Environmental philanthropist David de Rothschild will captain a crew of marine activists and a filmmaker from National Geographic aboard the ship Plastiki, a 60-foot catamaran made from 12,500 recycled bottles and fully recyclable plastics.
The vessel will rely on renewable energy systems on an ocean journey of more than 11,000 nautical miles bringing attention to the ill-health of the planet's seas in the face of devastating amounts of pollution, primarily plastic waste.
The team plans to sail through the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch," a stretch of human trash and plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean believed to be the size of Texas.
The Plastiki and its notable crewmembers are scheduled to set sail at 9:30 a.m. at the Clipper Maritime Museum at 420 W. Harbor Drive in Sausalito.
Views of the embarking Plastiki should be attainable from the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, Fort Point and Horseshoe Cove.
The journey can be followed at the Web site www.theplastiki.com.
