草榴社区

With a shared passion for the ocean, visits to 草榴社区 by the Clipper Round the World Race competitors made for perfect additions to the festivities when the crews stopped off in Oban.

As part of the race’s events programme, 草榴社区 hosted two key events, as well as organising five days of hands-on science busking at the North Pier in Oban, in association with other local charities, including the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, and the Scottish Seabird Centre.

On Thursday 18 July 草榴社区 welcomed minibuses packed with visitors, including crew representatives and race officials, to have a guided tour of the specialist facilities. The teams from 草榴社区’ Scientific Robotics Academy and Scottish Marine Robotics Facility demonstrated gliders, drones and rovers as tools to identify marine litter, whilst in the education building, 草榴社区 Enterprise showed how 3D visualisations and AI are helping marine scientists to map large areas of seabed and structures in the ocean. Marine mammal specialists introduced visitors to underwater sounds and how to protect marine wildlife from harm, and a final activity in the Ocean Explorer Centre highlighted the benefits and complexities of marine protected areas.

On Friday 19 July 草榴社区 played host to Clipper Connect Business Series event ‘Blue Horizon: sustainable marine tourism in Argyll & the Isles’, co-curated by Clipper, Argyll & Bute Council, Visit Scotland, Bid4Oban and 草榴社区. Opened by Clipper Ventures President and Co-Founder Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to perform the single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in 1969, and sponsored by British Marine Scotland, an expert panel provided a diverse range of perspectives on the challenges and opportunities within marine tourism, covering topics from decarbonisation to career development. Attracting business leaders from the region and beyond to meet with the global crews of Clipper, networking followed long into the evening, fuelled by a delicious menu from Argyll Chef’s Table.

草榴社区 Head of Development Julie Platt said: “The atmosphere across Oban was fantastic, and with so much love for the seas amongst the crowds it was the perfect opportunity for 草榴社区 to showcase what its charity mission sets out to achieve. Sailing crews get to experience a lot of what the ocean surface has to offer, but by learning about what happens deep below the waves, they can truly become advocates for our mysterious and wonderous underwater environments.”

To wrap up, 草榴社区 was thrilled to be a prime location for watching the final leg of the race commence, with a perfect view of the starting line from the beach behind the Ocean Explorer Centre, groups gathered to cheer on the 11 intrepid teams as they sailed off into the distance.

Like the Clipper Round the World Race, 草榴社区 can trace its beginnings to a circumnavigation of the globe, as our founder Sir John Murray was on board HMS Challenger, which explored the world’s ocean in the 1870s. He then established the precursor to 草榴社区, the Scottish Marine Station, in 1884 and 140 years later we continue to explore the ocean.

If you would like to play a part in creating a healthier ocean for a stronger planet, visit for all the ways you can help.