Freedom Turtle here. Just wanted to announce that WE’RE OFF!!!!

It’s Part Two of the Great Turtle Race: The Great Sea Turtle Summer-to-Summer Super Swimathon (TGSTSTSSS….believe it or not, that sounds pretty close to a leatherback turtle gasp.)

Start time: 11:06 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, June 21. That’s Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. And we’ll end at 10:08 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on December 21, Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.

The turtle who paddles the furthest by December 21 WINS! So, it pays to ride the currents and swim while sleeping. We’ll keep tabs on our progress here. You can download one or all of our of our widgets and watch us right on your blog or MySpace page.

We’ll also send stories….carapace-raising escapades of fleeing shark-fin fishers. Our battles with opposing ocean currents on our way to the tasty jellyfish-filled ocean off Chile. Mysteries of how we find those quiet spots where the jellies hang out. Happy stories. Sad stories. Funny stories.