Plastiki

Plastiki Sails Into Sydney Harbour Proves Power of Positive Thinking: Pictures

By JJ on

British adventurer and environmentalist David de Rothschild and his crew sail as the "Plastiki" arrives at Sydney Harbor. (Getty Images)more pics »The Plastiki, an experimental ocean vessel constructed chiefly of discarded plastic bottles, pulled into Sydney harbor on Monday after completing a treacherous trans-Pacific journey from San Francisco to Sydney.

The Plastiki is kept buoyant by 12,500 plastic bottles that were used in its construction. (Getty Images)
The vessel was met with applause as expedition leader David de Rothschild struggled to maneuver the craft to land. "This is the hardest part of the journey so far — getting it in!"

The Plastiki, while being a feat of willpower and engineering, doesn't exactly steer like its high-tech cousins that use materials such as fiberglass and steel. Still, de Rothschild's excitement over the boat's accomplishment was evident on his Twitter account, where he wrote "We made it!" twelve times over.

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De Rothschild says his crew was intrigued by the challenge of creating a vessel made from recycled materials and sailing it across the ocean. Besides the 12,500 plastic bottles used in its construction, the vessel also makes use of a recycled aluminum irrigation pipe for a mast and organic glue made from sugar cane and cashews holds much of the craft together.

"There were many times when people looked at us and said, 'you're crazy,'" de Rothschild said. "I think it drove us on to say, 'Anything's possible.'"

De Rothschild hatched his plan to sail a craft made from recycle material to raise awareness of the pollution created by plastic bottles, which litter parts of the Pacific Ocean to the point of making it unlivable for many marine animals.

British adventurer and environmentalist David de Rothschild gestures as the "Plastiki" arrives at Sydney harbor. (Getty Images)more pics »
Plastiki Pictures