Post 4: On Board The Sea Dragon

The day has finally come. Since I signed up for this adventure in February I have been eagerly anticipating what lies ahead. While my main focus is on the research of microplastics in the Pacific Garbage Patch I have had many sleepless nights wondering what it will all be like living on a sailboat for three weeks in the middle of the ocean. From who are the other crew members (complete strangers at this point) to how many days will I be seasick to just how many stars will I see in the night sky in the middle of the ocean. All this excites me; yes, even the drama of motion sickness. I can't wait to learn more about sailing on windless days and in deep blue storms. I can't wait to rotate through all the shifts as a crew member; from cooking and cleaning to trimming the sails and navigating the boat in the middle of the night. I can't wait to see the night sky on a moonless night (July31). I can't wait to find my sea legs and to sleep for 21 nights in a hammock. I can't wait to use the trawl nets through the Garbage Patch and study samples of the plastics we find. I can't wait to document it all with one SLR, one Go-Pro and one Drone. And I can't wait to bring home all this knowledge and share stories and pictures with you. Here's to "fair winds and following seas".

Reef-safe sunscreen? Check. Books, a lot of them? Check. More camera equipment than clothes? Check. Waterproof gear? Check. Glass jars to bring back some water samples for students? Check. Snorkel, mask and fins for that deep blue ocean swim? Check. Lots of dark chocolate bars? Check. Non-drowsy, ginger Dramamine and motion sickness Rx patch to last three weeks? Double check. Positive spirit to take me beyond my comfort zone? Absolutely!!!!

I hope this link works to show our progress across the Pacific. The blue dot in the Pacific between Hawaii and Canada is us. I think if you zoom on it it will show our position in real time.⛵😊

https://tracking.redportglobal.com/Track