We are seeing a lot of small to medium size garbage, similar to yesterday afternoon. Pieces of rope, chunks of ghost net tangles (relatively small, between 25 lbs to 300 lbs), twine, small pieces of plastic of all colors, pieces of plastic strapping intermixed with occasional bottles, buckets and containers. We have not yet encountered the larger density of consumer items that we found on last year’s expedition. All the items we have been finding seem to have been in the ocean longer than the items we found on last year’s expedition. The ocean current systems have a way of sorting similar things together, and we are clearly in an area with lots of chunks broken off of larger ghost nets and fragments of many types of plastic. The swell is about 2-3 feet, large enough to mean we are only spotting a quarter of the plastic bits that size. We are still seeing a significant amount!
Everyone onboad is moved by seeing our garbage floating around us mid-ocean.
The crew of Kaisei includes sailors, surfers, scientists, teachers, environmentalists. By sharing this experience, everyone is becoming an advocate for the world’s oceans. Seeing marine debris, and the broken down small pieces of plastic everywhere, helps to inspire people to create changes in their own lives, and to educate others about the need for stewardship of our precious ocean world.
We declared a party Saturday night, so after another delicious dinner prepared by our Chef Adam Chang, people dressed up a bit, enjoyed brownies, sea shanties and Art Mercereau reading from Melville. It was a spectacular evening! The good spirits were enhanced by a beautiful sunset and moonrise, creating a magical atmosphere on the decks of Kaisei.
