Land ahoy! Couple setting sail to help wildlife in Caribbean

KATHARINE Land is taking to the sea on a mission to help wildlife in the Caribbean.

She has been working for the RSPB in Exeter for the past three years and hatched the plan with her husband Dave as a way they could spend more time together and continue to do their bit for the environment.

The two are making a voyage from the Devon coast to the West Indies and are trying to make it as eco-friendly as possible by generating their own power by rigging up solar cells, wind and wave turbines and a rowing machine to feed into the battery systems of their former Norwegian fishing boat Lista Light.

“I'm not a seasoned sailor,” said Katharine. “In fact, I'm not sure if Dave realises that I'm not just Land by name, but also by nature. But we wanted to do something together where we can hopefully do something towards conserving the world's wildlife as well as being a part of the battle against climate change.”

Katharine grew up against the backdrop of hedgerows and trees and childhood pastimes including tracking barn owls and harvest mice on her neighbour's farm near Exeter.

“I was incredibly lucky to grow up in such wonderful countryside. I worry that the world will be a black hole of nothingness if we continue to tame, tarmac and erode it, ” she said.

David is more connected to the sea, having grown up in Northumberland where he and his family did a lot of sailing on the North Sea.

Katharine said: “We're not awash with experience but I think enthusiasm and hard work will make up for that. As well as our plans to work with Caribbean conservationists, we'd like to share our experiences with school children.

“It would be great if one or two schools could be 'twinned' with Lista Light and have a weekly lesson about the sort of issues and subjects prompted by our voyage - the impacts of settlers on islands, effects of tourism, how our journey compares to what the great explorers would have done.”

The pair plan to gather and log wildlife and environmental data on their journey, recording the temperature of the seas and noting sightings of birds and marine creatures they encounter en route. They hope the information will help build a picture of how sea life is fairing. “Who knows what we will see on the way, ” said Katharine.

They should reach the Caribbean by Christmas when they will start work with conservation organisation Caribbean BirdLife. The plan is to drop anchor and paddle to various islands and rocks in a smaller boat to record seabird colonies in the archipelago.

Before the hurricane season bears its teeth, they will forge onwards to Guatemala to help the World Conservation Society and local communities conserve rainforest for jaguars, scarlet macaws and tapirs.

Katharine and David are currently equipping their boat for their voyage. They are carrying out sea trials in July and will leave Devon — from the Exe estuary — in August.