 Thomas Point Lighthouse. An icon of the Chesapeake Bay. | We ghosted out of the Chester River leaving behind another beautiful, secluded anchorage and amazing sunrise. There were about 8 knots of wind from behind pushing Base Camp, our 31’ sailboat, west as we sliced through small, sparkling ripples on the water. We barely saw the far shore almost 7 miles away, although the double spans of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge were in perfect view. I pushed the button to engage our autopilot, leaving the helm to fend for itself. I grabbed a collection bottle and walked to the bow of our sailboat, looking forward to my mission of gathering another sample of the bay's brackish water. |
| We are sailors and adventures, but we are also network engineers and textile designers who ply the bay’s waters mostly for fun and curiosity. However, since we spend a lot of time on the bay sailing efficiently under wind power to many different locations, we have transformed our 31’ sailboat into a zero-dollar cost research vessel that is able to collect water samples in otherwise hard-to-obtain locations. Scientists and researchers study our sample results without their exorbitant collection costs. The best part for us is that we have added purpose to our passion for sailing, which makes our outings more meaningful in many directions. While sailing Base Camp, our original intent was not to be researchers or scientists, but our added interest developed and led us recently to team up with a non-profit organization called Adventure Scientists. This organization equips scientists and researchers with data collected from the outdoors that is crucial to unlocking solutions to the world's environmental challenges. My team combines sailing adventures, mostly on the Chesapeake Bay and occasionally beyond, with helping to study the alarming amounts of microplastics (plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters in size) that are polluting our world’s oceans and tributaries. |  One of our many water samples taken from the Chesapeake Bay. |
Most of us have heard about the Great Pacific trash pile swirling around out in the ocean, far far away. Yet, the microplastics particles we are finding are practically invisible to the naked eye, and most of us Chesapeake Bay boaters don’t realize the extent of these microplastics floating right in our own backyards. From the many samples we have collected off the decks of Base Camp, we seem to average around 20 pieces of microplastics in every single 1 liter water sample. So far, our samples have come mostly from the middle of the Chesapeake with a few taken in the C&D Canal.
Our initial samples are shown here. We are working toward collecting at headwaters and mouths of many rivers throughout the bay.
| While conducting our scientific research on Base Camp, we gather samples following strict procedures developed by Adventure Scientists. We rinse a 1-liter bottle numerous times, fill it up with our water sample, and seal it under water. This process aims to reduce outside contaminates which would skew the results. The clothing we wear during sampling must be taken into consideration too in order not to contaminate the samples. Additionally, we document our latitude/longitude, water temperature, current, wind direction, and several other pieces of data. We mail our samples and notes to a lab where the sample is filtered and analyzed microscopically to determine microplastic content. The lab also determines and documents the color of each piece of plastic. Our results are then added to a global public database along with over 100 other adventurers like us gathering samples from waterways all over the world. Currently, this online database of difficult-to-obtain data currently holds close to 1,800 water samples. And sadly, about 85% of the samples have contained microplastics. |  A cold February day anchored in Cox Creak on the West River. (Photo by Jordan Snyder) |
Where is all of this plastic pollution coming from? That is probably the number one reason for building a global database to map microplastics. It will help scientists study the sources, composition, and distribution of microplastic pollution throughout the world. What has been determined so far is that microplastics pollution come from many different sources such as plastic water bottles that enter our waterways, float on the surface and over time are broken down repeatedly by the sun, wind and wave action into microscopic particles. Furthermore, it has been determined that clothing such as fleece are playing a large role in the pollution problem. Fleece is made from polyester which is a plastic and as we wear it and wash it, tiny fragment of the fleece garment actual shed or flake off. Shedding of the fleece while in the laundry send those polyester fragments directly down the drain into our water system. The cosmetics industry is a major player too: plastic microbeads (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene) are added to many personal care products, such as exfoliating creams and toothpastes. These too are ending up down our drains and into the water system. Currently most water treatment plants are not equipped to remove floating microplastics during the treatment process, so particles from fleece and plastic microbeads enter the waterways directly from household drains.
 La Trappe Creek off the Choptank River is just one of many beautiful anchorages in the bay to drop the hook and explore. (Photo by Jordan Snyder) | Scientists confirm that these tiny plastic particles have been consistently found at alarmingly high levels worldwide. Our Chesapeake Bay results seem to be confirming these findings locally as well. Plastic pollutants are tiny and harmful to our environment in many ways. Poisonous chemicals and toxins in the waters adhere to microplastics. Then, aquatic wildlife often mistake microplastics for plankton and digests the particles. And the cycle continues as microplastics re-enter the human food chain by fish consumption. Not only are scientists finding fish stomachs full of plastics, but some of that plastic can end up in our own bodies. |
| Microplastics in our waterways poses a monumental clean-up challenge. Companies all over the world are studying and testing a variety of ideas to clean our oceans. Cities and college campuses in the United States are banning plastic bags and single-serving plastic water bottle sales. The movement is attracting attention and gradually more people are becoming aware of this important issue. We can all do our party to help with this issue. The opportunities to help out are endless. Here are just a few simple steps we can take: . Inform the public and boating community of this issue . Participate in a local beach debris clean up . Read labels: Purchase items that do not contain microbeads . Re-use and recycle every piece of plastic you possibly can. |  Base Camp our Pearson 31-2 sailboat approaching the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. (Photo by Martina Sestakova) |
While aboard Base Camp, we will continue to explore the Chesapeake Bay and enjoy its many picturesque gunkholes, lighthouses, sandy beaches, and charming towns. We will also continue to gather water samples for the global database and speak to local high school students on the topic. We plan to apply for a federal grant to expand our sampling and cover as much of the 200 miles of Chesapeake Bay as we possibly can with more sophisticated sample gathering equipment. From samples at river headwaters and confluence to the centerline of the bays shipping channel, these samples will help build a much-needed and detailed data set for scientists to study and help seek resolution to this international pollution issue. We are optimistic that adding purpose to our passion for sailing will also increase awareness of the issues locally.
Jordan Snyder is a lifelong explorer and sailor, running a sailing adventure company called Base Camp Sailing. He spends lots of time exploring the Chesapeake Bay and oftentimes ventures on crewed and singlehanded Ocean expeditions. Follow his adventures and environmental quests at www.BaseCampSailing.com
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