The Plastic Passage

We have now arrived at the tip of the stiletto of Italy, an attractive and very busy resort town of Santa Maria Di Leuca.  We daysailed what should have been, and largely was, a beautiful 34 NM passage from Gallipoli hugging the coast, down wind using each of our sails, including golden spinnaker.

These nets used in packaging were one of several plastic catches.  These are especially dangerous to sea life that as they catch around body parts from which there is no escape.  

The spoiler was the horrific amount of flotsam in the otherwise beautiful, clear, blue sea.  Miles and miles of plastic floating on top and swimming beneath the surface along with styrofoam, and other crap.  Our fishing hooks gathered several loads of plastic but no fish - which is always a disappointment and a relief.  At the end of the day, jumping into the sea, I picked up several pieces of plastic as it floated past and cut a huge, thick bag off the propeller.  I'm afraid to say that on this passage we saw the worst of appalling human waste in all of our three and a half years on rivers, seas and oceans.  And this along the coast of and in the sea almost completely surrounded by "developed" and relatively affluent countries.  So distressing!  What are we thoughtless humans up to?