Port Blair, June 13: The Blue Planet Odyssey is a round the world sailing event aimed at raising awareness of the global effects of climate change by calling at the most endangered islands in every ocean: San Blas in the Atlantic Ocean; Tuvalu, Tokelau, Tuamotus, Micronesia, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean; the Maldive and Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean. This global event will also highlight the effects of climate change on the Arctic icecap, the Great Barrier Reef and the Galapagos Islands, all of which lie on the Blue Planet Odyssey route.

Following the start in London on July 20, 2014, the Blue Planet Odyssey will have separate starts in every continent. The Odyssey will sail westabout around the world along the classic trade wind route via the Panama Canal and Torres Strait. At every stop at those endangered places, the sailors will take part in community projects, while participants with specialist skills will take part in local projects and carry out essential repair and maintenance work.

The event will reach out to children worldwide by way of a comprehensive educational programme. Local schools will be offered the opportunity to be twinned with schools in the country of origin of the participants.

As the route will pass through some of the least travelled parts of the oceans, arrangements are being made for oceanographic institutes and research centres to use this unique opportunity to receive environmental data gathered by participants.

The Blue Planet Odyssey is a project inspired by Jimmy Cornell, founder of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), the largest transocean event in the world. In the last 27 years Jimmy Cornell has run 20 translatlantic and five round the world events, among them the Hong Kong Challenge, Expo 98 round the world rally and Millennium Odyssey.

Blue Planet Odyssey will be arriving at Port Blair in April 2016. In A&N Islands, Andaman Chronicle is the media partner while Search, a local NGO working in the field of environment, ecology and aborigines will be a part of the event. The event in the islands will be liaised by Andaman Holidays Private Limited.