We went up and down uncharted rifts in the rock and reached a local destination that had been unknown to the imperium. Our crew consisted of our pilot Laura, chapter commander Eric, Dr. Haywood, forward party leader Shanley, scout Jen, and myself. In the course of our journey today, we utilized our D.I.N.G.Y or durable interstellar navigation gravitational-wave yacht.
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Exploration Science: A captain’s reflections on adventure
I wonder how to recapture a bit of the rush that Julia felt when a particularly big wave loomed overhead then harmlessly passed away – instead of chortling with joy, I merely shield my face in case a bit of spray comes aboard.
Sometimes, though, excitement comes to you.
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‘Missing plastic’ in the oceans: data collected on board Sea Dragon
We’re excited to see this piece on the vertical distribution of buoyant ocean plastics in The Conversation – ‘Missing plastic’ in the oceans can be found below the surface – which contains data collected on board Pangaea’s S.V. Sea Dragon by our partners at The Ocean Cleanup.
Read MoreMy Amazing Adventure at Sea: One More Generation’s Olivia Ries
We wanted to share My Amazing Adventure at Sea, a great piece in The TerraMar Project’s news outlet, The Daily Catch by Olivia Ries, co-founder (with her brother) of One More Generation!
Read More5 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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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.
Read MoreeXXpedition: 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.
Read MoreeXXpedition: 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.
Read MoreeXXpedition: A wind of active positivism
We are still enjoying the amazing crew members’ talks, and yesterday evening we heard from the Norwegian environmental activist, Malin. Malin started her environmental activist career at the early age of 14, and then by 18, she was named Norway’s Environmental Hero after succeeding in her work to stop Hydro’s oil drilling off the southern coast of Norway. Even at her young age, her work has consisted of intense involvement at the intersection of environmental activism and political participation. Questions of where our energies are best directed arise directly from this. Her talk has kicked off an active discussion on board about how individual actions can move and inspire bigger decisions, even at higher political levels.
Read MoreeXXpedition: Meet S.V. Sea Dragon
All our meals are made in the galley, and we often gather in the salon to chat. Food scraps are saved in a small pail in the galley and dumped over the side to feed the fishes per regulations. The stovetop is gimbled so that it stays level as the ship rocks from side to side. There is also a small library in the salon with sailing and marine life identification books and also other relative books to our trip like, Plastic: A Toxic Love Story and Garbology. We normally eat our meals on deck in and around the cockpit and the helm.
Read MoreeXXpedition: Exploration, Inspiration, Serendipity
We have all been winding through diverse and varied landscapes – physical, social, psychological – yet have converged in this one space aboard Sea Dragon, where our similarities and differences are highlighted in sharp relief. All of our purposes and journeys different, yet the same. Serendipity becomes a common theme.
As the moon rises and we settle in to our night watches, we stare up at the sky and around at the horizon.
eXXpedition: Flying fish, manta trawls, and gender balance
The sun was shining and Sea Dragon was sailing wing-on-wing. This diamond sail combination makes a beautiful sight against the cool blue sky. At 1pm sharp, it was time for our second manta trawl, which we accomplished smoothly in 1 hour 20 mins. Shanley assures us that this is a great time for our second attempt, and we are all pretty excited at the prospect of breaking some kind of record. We’re hoping to be down to 1 hour by the time we reach Martinique – let’s see if we’re up for the challenge!
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