Environment & Energy

A couple of years ago, my wife and I sailed down the east coast from NYC to Florida to spend the winter in the Keys. When we began our return journey in early May, the seaweed blooms had begun. On many beaches we saw bands of Sargassum that were a hundred yards wide and miles long.

As we motored north in the Intracoastal waterway, our engine’s propeller repeated got fouled by the stuff which eliminates the “lift” the propeller blades create to move the boat stalling our motor. Each time I would have to swim beneath the boat to clear the prop. It was tedious but once we got north of Port St. Lucie we were clear of the gunk.

It was fascinating to see workers clearing the beaches. They used heavy duty equipment to collect weed and remove it from the beaches. But the stuff was everywhere and it appeared to be a never-ending chore.

Also, the stuff stinks!