We Sail to Remote and Wild Stewart Island (Sailors for Sustainability #121)

Stewart Island, south of New Zealand’s South Island, is a destination most circumnavigating sailors never reach. It’s far off the usual sailing routes, whereas its position in the roaring forties means it often gets hit by violent storms. Yet the promise of unspoiled nature and abundant wildlife lures us, so we accept the challenge. To get there, we first navigate through the treacherous French Pass and capricious Cook Strait. Following a stop in Lyttleton (Christchurch), we sail downwind along the South Island’s eastern shore, accompanied by albatrosses and Hector’s dolphins, which are endemic to New Zealand and, sadly, endangered. On Stewart Island, we spot another endemic species in the wild, a kiwi! Around Oban and the vast Paterson Inlet we get the first glimpses of the islands beautiful and varied landscapes. In the remote Port Pegasus, we get a sense of the remoteness of the place, in particular when we embark on a testing hike to the top of Mt Gog!

For our logbook story about this leg of our trip, go to: https://bit.ly/SfSSouthIsland

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About Sailors for Sustainability

We are Floris & Ivar, two sailors from the Netherlands ��. We are on a sailing trip around the world in search of solutions to today’s sustainability challenges. It means that we look for examples in the fields of buildings, climate, community, economy, ecosystems, energy, nutrition, spirituality, and transportation that show that there are more sustainable or future-proof ways of doing things. By documenting proven solutions we strive to inspire people, companies and governments to change their habits and accelerate positive change.

After looking deeper into crises such as climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, pollution, inequality, and human rights abuses, it became clear to us that fundamental change is necessary for humanity to survive. We made it our mission to highlight solutions that bring an ecologically sound and socially just society closer. Solutions that people can relate to and implement in their own lives.

What excites us most is that we meet all these positive, passionate, inspiring people who are proving that a sustainable way of doing things is possible. It makes us hopeful for the future.

Floris was trained as a lawyer �‍� and Ivar as an industrial engineer �‍♂️. We both had busy jobs but felt something was missing. We wanted to be more ecologically and socially engaged, experience different cultures, and see our planet’s beautiful natural world.

Ivar was living on a sailboat and always had a dream of sailing around the world. It seemed natural to combine the two, even more so because sailing is such a sustainable way to travel. Traveling slowly on wind energy is quite a carbon neutral way to get around.

After many years of working on the boat, we finally left Amsterdam in 2016. Yet we left behind more than our hometown and family and friends. We also left behind jobs and the income and security that come with them. In return, we got adventure and the unknown!

So far, we’ve visited over 25 countries and documented 60 sustainable solutions. They are like pieces of a large, complex jigsaw puzzle. As we collect more pieces, the contours of an ecologically sound and socially just society become better visible.

Find all about our sailing adventures, sustainable solutions, and more on our website: https://sailorsforsustainability.nl

Subscribe to our Newsletter � there, and you’ll get updates in your inbox!

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Playlists:

1️⃣ Sustainable Solutions: Videos about inspiring solutions to sustainability challenges
2️⃣ Logbook Videos: Videos about our sailing adventures
3️⃣ Impressions: Videos about particular aspects of our trip

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Support Our Mission:

� On Patreon: For a small amount per video or month you can become our patron and get various perks, such as exclusive previews of our videos: https://patreon.com/sailorsforsustainability

� Donate: We welcome all donations, small or big, so we can continue bringing you inspiring stories and videos. Donations can by done via bank transfer (details on our website) or Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Sailors4Sustain

� Subscribe & Like: The more subscribers and likes � we get, the more views we get, meaning more people can get inspired by the many sustainable heroes we have interviewed over the years. Help them and their initiatives get better known!

� Share: Feel free to share our videos on social media, embed them on websites, or use them for presentations. We believe in open-source so that as many people as possible can get access to inspiring solutions.

� For even more ways to support our mission, visit: https://sailorsforsustainability.nl/supportus

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