Plastic-tracking yacht adds splash of environmentalism to ocean racing

French skipper Amedeo sailing his Imoca monohull yacht during a training session. Photos: AFP

When he sets sail alone for a gruelling round-the-world yacht race this year, Fabrice Amedeo will have a scientific mission to add to his sporting goal: collecting microplastics.

Extensive studies have already confirmed the presence of minute plastic particles in the bodies of living organisms throughout the world's oceans, even in the deepest reaches of the Pacific's Marianas Trench.