The safety of our marine mammals … manatees and sea turtles … are paramount during offshore boat race events such as the Grand Prix Power Boat races held in Sarasota, FL., every July. This year, Becky Sinnreich led the marine observer team, suspending racing just once, when one of the many manatee that had been swimming along the shoreline made a sudden turn straight for the AquaX (jet ski) race.
Becky is brave to ride in one of the low-flying helicopters that chase the lead race boats, some exceeding 100 mph. Becky confessed she is a bit of an adrenaline junkie herself, which is good with all of the aerial maneuvers the pilot makes for the cameraman who shares the helicopter with her.
Becky wears a GoPro on her helmet to capture video and photos of both the action and the marine mammals. After the Sarasota races, we discovered the awesome helicopter video of the competing race boats that Becky posted on YouTube, and we had to find her. Becky responded to our inquiry, and we became immediate friends with our mutual love for animals and the thrill of racing. At our request, she shared her story below:
“My love of the sun and the water began in the early eighties, visiting my snow-birding grandparents in Sarasota. While preparing to move to Florida in 1997, a preliminary visit included a trip to Mote Marine Aquarium located in Sarasota, FL., with a friend and her toddler. Just as little Sarah decided to see how loudly she could yell, I noticed a sign saying, ‘For more information about helping Abby,’ and an arrow, coincidentally pointing in the opposite direction of Sarah. So, I instinctively followed it and ended up signing up for volunteer shifts to help care for Abby, a rescued dolphin.
“I continued to volunteer at Mote to help other rescued dolphins and eventually made friends with Marine Biologists who introduced me to the world of Marine Observation. Since then, I have taken every available opportunity to spend my weekends watching out for manatees, sea turtles and dolphins at boat races, PWC races, dredge projects and bridge demolitions. After hundreds of hours on the water and quite a few in the air, I finally accrued enough aerial observation time in 2014 to become Lead Marine Observer for Powerboat P1 (about 17 years to the day little Sarah decided to test her lungs). As Lead Marine Observer, I provide educational briefings for racers and the marine observer team. My goal is to help people understand that using our oceans as a resource and protecting our oceans are not mutually exclusive. We can work together to do both.
“When not pushing paper at my desk job or flying in a helicopter above a race, I can be found in the company of my dashingly handsome companions, Buster and Drago, two 120 lb. Great Pyrenees mixes who wear neckties and shamelessly hustle the sidewalk diners of St. Pete, getting people to pet and feed them.”
Thank you, Becky, for your professionalism in making offshore racing safer for all – including our beloved sea creatures!
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*Helicopter photo above courtesy of Tim and Heidi Burns