On May 31, 2009, a committed team of sailors, scientists, teachers and conservationists joined forces on a voyage that was vast in scope and ambition but launched under the simplest of ideas: The continents of North and South America are a single island, surrounded by a shared ocean, and with a common set of challenges, communities, issues, and solutions. This book tells the story of that adventure, and sounds a call to action for everyone who loves this planet. In a journey that took 13 months, the Ocean Watch circumnavigated the Americas, documenting the beauty that exists, the peoples who rely on our oceans, and the changes that are happening all too fast. This book can be read any number of ways: as an exciting seafaring adventure, as a beautifully photographed appreciation of the beauty of the Americas, or as a global warning, documenting the ways our world is changing forever.--From publisher description.