The Indian River Lagoon, Two Big Meetings, and 45 Days to Go/NoGo
June 29, 2026
It’s the last Monday of June, we’re halfway through the year, and we have 105 days to launch. Here’s what’s happening.
Meeting Recap: Vincent Encomio, FL Sea Grant
Vincent Encomio is a Florida Sea Grant Extension Agent based in Fort Pierce, covering Martin and St. Lucie Counties on Florida’s east coast. He was introduced to us by Jen Maucher at the NOAA PMN office—and that introduction is already opening doors.
We had a great meeting last week, and I spent some time in the episode sharing why the Indian River Lagoon is personal to me. The IRL is a 156-mile estuary running from Jupiter to New Smyrna Beach along Florida’s east coast. It includes the Mosquito Lagoon, the Banana River, the Indian River, and Hobe Sound. It’s one of the most biodiverse estuaries in North America.
I grew up in Okeechobee in the 70s and early 80s—just inland from the coast. My family spent weekends all along Florida’s east coast from West Palm to Brevard, but our favorites spots were the Jupiter Inlet, Fort Pierce Inlet State Park and Sebastian. We swam along the jetties, snorkeled, floated out to the little islands at low tide, watched stingrays. Those are childhood memories I carry everywhere.
The Indian River Lagoon was my playground. Coming back as a scientist with real water quality tools—that means something.
What’s heartbreaking about the IRL today is the loss of seagrasses, the harmful algal blooms, the nutrient loading from surrounding land use. Seagrasses are dying out because of excess nutrients causing algal growth that blocks sunlight. Manatees feed on seagrasses—and they’re running out of food. The science is urgent.
Vincent is deeply connected to organizations and networks along the entire IRL corridor—and through FL Sea Grant, he has statewide reach. This is a high-value partnership that’s going to shape a lot of what we do in Segment 2.
→ Learn more about Florida Sea Grant
Meeting Recap: Ashley Hill, NOAA Marine Debris Program
Ashley Hill is the Southeast Regional Coordinator for the NOAA Marine Debris Program, based near Punta Gorda. We’ve been working together since January—she actually met Teal’c as a tiny puppy when I picked him up, over coffee while we talked all things marine debris.
This week we focused on Segments 1, 2, and now 3—she covers Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina as well. Ashley is helping us assess whether our planned stops are the most strategically valuable for connecting with the organizations and science networks she already works with. Her on-the-ground knowledge of the Florida and Southeast corridor is invaluable.
Coming Up: AMIkids & Jorge Mahauad
This week I’m meeting with Jorge Mahauad, Director of Marine Education and Yacht Marketing at AMIkids. AMIkids has been around for decades running programs for underserved youth—and they also run one of the most interesting yacht donation programs in the country through yachtdonations.org, working with top marine brokers to manage donated vessels.
We’re hoping to explore whether there’s a vessel in their inventory that could work for us—loan, donation, or another arrangement—and to build a broader partnership around the shared mission of connecting youth to science and the water. I’ll report back next week.
→ Yacht Donations: yachtdonations.org
Vessel Search—45 Days to Go/NoGo
August 10th is 45 days away. That’s our Go/NoGo date—if we don’t have a vessel committed by then, we postpone to 2027. We’re launching our new short-form series, “Would It Work for the Loop?”, walking through specific boats on the market against our expedition specs. If you know of a trawler, catamaran, or vessel built for liveaboard in the 35–65 foot range—send us the link.
→ Full vessel specs & in-kind support
Interactive Port Map—We Want to Hear From You
The interactive L3 Ports & Partners map is live on the website with all planned stops along the route. These aren’t set in stone—experienced loopers have taught us to keep dates and stops fluid. Weather, tides, and conditions drive decisions on the water, and we don’t want set dates forcing bad calls.
But here’s the ask: if you’re an organization, school, homeschool group, or science partner anywhere along the route and you want us to come to you—email us now. We’re in deep planning mode and making decisions about stops right now. We can shift ports to reach you.
→ Reach out: director@cultivatingcurrents.org
Water is Place—Still Coming
Mosquitoes won last week. Then storms. We’re in a drought here in Laramie and the weather has been genuinely strange—tornado warnings in Wyoming in June. I can’t wish away the rain because the land needs it desperately. That’s actually the whole point of the series.
We’re recording this week if conditions cooperate. Stay subscribed.
Three Specific Asks
- If you’re along the Great Loop route and want us to stop near you—email us this week at director@cultivatingcurrents.org.
- If you know of a vessel that fits our specs—leave a comment, send a link, reach out any way you can. August 10th is 42 days away.
- If you haven’t subscribed to the newsletter—go to cultivatingcurrents.org, sign up, and stay in the loop. Monthly updates, no noise.