SV WAYA WAYA & The Posidonia Guardians
The Crew
All his life Manuel (Austria) was drawn to the sea and its creatures. During his travels, he met his wife Pinar (Turkey) and they now sail the Mediterranean together.
These two ocean lovers run the Marine conservation NGO called Project Manaia that has been organising research expeditions in the Mediterranean for the past 6 years. They organize Beach cleanups, measure Seagrass meadows, keep track of Marine mammals and invasive species and many other projects simultaneously.
The Sailboat
Name – WAYA WAYA
Model – Plan Joubert 21
Hull / Rigg: Monohull / Schooner
Home Port – Vienna (Austria)
Length / Beam – 21 m / 5,5 m
Built – 1987
Material – Steel
Motivation to join the recycling fleet
“It has become very obvious that plastic is an increasingly big issue we need to tackle. During Marine mammal observations underway, we document about 200 times more floating plastic than animals! We witnessed remote beaches flooded with trash and decided to do something about it. While beach cleanups are a great effort, it is often questionable what happens with the collected trash afterwards. Working with mobile recycling machines is an incredible tool for engaging schools, clubs and other interested people to show them what a precious resource plastic really is and be able to showcase on the
spot that we can make something out of the “trash” we collect on beaches!”
Currently cruising in the general area of
MEDITARRANEAN SEA