German catamaran Alytes has deployed the first drifter buoy of the 2014 Atlantic Odyssey. The buoy was deployed at 17.10h UTC on Saturday 29th November, at the position
18°22.481’N 41°51.719’W.
Fritze and Heide von Berswordt are sailing onboard Alytes with their daughter Mina, 8, as well as their pet mice, Sonia, Lucia and Lulu.
Photographs of the deployment to follow soon.
In partnership with UNESCO-IOC, JCOMMOPS (the joint technical commission of the World Meteorological Organization), and NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA), Odyssey participants deploy drifter buoys in areas not frequented by commercial shipping to gather information on ocean currents, sea surface temperature, atmospheric pressure, winds and salinity.