine life. 

We are seeking additional sponsors, donations and a limited number of experienced paddle surfers for this inaugural Cape Cod Bay Challenge. Each paddle surfer will be expected to raise a minimum of $300. We would love more but figure that's an easy number to start with and shouldn't preclude anyone from participating. We will also need a pledge of commitment of training to make the crossing possible. This is not a race but its still going to be tough. We plan on paddling as a group with support boats for navigation and safety. We've had a good number of folks express interest already and are planning on limiting this years event to around 10 paddlers for logistical reasons (this 1st one will be a learning process). We will be making sign up forms available soon and will need firm commitments by mid-May with donation deposit and signature. We want this to be fun but we need to know you're serious in your intent to participate.

We know 10 paddlers is a relatively small number but with this being the 1st we want it to go smoothly and a smaller number makes that more likely. Hopefully we can grow it next year. We hope to make it an annual event.

We'll make more info available here as we have it and there will be a website for forms, info and such shortly. If you have questions you can PM me or ECsup.

It was disturbing data on plastic pollution that got me started thinking about this in the 1st place. There will be more available shortly. The 2007 International Coastal Cleanup Data Findings will be released April 17. The findings provide a global snapshot of the problem of trash in the ocean. It details the Top 10 debris items collected worldwide, as well as the Top 10 Most Dangerous Items and many other compelling statistics. The report will be available online at www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.

[bodhi]

Count me in Bob. Ill email you.
Paul

[shapeshifter]

the training begins.

[Issel]

I would like to be part of this please..............

[motopilot]

stoneaxe, as of right now I would like to be in.  I have off from work but will know exactly by june 1st.

[stoneaxe]

We'll plan on you being there moto.

[bodhi]

Ok Bob, After seeing this, Im training even harder and by sending this to everyone I know, I now have a cheerleading squad!!!
http://www.vbs.tv/video.php?id=1485308505
This really is disturbing..
Paul

[stoneaxe]

Paul....yeah....good show...I hadn't seen that before but it was an article about Captain Moore that started this whole thing. I happened to see this online in BestLife magazine...in fact it's linked on the lead page for the challenge website http://capecodbaychallenge.org/ . The bestlife article goes in to great, very disturbing detail. Get the word out and make sure the cheerleaders have pom poms....