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"For three years we traveled around the country-- Charleston, South Carolina; Maui, Hawaii; Anchorage, Alaska; New York; Portland, Maine-- having hearings, doing tests, and talking to people about their perceptions of ocean problems," he said. "We addressed four main categories: pollution, coastal development, over-fishing, and government regulation. When we were through, I helped write and edit our report."

It wasn't a cheery document. Almost simultaneously, a separate, government-sponsored report was published, which seconded the rather grim findings of the Pew committee. At that point, the respective commissions joined forces to enact related legislation, and Rockefeller's work was essentially finished. But his curiosity, concern, and interest had all been piqued.

"So I decided to form SfS to build the constituency of boaters and sailors that I felt would be necessary to help educate the public, and activate and motivate the boating community," he said. "There was no sailing organization that I could find whose purpose was to make ocean stewards out of sailors. So there was a big opportunity there."

One of the flagship programs of SfS is the Around the Americas Expedition set to launch in June 2009, with a team led by former BOC Around Alone sailor and race director Mark Schrader. I'm also a crewmember and will write regularly about the voyage for Cruising World. But it's just one facet of the SfS agenda, which also includes programs like Clean Regattas and the production of the documentary A Sea Change, which addresses the growing calamity of ocean acidification.

"The pH factor in the ocean is going the wrong way," said Rockefeller. "Coral reefs and all manner of shellfish are at serious risk if the acid component of the oceans is too high." Over-fishing, he added, was another issue that has serious consequences now and in the future.

"The ocean's role in feeding the world is very, very important," he said. "And while we think of the oceans as vast, limitless, and bountiful, in fact, through human ingenuity and cleverness, we have the capacity to wipe out those resources. We saw it happen to whales in the 18th and 19th centuries. That was just the first indicator."

So, what, given this disturbing scenario, can sailors do to address these nebulous and far-reaching scenarios? "I think learning is the first thing," Rockefeller said. "We have to ensure our local waters are as healthy as they can be as living systems.

"Healthy waters are important to all of us," he continued. "Don't put noxious chemicals on lawns at the edges of the ocean. Don't use toxic bottom paints. Join a local 'bay-keeper' organization that lobbies against industries that put toxic pollutants in the water. Urge (local municipalities) to have more pump-out stations or pump-out boats (for holding tanks). There's a pyramid of things we can do, at the bottom of which is personal behavior, and the top of which is major philanthropy. The important thing is to do the right thing day by day."

Rockefeller's taken the first step, and he's also thrown down the gauntlet. Check out his website (www.sailorsforthesea.org) and give it all some thought. If we, as sailors, don't give a serious damn about the sea, just who will?

• Read more blogs by Herb McCormick.
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