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The longest citizen-scientific voyage
Along the way, SAM owner and captain Peter Molnar and a crew of over twenty (including Jeff Svihus, Tyler Meade, Matt Stromberg and Molnar's teenage son Gabriel) have collected, classified and stabilized several thousand planktonic organisms. This supports the groundbreaking research of Dr. Leonid Moroz, Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience, Genetics, Biology and Chemistry at the University of Florida and the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Sciences. Initially introduced to Dr. Moroz by theInternational Seakeepers Society, the team made one of the longest citizen science voyages ever recorded.
"The SAM is a remarkable vessel. We've had our share of storms with conditions of up to 45 knots on the way to the Aleutians, lots of rocky coves and complex navigation, and we haven't had a single major incident involving rigging, equipment or safety. It's a totally different experience when you have such a solid boat under your feet".
A fascinating study of flora and fauna
Molnar praises the quality of the design and construction, as well as the complete refit by former owner and Whitbread winner Tom Alexander. He also appreciates the refurbishment of the rigging by Hansen Rigging, the sails by North Sails and a complete electronics and communications upgrade by Farallon Electronics and Dustin Fox.
"And we had a lot of fun - hitting 20 knots twice off Cabo San Lucas and the Alenuiha'ha Channel - SAM is pretty slippery for a fully loaded expedition ship."
The long passages provided opportunities to observe wildlife, including humpback whales and orcas. A good-sized grizzly also watched the crew from the beach of Unimak Island in the Aleutians. The long watch discussions with Dr. Moroz were a real-time seminar on evolution, biodiversity and the fact that we still know so little about life in the oceans, which cover 70% of our planet.
"If sailing the North Pacific and exploring the diverse coastlines of desert, tropical, ice and rainforest climates is already extraordinary, expanding our knowledge of the incredible biodiversity of our oceans is the real adventure."
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Studying the oceans to better understand the world
Inspired by Dr. Moroz and other scientists, the core crew of the SAM created the Ocean Genome Atlas Project (OGAP), a non-profit scientific organization based in San Francisco's Presidio. OGAP is installing state-of-the-art genome laboratories aboard the SAM and other vessels, and designing a 77-foot sailing research vessel (SRV). The aim is to create a high-resolution genomic atlas of the oceans available to scientists worldwide.
With this and other expeditions, OGAP aims to push back the frontiers of biomedical fields by opening up new conceptual avenues for deciphering the secrets of life in the ocean. On-site documentation, observation and genetic sequencing will dramatically increase our understanding of the physiology, evolutionary history and spatial biodiversity of as yet elusive planktonic, pelagic and benthic species. This research is essential for our understanding of marine life cycles, food webs, and even the development and regeneration of animal and human brains.
OGAP's goal is to collect, classify, sequence and map genomic information from organisms representing at least 80% of the world's existing marine species. By deploying a fleet of advanced yet cost-effective research vessels to traverse our oceans over the next few decades, OGAP will give hundreds of scientists access to our entire blue planet. The resulting Ocean Genome Atlas will be a 3D global genomic atlas of the world's oceans at single-cell resolution, providing essential information for planetary health, evolutionary and fundamental biology, and the biomedicines of the future. The atlas will be a public database accessible to researchers and institutions worldwide. Time is of the essence, given the accelerating rate of species extinction and estimates that 50% of existing biodiversity could disappear within a few generations.
OGAP has been selected by the National Academy of Sciences as a UN Ocean Shot project. Ocean Shots are defined as ambitious and transformative research concepts that draw inspiration and expertise from multiple disciplines, and fundamentally advance oceanography for sustainable development.
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