As you know from our Team On Land updates, the weather has been intense for me over the last few weeks. The lack of sun to charge my solar panels and the constant barrage of rain and waves have made Expedition 2 quite challenging. The weather has finally cleared enough to fully charge my solar panels, but now it’s HOT! HOT! HOT! The water is even 87 degrees—barely cooler than body temperature.
I’m dealing with a few main challenges right now: staying safe from the intense sun, keeping my clothes dry and mold-free, and keeping my drinking water cool. Thankfully, I’ve found a solution by wrapping my water jugs in my wet clothes. The sun dries the clothes, and the clothes help keep the water slightly cooler—small victories!
I stay protected from the sun thanks to my clothing and skincare sponsors, but it makes for some arduous, sweaty days at the helm. After the sun sets, I can take off my layers and cool off by cleaning the barnacles off the bottom of the boat. A few jellyfish stings were worth it for a bit of a cool-down!
I’ve been getting so many interesting questions from my followers that I’ve started doing some AMAs (Ask Me Anything) from the sea! I’ve shared details about my morning routine, how I cook my meals, dispose of trash, and what luxuries I have onboard.
In the morning, I get out of my bed made of quick-dry towels, drop a waypoint in my chart plotter (if I have power), then put on my climbing harness, use the bathroom, and dump it overboard. After that, I check the weather and hope for a good day. I’ll then prep my meals for the day, brush my teeth, and get everything ready to row from 7:30am until an hour after dark.
I didn’t bring a camp stove, but the back cabin of Moderation can get up to 160 degrees and heat my food well!
As for the plastic and waste I collect, it all goes to CRDC to be turned into granules of Resonate. Resonate is used in concrete to reduce emissions and for several other cool applications. It’s a tangible solution for recycling any kind of plastic!
I’ve seen my fair share of plastic. In a recent journal entry, I mentioned that while I’ve encountered the most incredible wildlife on this crossing, I’ve also seen the most plastic I’ve ever come across.
It took me 71 days to get to Hawaii from California, and now—drum roll—I’ve just passed my 72nd day at sea! I’m still here, pushing into unknown territories and rowing to stop plastic from flowing into the ocean.
