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Cancer Survivor Sails to Raise Awareness about America's Wetland
New Orleans, LA - Ryan Finn of New Orleans will battle the winds and waves of the Atlantic Ocean in his Mini 6.5 yacht in an effort to raise awareness about Louisiana's coastal land loss and its importance as the state's first line of defense against hurricanes. On June 6, 2007, Finn will participate in the Bermuda 1-2, a two-legged nautical race sailing single-handed from Newport, Rhode Island to St. Georges, Bermuda and back again with crew, Clark Thompson.

Finn learned to love solo sailing when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at age 20. While going through chemotherapy and radiation, he became fascinated with single-handed sailing, and decided that after treatment he would sail across a large body of water by himself. Finn has not fallen short of this goal. His first single-handed passage was from New Orleans to Savannah, and he has completed multiple races since then.

"The upcoming Bermuda 1-2 will be a great opportunity for me to help energize America both about the extreme sport of single-handed sailing, and also about the need to save coastal Louisiana. As America's WETLAND disappears, so does the fragile ecosystem that supports millions of birds and wildlife." said Finn.

America's WETLAND - home to 79 rare, threatened, and endangered species and wintering habitat for more than 5 million waterfowl and songbirds - is vanishing from the coast of Louisiana. The area loses 24 square miles a year, or the equivalent of a football field every 38 minutes America's WETLAND protects the nation's most important petrochemical complex and is vital to America's economic and energy security, as it produces and transports 30 percent of the nation's domestic crude oil and 34 percent of its natural gas.

The America's WETLAND Campaign, the largest, most comprehensive public education campaign in the State's history, was launched to raise public awareness of the impact of Louisiana's wetland loss on the state, nation and world. The initiative is supported by a growing coalition of world, national and state conservation and environmental organizations and has drawn private support from businesses that see wetlands protection as a key to economic growth.

Click here for more information on Ryan's story or the America's Wetland Campaign.

* Ryan Finn Ocean Racing Kick-off Party Friday, April 13th at the New Orleans Yacht Club 7pm.

03/26/07