I met a very interesting man over the weekend. I'd seen him doing a TV interview just days before meeting him and was keen to ask him a few questions.
But before I did, I'd noticed him struggling against the wind and rough seas along the shoreline at Suttons Beach during the Festival of Sails celebrations which happened to coincide with the yearly Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race.
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This unique man goes by the name Ben Ferris......or alternatively, 'Ferris Gump.' And he is in the first stages of pedaling from Byron Bay in New South Wales to Cairns in Queensland; all the way towards the top of Australia. That is a total of 1162 miles or 1870 kilometers.
Now is the time to ask why a person (no matter how fit) would put themselves through what appears to me, to be a very arduous task indeed. Well. It takes passion and drive......and a very worthy cause. And in Ben's case, the cause is......to rid our waterways from plastic pollution. He is supporting a group called 'The Seabin Project.'
The aim of the Seabin Project is to provide sea bins in all the coastal marinas throughout Australia. But they don't want to to stop there. They have a global vision and are doing all they can to encourage all countries who have sea borders to get on board.
Ben Ferris is taking this goal literally as his vehicle for pedaling up to Cairns is an adapted surf board fitted with safety gear and the bare necessities to ensure his survival, whist completing his mission.
When asked what inspired him to go on this journey he said it was because of his connection and love of the ocean, The famous Great Barrier Reef and of course, his passion for cleaning up the ocean.
I watched an interesting video filmed just three days ago where a female reporter asked Ben if he'd had any scary moments since leaving Byron Bay. He didn't hesitate to admit that indeed, he has had some pretty hectic moments which include a few scary ones too.
I personally witnessed him fall off his board just off shore at Suttons Beach and commiserated with him, knowing that even though he had a wet suit on, it would have been very uncomfortable for him. If this happened regularly, which he assured me it did, how did he keep dry, I wondered? Perhaps he didn't, until it was time to bed down for the night between long stints in the water.
He told me he had lost four phones already and still had a long way to go. Ben has admitted that compared to riding/running on land, doing it on water was a much more challenging process.
The Seabin Project has sponsored Ferris with his Peddle board, safety gear and support but he still requires further sponsors and support to make sure his epic trip is successful.
So far Ferris has raised $1600. I have included his GoFundMe page link should anyone feel motivated to support this project.
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That looks like an incredibly unstable craft to take on such a mammoth sea journey.
Good luck to him and hope he makes it as it is a very important message that he is bringing to the fore.
The ocean is so full of garbage already and it is simply unsustainable. We have collectively caused so much damage already that it will take many generations of concerted effort to clean it up.
Governments are hopeless and people like Ben are highlighting just how useless most governments are and how selfishly idiotic many people are. People dump their crap on the beaches and anywhere else for that matter.
Great post highlighting this guy's efforts. U+R
To deal with this self inflicted catastrophy we need to punish polluters whoever they are with some serious jail time.
Thank you @molometer for your comments.I'm sure many feel the same as you.I too share your sentiments. People don't stop and think of the consequences of their actions. It amazes me just how many choose to be so irresponsible toward the environment around the world in general. Many thanks for the U and R.
Haha! I suppose that's a typical Australian? lol. well I say power to him, I wonder if he'll make it? He sure has guts and determination! are you going to be following his progress so you can do more posts about it?
Well, Ben is 'typical' of some Aussies especially those with a laid back, adventurous spirit. I'm assuming he plans to stay close to shore and if not I'd call that having 'guts' for sure! 😄
I will keep an eye out on his progress but I wont get the opportunity to take anymore photos as he will be well out of reach by now. Thanks so much for taking an interest in this very interesting man and this very worthy cause.
Howdy Trudee! yes that guys is great and the cause is urgent I would say, it's alarming even! I know there are some big operations working to clean things up but what a gigantic job! How are you guys doing? Well, I better go check your blog, that might give some indication of what you've been up to!
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That looks like an incredibly unstable craft to take on such a mammoth sea journey.
Good luck to him and hope he makes it as it is a very important message that he is bringing to the fore.
The ocean is so full of garbage already and it is simply unsustainable. We have collectively caused so much damage already that it will take many generations of concerted effort to clean it up.
Governments are hopeless and people like Ben are highlighting just how useless most governments are and how selfishly idiotic many people are. People dump their crap on the beaches and anywhere else for that matter.
Great post highlighting this guy's efforts. U+R
To deal with this self inflicted catastrophy we need to punish polluters whoever they are with some serious jail time.
Thank you @molometer for your comments.I'm sure many feel the same as you.I too share your sentiments. People don't stop and think of the consequences of their actions. It amazes me just how many choose to be so irresponsible toward the environment around the world in general. Many thanks for the U and R.
I know what you mean. When I was a kid we were taught to put our rubbish in the bins provided especially at the beach or take it home for disposal.
These days some people just seem to drop their rubbish all over the place. Total disrespect for their and our environment. Shame on them.
Haha! I suppose that's a typical Australian? lol. well I say power to him, I wonder if he'll make it? He sure has guts and determination! are you going to be following his progress so you can do more posts about it?
Well, Ben is 'typical' of some Aussies especially those with a laid back, adventurous spirit. I'm assuming he plans to stay close to shore and if not I'd call that having 'guts' for sure! 😄
I will keep an eye out on his progress but I wont get the opportunity to take anymore photos as he will be well out of reach by now. Thanks so much for taking an interest in this very interesting man and this very worthy cause.
Howdy Trudee! yes that guys is great and the cause is urgent I would say, it's alarming even! I know there are some big operations working to clean things up but what a gigantic job! How are you guys doing? Well, I better go check your blog, that might give some indication of what you've been up to!