Sea Dragon slipped her mooring lines at 1230 this afternoon to start the latest Pangaea expedition, the Gyre to Gaia II, from Horta to Lanzarote in the Canaries. The distance is about 980 miles and should take us about 7 days.
A couple of hours into the voyage, we were south of the beautiful island of Pico, with its towering volcano and sumptuous vinyards. Here, we carried out our first trawl for evidence of plastic pollution. Our on board scientist Adam was keen to go for his first sample close to the islands this year. The first 20 minute trawl we did using the spinnaker pole, which we had already practised earlier this morning. The second trawl was from the stern quarters. This proved to be more manageable and safer in the large swell. Both trawls produced a considerable amount of plastic. I will leave it to Adam to blog about the details! We also plan to carry out a night time trawl.
Meanwhile, as we leave the beautiful Azores behind, supper is being called. Lizzie has made a delicious chilli (well, it smells delicious). All the crew are in good spirits, the sun is still shining, and life feels good!
– S.V. Sea Dragon Skipper Dai Rice, Gyre to Gaia II, July 31, 2015
