Brian Thompson, Earthwatch ambassador

One thing I forgot to mention in my Vendee Globe reports was the work undertaken by Brian Thompson as he was racing, making water temperature readings and reporting wildlife sightings for Earthwatch.

Earthwatch is an environmental charity that deals with science at the coal face where it's needed. Earthwatch scientists are not sitting in university offices but spend much of their time out in the field where hundreds of Earthwatch volunteers join them every year helping to collect data.

Who are Earthwatch volunteers? Well they are just like me and you, people who want to go out and do something. Some get the chance to go on expeditions through supporting employers such as HSBC. Others sign up for an Earthwatch study as an alternative to lazing on a beach during their vacation. Yes, you're paying to work and what a fantastic experience it is, learning about our world through dusty boots, not the sterile pages of a book.

I have written about their expeditions here and here. Don't confuse this with eco-tourism. At Earthwatch you're handling crunchy, robust science, discovering the stuff that makes a difference to our world.

As an Earthwatch ambassador, Thompson carried the charity's logo on his mast, a sponsorship slot donated by Bahrain Team Pindar. It's great that sporting competitors are joining forces with charities in this way. I'm a trustee of the charity and would be very happy to tell you more if you need it but don't expect an unbiased opinion. Earthwatch will change your view of the world. It changed mine.