Ships Log

Exploration Science: Marine Protected Area at La Caleta, Dominican Republic

Today was a first for the Marine Protected Area (MPA) here in La Caleta. We met with Dr. Rubin Torres again and conducted the first plankton tow in the park. A plankton tow consists of towing a cone-shaped mesh net alongside the boat. The mesh net is really fine, so that the plankton can be trapped and funneled into a plastic bottle.

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5 Gyres study on ocean plastic pollution in PLoS ONE

Our partner, 5 Gyres, recently release a major study on plastic pollution in the world’s oceans. The study is a very big moment for public awareness around marine debris, plastic pollution, and our oceans.

We’re very happy that S.V. Sea Dragon was lucky to be part of a huge amount of the data collection through several ocean expedition, and we wish to congratulate everyone involved in this massive study.

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Exploring Mindset: Martinique to the British Virgin Islands

To date, Exploring Mindset has been firmly based on the swaying, floating base of Pangaea’s Sea Dragon, our 72ft yacht. The solitude of ocean life alongside the team work and sailing skills needed to ensure each passage is successful, provide the ideal scenario for our program. And no, you don’t need to have any sailing experience to join us!

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Happy New Year! eXXpedition by GoPro!

As we draw closer to the beginning of 2015, we wanted to ring in the New Year by sharing a taste of our journey across the Atlantic Ocean with you all! It is important to not only reflect on the past year and how far we’ve come with our project, but also how to move it forward – through film, education, and outreach.

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eXXpedition: Land ho!

It did not take us long to get our land legs, and we followed tradition by dining at a local restaurant, Mango Bay, where we enjoyed Caribbean cocktails and food. We all sensed the outside world pressing in on our bubble at sea, with the cacophony of sounds and so many people. We could all sense that the time together was growing short and our new found friendships would have to be maintained at a distance. This incredible experience has left a mark on us all in quite unique ways and is likely only to be fully appreciated after our return to our homes and busy, daily lives, only days away.

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eXXpedition: Inspiration from our skipper & sessions on the future

Too close to land to do more science in the afternoon, we finished our series of talks with Emily, our skipper. She took us on a journey of her life, studies, and ultimately her thrilling adventures at sea, which have helped to shape her philosophy that brings us all here. Emily was one to “never say never,” leaving one career to pursue her adventures both on sea and land, all of which were geared toward building awareness of and creating more sustainable communities around the globe.

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eXXpedition: Science, seaweed, and songs

We ended the day with a touching and impassioned talk from our Head Scientist and co-founder of eXXpedition, Dr Lucy Gilliam. She is an incredible human being, with a wealth of personal and professional experience that has made her an astonishing advocate for the health of our planet. From her school day passion to stop logging in the rainforest, to her current fascination and determination to save the oceans, she is an inspiration to us all.

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eXXpedition: Shanley’s sea tales and a trip to the salon

Shanley grew up by the sea, and has simply never wanted to be apart from it. Even to the extent that when she did find herself living in landlocked mid-US, she found herself driving for hours at a time simply to reach the ocean. She is one of those people who just belongs at sea, and since she found her way onto a boat in the Caribbean, as she describes it, she’s never really been off a boat since.

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eXXpedition: The Future, climate, and toxics

After our trawl work, we had a mission. We are supporting a campaign called The Future. This campaign is spreading awareness on climate change and telling our politicians “we are keeping an eye on you” by watching the political process and policies being created (or lack thereof). To represent The Future campaign, we encircled one eye with black or red makeup (eco-friendly) and took photos to share. We feel our mission of exposing toxics in our environment is connected to The Future’s mission, as well.

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