Saying goodbye is never easy

We’ve been sailing on SY Esper since 2006, for thousands of miles and to lots of places between the Mediterranean and south-east Asia. Along the way we’ve made and kept many new friends. But saying goodbye still hurts.

Mangroves

Mangroves are more important to cruisers than you might at first think.

They line most of the bays along the north Borneo coast, where we are currently sailing, and provide a picturesque and reassuring sight at anchor.

Mangroves help boats to shelter from monsoons, gales and even hurricanes. And perhaps they help weather the impact of climate change more than any other marine habitat. Growing in saline or brackish waters, they store carbon dioxide and absorb ten times more than the equivalent terrestrial forests.

You’ve seen recently how we’ve been diving as much as possible during lockdown here in Sabah. Some of the dive sites are abundant with coral and fish life. We can thank mangroves for protecting the coral from bleaching.

Coral is the foundation of marine life and often starts off among the mangrove roots. It’s even thought that mangroves help reduce the acidification of the oceans, which in turn helps prevent coral bleaching.

This is not to say mangroves are immune to climatic threats. Although they help form the shape of our coastlines, they need just the right balance of water to grow.

Rising sea levels threaten these otherwise hardy plants. Replanting mangroves is not as easy as it sounds because species are specific to their own region and environment, which means you can’t plant any old mangrove anywhere you feel like it…

Find out more about mangroves in the video. And share a slice of life with us at anchor and in the marina…

Hope you enjoy the video and many thanks for reading our blog.

Peace and fair winds!
Liz and Jamie

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