Triple round-the world sailor Conrad Humphreys has launched the Blue Mile, which will share his passions for the water and the environment with hundreds who will swim, paddle, sail or simply walk around Plymouth Sound this summer. To launch a week of articles based on the project, which is being supported by the Western Morning News, Louise Vennells spoke to the international sportsman and ambassador who aims to create a global mass participation event

THE tranquility of the sea affords plenty of time and space for reflection. During his voyages around the globe, Conrad Humphreys developed a deep-rooted respect for the waters, and a grave concern about the future of the oceans.

It is a passion he found he has in common with most committed water sportsmen and women, and he believes it is no coincidence.

The 36-year-old, who first sailed when he was nine, has long toyed with the idea of a mass participation event – believing the key to building conviction to act is encouraging people to fall in love with the water, through sport. He hopes it will set in motion a spirit of action to protect the seas.

Now, the Blue Mile is gathering serious momentum. The premise is simple – over the weekend of July 3 and 4 this year, hundreds of people will swim, sail or paddle their way around a mile-long course in Plymouth Sound, which itself is dripping with nautical history. At the same time, a mile-long walk will link in with the National Marine Aquarium, so visitors can experience marine life while still on terra firma.

Registration for the swim is now open, and during their training, it is hoped the participants will develop a new-found respect for the seas, and a heightened awareness of the threats it faces. Then, on the weekend itself, spectators will both rediscover the joys of marine sports, and take part in a range of activities at a special area nearby, designed to highlight environmental issues.

It was at a conference in Spain in 2008 that the light bulb really went on for Mr Humphreys. Impressed by the achievement of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics in making the event carbon neutral, he realised the time was right to strike – and that there was no better venue than Plymouth, with its stunning, but underused, coastline.

He said it was crucial to convey the message without being "preachy".

"It's all about what makes people act – what nudges them to be more respectful and caring," he said. "Organising a mass participation event is a bit like organising a march. It will get people in, on and around their local waters, and if we are smart, we can create a legacy which will see that continue.

"A lot of the big climate change headlines tend to go over many people's heads. We need to localise it, so that when they walk from the Mayflower Steps to the Blue Mile finish line and look out across the water, they can be aware of the species living there, and the dangers they face, in a way that they perhaps weren't before."

Mr Humphreys is talking from experience. His own calling came from a childhood love of sailing in the waters around Exmouth. Despite not coming from a nautical background, the young Conrad's interest was sparked through friends on a family holiday, and by the time he was 11, he had persuaded his parents to buy a second-hand dinghy, which he looked after meticulously.

His interest blossomed, and after finishing his A-levels, aged just 17, he snapped up the chance to join a crew in his first round-the-world race – the Whitbread, since renamed the Volvo Ocean Race.

"That was the first time I really thought about ocean systems and currents," he said. "Having the chance to sail some of the most remote waters in the world at a very young age inspired me to get into oceanography. Before that, I had always wanted to be a journalist."

Scraping together the resources for the under-financed team to achieve their goal also proved good experience of fundraising – which has proved invaluable in later ventures. When he returned, Mr Humphreys signed up to study oceanography in Plymouth in 1994. He said: "It taught me how ocean currents drive the engine for all life on Earth."

Mr Conrad said the changes in the seas over the past 50 years were "scary", and said race courses had been dramatically altered over the past decade to take the transforming seascapes, such as the Antarctic ice melts, into account.

Over the past 15 years, Mr Humphreys has built up an amazing wealth of ocean-going experience, including sailing around the world three times, and becoming the fifth Brit ever to complete the prestigious Vendee Globe.

Simultaneously, he has set up Sport Environment, a marketing company which seeks to establish links between business and marine sport with a green conscience.

His combined experience means he is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to mobilising different sectors to unite. Already, he is amassing a small army of Blue Mile ambassadors – well-known sportsmen who are keen to use their influence to promote the green agenda.

He has attracted public sector funding, which will make up around 25 per cent of the cost, anticipated to be around £100,000 in year one. If the event captures the public imagination as intended, it will both grow and spread, with other cities already expressing an interest in hosting their own Blue Mile event in the future, and Mr Humphreys hopes links to the Nautisme Espace Atlantique project, which connects coastal countries around Europe, could mean it makes the jump to the continental mainland in the next few years.

Mr Humphreys lives near Bantham in South Devon with his wife and two-year-old daughter. He said: "It's pretty worrying that our children will be growing up with the knowledge that they are likely to witness some pretty serious impacts of climate change, and that some difficult decisions for the whole planet lie ahead. I do think we have a responsibility to act now."

To find out more about the project, or to register to take part in the Blue Mile on July 3 and 4, visit www.thebluemile.org