SPECIAL REPORT
The sargassum bloom of 2018 covered 6,000km2
There are 300 species of sargassum. Individual fronds usually grow to around 60cm
JULY 2011
JULY 2018
To the usual list of concerns facing transatlantic sailors – too much wind, too little wind, gear failure – a new one must be added: seaweed. Specifically, sargassum.
Sargassum’s yellowish-brown straggles in the water have traditionally been considered a sign that boats are nearing the tropics, but record blooms of the weed in recent years have created a vast raft straddling the Atlantic, dubbed the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt.
The first mass bloom was seen in 2011, while the record bloom recorded in 2018 was ten times bigger – sargassum is an increasing problem. Reports by participants of the ARC transatlantic rally suggest that the weed can
