The Plastiki is a unique, one-of-a-kind 60-foot (20m) catamaran made out of 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles and other recycled PET plastic and waste products. The craft was built using cradle to cradle design philosophies and features many renewable energy systems, including solar panels, wind and trailing propeller turbines, and bicycle generators.
On March 20, 2010, the sailing vessel set off from San Francisco, California with a six-man crew, including David de Rothschild, to sail across the Pacific Ocean. The expedition plans to make landfall in Sydney, Australia after visiting several sites of ecological importance or which are susceptible to environmental issues caused by global warming, for instance the current sea level rise,ocean acidification and marine pollution.
The crew is skippered by prominent British ocean sailor Jo Royle, and will carry up to six artists, adventurers and scientists at any one stage of the journey. The crew from San Francisco to Sydney consists of Co-skipper David Thompson, expedition diver Olav Heyerdahl, filmmakers Max Jourdan and Vern Moen, and expedition leader David de Rothschild.
