Help Ashleigh join a Voyage of Discovery

Next month, starting from the 8th of July, I, along with 4 other people from T.S. Talisman Sea Cadets and one person from Sea Scouts will be taking part in a 2 week program sailing the 65-foot Sh'khinah, from New Zealand Nelson to Suva, Fiji. I will be under the command of well-experienced skipper Milo Coldren, Unit Commander at T.S. Talisman and also accompanied by "Kat" Holmes, who was previously ship’s Mate on T.S. Talisman’s last major voyage to New Caledonia in 2010.

Over the course of the expedition, we will participate in groundbreaking research, becoming “planktonauts collecting and working with samples of plankton from the waters of the Pacific. Furthermore, the specimens will be analysed with the help of the Cawthron Institute to help identify new species of plankton and determine the effect that climate change has on them.

Plankton are a diverse collection of organisms that live in large bodies of water such as the Pacific and are a crucial part of the food chain. In addition to this, plankton release 50% of the oxygen we breath and absorb 30% of the CO2 in the atmosphere. The study of plankton is therefore vital in increasing our knowledge the planet, as there are relatively few experiments that have been conducted regarding it.

By providing any form of financial assistance, you will be helping scientists from across the globe to make headway on this innovative and pioneering project.

As part of the study, we Cadets will participate in the Plankton Planet youth outreach at the Maritime Museum of Auckland, during which Sh'Khinah will be berthed at the Spirit of New Zealand’s birth in Central Auckland and will likely be subject to large public interest and media coverage.

Once we arrive in Fiji we will be assisting in aid programs associated with the cleanup and repair of cyclone damaged property and the delivery of support for a program helping vulnerable young single mothers recover their place in Fijian society. We will be providing this assistance by being the “boots on the ground” who are prepared to put practical effect into aid. The New Zealand High Commission in Fiji have been approached and are providing guidance as to where best to vector this practical aid. This means any financial support you are able to give will, in part, go to helping improve the lives of those in desperate and needy situations.

This is an endeavouring mission that will definitely see all of us participating improve in confidence, coordination and character as well as the discovery as to how we view ourselves and the world around us. Thus, any donation received would mean a great deal for me personally. Thank you so much!