Picking up the pace and moving ahead to 11th place from 12th in a field of 13, loggerhead sea turtle Bortie continues to swim off Everglades National Park in the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s 11th Annual Tour de Turtles.
Bortie has traveled 128 miles since the race began on Aug. 1. The event is part of the organization’s research project tracking satellite-tagged turtles to determine where and how far they migrate.
Bortie was satellite tagged and released on Coquina Beach on June 19, and is sponsored by the Conservancy, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, Waterline Marina Resort in Holmes Beach and Bortell’s Lounge in Anna Maria, for which she is named.
Bortie’s nest hatched successfully in August.