From Scattered Bolts to A Cohesive Unit:
Introductions and getting in ship shape
The first day was great! Started off getting to know everyone. We’ve got a mix of 13 crew members from all over, including the UK, Holland, United States, Brazil, Sweden, and one person all the way from Bermuda!
We spent the larger part of the morning assembling our multi-level trawl, which is paramount in collecting any plastic debris. It collects debris at various levels to create a depth profile of plastics within the gyre.
Once the assembling was complete, we got to chow down on tofu Caesar salad wraps (which were delicious!). Once lunch was done, it was finally time to test out the trawl. After some trial and error, we mastered maneuvering the trawl in and out of the water, and it was time to head back to the dock for a little debriefing and rundown of safety procedures from Captain Eric and First Mate Shanley. Dinner consisted of spicy vegetable stew with baguettes.
We were all feeling a little disconnected from social media and email and decided to visit St. George’s Square for a little internet and refreshments… I’m curious as to how we are all going to make out the next the next week, disconnected from civilization. Nonetheless, the crew is shaping up to be quite a promising group. Next stop, the North Atlantic Gyre! Keep your eyes peeled for the next update!
– Winston Godwin, May 17, 2014
