 |
|
Voyage on 24-foot Rowboat Named The Brocade Calls Attention to Ocean Pollution Crisis
|
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – August 19, 2008/ -- DiversityBusiness.com /- At midnight on May 25, 2008, beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, Roz Savage took her first strokes aboard a 24-foot rowboat named The Brocade, after title sponsor Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. As she rowed out to sea on the ebb tide, Roz officially began her solo journey across the Pacific Ocean. Roz is now approximately 500 nautical miles away to Hawaii, the first milestone on her three-leg journey across the world’s largest ocean.
Roz’s voyage across the Pacific is sponsored by Brocade, a leading provider of data center networking solutions that help organizations connect, share, and manage their information. The environmental endeavor is also a project of the Blue Frontier Campaign, a non-profit marine conservation organization. In addition, Roz is carrying the message of ocean conservation across the Pacific between national marine sanctuaries that are managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Roz, her sponsors, and partners seek to raise awareness about the devastating effect plastic pollution is having on the planet’s oceans and marine wildlife.
“Our sponsorship of Roz is a way of expanding our overall contribution to heightening the awareness of environmental issues,” said Michael Klayko, Brocade chief executive officer. “As corporate citizens, we all have a responsibility to prevent pollution, lessen our carbon footprint, and consume less energy. At Brocade, we focus on developing products to provide for ‘greener’ data centers. We applaud and admire Roz’s efforts to raise awareness about environmental issues on her extraordinary voyage.”
The San Francisco-to-Hawaii stage spans 2,300 miles. In early 2009, Roz will continue for another 2,600 miles to Tuvalu in the Southwest Pacific, followed by the final leg of her passage to Australia. If successful, she will have rowed 7,200 miles over three years, and will be the first woman in history to row solo across the Pacific Ocean.
“I believe in what I call The Roz Savage challenge. If Roz can row entire oceans to raise awareness of our blue planet in peril from plastic pollution and other environmental abuses, what can each of us do in our daily lives to help make a difference?” Said David Helvarg, President of the Blue Frontier Campaign. “We’re also honored that as a project of the Blue Frontier Campaign, Roz has chosen to carry a copy of our book 50 Ways to Save the Ocean, aboard the Brocade on her historic Pacific row. She’s also come up with a fifty-first way to save the ocean: Do an awe-inspiring act of navigation, endurance, and courage that will inspire others to act.”
Roz is no stranger to ocean rowing or setting records. In 2005, she was the only solo woman to compete in the 3,000-mile Atlantic Rowing Race from the Canary Islands to Antigua. She finished the race in 103 days. For Roz, the Pacific row represents an opportunity to communicate the environmental motivation for her adventures, with her efforts focused entirely on calling attention to the importance of marine conservation and publicizing the plight of the world’s oceans. “The health of the oceans is essential to the health of our planet. I hope to raise awareness of this vitally important issue by sharing my adventures via the internet, and to motivate people to do their bit to help,” Savage said. “I hope to also inspire others to rise to their own challenges—no matter how big or daunting those challenges may seem.”
During Roz’s first attempt to row across the Pacific in July 2007, gale force winds and 20-foot-high waves capsized her boat several times less than two weeks into her journey. When a concerned well-wisher called in the Coast Guard, Roz was rescued from the dangerous conditions. After returning to dry land, Roz immediately began preparations for her second attempt.
To learn more about Roz’s journey across the Pacific, visit RozRowsTheBrocade.com. For interview arrangements, photo requests, or to secure b-roll, please contact Maayan Katz at Maayan.Katz@OgilvyPR.com or (415) 677-2719.
About Brocade
Brocade® (Nasdaq: BRCD) is a leading provider of data center networking solutions that help organizations connect, share, and manage their information in the most efficient manner. Organizations that use Brocade products and services are better able to optimize their IT infrastructures and ensure compliant data management. For more information, visit the Brocade Web site at www.brocade.com or contact the company at info@brocade.com.
About Roz Savage
Born in Cheshire, England, Roz Savage uses her ocean adventures to raise awareness of environmental issues and inspire others to rise to their own challenges. In 2005, she was the only solo woman to compete in the 3,000-mile Atlantic Rowing Race from the Canary Islands to Antigua. In 2007, she announced her bid to become the first woman ever to row solo across the Pacific Ocean from the United States to Australia. Roz's book of her Atlantic voyage, One Stroke at a Time, will be published in 2009 by Simon & Schuster. Additionally, a documentary on her adventures, Savage and the Sea, will be produced in three episodes, one for each of the three stages of the row, and eventually a feature-length documentary will be released. For more information, visit the Roz Savage Web site at www.rozsavage.com.
About The Blue Frontier Campaign
The Blue Frontier Campaign was founded in 2003 by David Helvarg, author of Blue Frontier: Dispatches from America's Ocean Wilderness. It works to support seaweed (marine grassroots) efforts at the local, regional, and national level, with an emphasis on bottom-up organizing to bring the voice of citizen-activists into national decision-making that will impact our public seas. There are now some 2,000 blue groups working on ocean and coastal conservation but largely operating in isolation, and with little coordinated effort among them. Blue Frontier’s mission is to strengthen this constituency through building unity, providing tools, and enhancing public awareness of both the challenges and solutions being offered by these groups to the various threats facing our living oceans. For more information, visit the Blue Frontier Web site at www.bluefront.org.
About the National Marine Sanctuary System
National marine sanctuaries are America’s ocean and Great Lakes treasures. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) manages a system of 13 national marine sanctuaries and the Papahaunaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Sanctuaries promote conservation while facilitating compatible commercial and recreational activities, and help preserve our Nation’s natural and cultural treasures for future generations. To do this, marine sanctuaries conduct science and education activities and work with the public to manage and protect special areas of the marine environment. For more information, visit www.sanctuaries.noaa.gov.
|
|
|
|
