Each year the International SeaKeepers Society hosts the Bal de la Mer. The event honors a person or organization making inroads into ocean and sea-life conservation. This year, the Bal de la Mer will fete Wendy Benchley, a longtime ocean advocate. The event will also include a special Women in Yachting Honorary Committee.
Benchley is a leading global presence and voice in both ocean and shark conservation. She is a 28-year member of the Environmental Defense Fund, for example. She has held multiple prominent positions with the organization. Benchley is also co-founder of the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards. The awards are named for her late husband, who was best known as the author of Jaws. Peter Benchley often used the ocean as a backdrop in his novels. He became a dedicated environmentalist and advocate for sharks following the frenzy of Jaws on film. The Peter Benchley Ocean Awards honors ocean-conservation achievements among marine explorers, researchers, scientists, and policy makers.
The International SeaKeepers Society created the Women in Yachting Honorary Committee to call attention to “remarkable women…in ocean advocacy from around the globe.” MegayachtNews.com is pleased to announce that its founder and editor, Diane M. Byrne, is among the honorary committee members. Byrne says, “I’ve always been proud to help spread word about the goals and achievements of the International SeaKeepers Society. I’m grateful, and humbled, to be included among such luminaries.”
The rest of the Women in Yachting Honorary Committee includes:
- Maria Damanaki: European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
- Patty Elkus: founding member and former board member of the International SeaKeepers Society; member of Director’s Cabinet of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography; board of directors for Mission Blue and the BLUE Ocean Film Festival
- Capt. Alexia Barrier: founder of ocean-research program 4myplanet and solo global sailor
- Jill Bobrow: editor-at-large for Yachts International
- Gigi Brisson: founder and CEO of OceanElders
- Joyce Clear: founder and president of Clear Group International and Clear Yacht Interiors; founder of Ports of Cause
- Pamela W. Cole: private portfolio manager
- Sylvia Earle: oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer
- Jenifer Austin Foulkes: manager of Google Ocean
- Amy Halsted: owner of The Halsted Agency; founding director of Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the Coastal Conservation Association, the Rainforest Alliance, Earth Day Roanoke, and Earth Day Bethel
- Nigella Hillgarth: president and CEO of the New England Aquarium
- Shannon Joy: director of the Joy Foundation
- Deborah Kinder: founder and CEO of BLUE Ocean Film Festival
- Ann Luskey: founder of Charlotte’s Web
- Shari Sant Plummer: president of Code Blue Foundation; trustee of Summit Foundation
- Sharon Kwok Pong: founder of Aquameridian Limited
- Claudia Potamkin: co-owner and founder of Global Oceans
- Sally Dane Sperry: marine insurance specialist
- Charlotte Vick: strategic partnership director of the Sylvia Earle Alliance Mission Blue; curator for Explore the Ocean in Google Earth
- Sandra Whitehouse: marine biologist; senior advisor to Ocean Conservancy
- Capt. Sandra Yawn: co-owner and founder of Global Oceans
The International SeaKeepers Society Bal de la Mer is being held September 26 at the Monaco Yacht Club. MegayachtNews.com has invitations available; email us to receive one.
Jill Bobrow
Thanks for posting this Diane!
Amy Halsted, The Halsted Agency
Thank you, Diane, for posting and bringing attention to this amazing group and SeaKeepers. What a privilege to be a member of the Honorary Committee.
Joyce Clear
Looking forward to a fantastic event. Thanks, Diane…
Darran Blake
Captain Sandy,
Sounds like a great event..thanks for the one up…hope to attend..Darran Blake